Some questions after 4 days out.... ?

[GARYG 10]

My first post!

Had VSG on Wednesday, everything went well. My first question is this: After reading a lot of peoples experiences in the first week or two post op, it sounds like most people aren't having serious pain from their large incision site after a few days. I am. The kind that Diluadins don't help. Is my pain relatively normal? It's the transitions that are killing me, getting up, sitting down, etc. Even walking causes pain from the incision, so I'm limited mobilly at this point and I'd like to be able to walk more. Question 2 is I'm extremely gassy internally but can't seem to get anything to come out, and it's driving me bananas. I've taken 2 Gas X pills in the afternoon, and I can get a little to come out, but not much. The stomach muscles I use to try to fart are the ones that are in so much pain right now.

[liannatx 897]

The large incision was the most painful for me too, and 2 weeks post-op it is still a little sore. I really truly believe that the more was up and moving around seems help (this said in hindsight, I went back to work after 7 days). The gas pain sucks, to be honest. Walking and moving it around is the easiest way to work it out. Much of it is trapped air from the procedure, and not necessarily in the stomach or intestines. The common mantra is Walk, Walk, Walk. The Gas X cant hurt either.... I took it also.

[livingstone 137]

I also had pain in my large incision, and four days out it was quite bad. As you say, worse when you get up or sit down - or bending down was the worst for me.

I'm three weeks out and it's not entirely gone. It can still get me if I move too suddenly, but 90% of the time it's not there.

[LisaPunkinHead 187]

I had pain in my large incision for about a week. Then about 2-3 weeks out, I overdid it (did some organizing in the house and was doing a lot of twisting) and the pain returned -- that last internal stitch didn't want to let go. Lasted for 5 days and I wound up in the ER because nobody really knew what it was. I stayed on the couch the next day, took some pain meds (that I hadn't taken since day 2 post-op) and the following day the pain was gone. I am now just over 4 weeks post-op and feel great.

You will have pain -- they have to go through those ab muscles to get your stomach pulled out. Takes those muscles time to heal. When I would try to get up, I would roll over on my side and almost off the bed before putting my feet down on the floor.

Congratulations on your surgery!

[kyrickchick64 468]

Gas pain...walk, gas x strips and raise your arms and reach as high as you can and walk some more. The other pain will go away. Take some Tylenol is, you don't want the opiates. sleep as much as you can and drink when your not sleeping. If you can't eat the first week, tell your dr and keep drinking. I'm 3 weeks out tomorrow and today was my fist day really out and about(dressed in something other than sweats and a ponytail and wearing makeup AND jewelry! Go me lol) didn't want to but had to fake it to avoid a severe case of cabin fever. I'm lying in bed now just had some cream of wheat for lunch/dinner/whatever. Just do what you can when you can it's not a race is a marathon.

[Tauruslady5 154]

I had a lot of the pain but it was from the gas that they put into my stomach so they can see inside more clearly. I just made sure I walked a super lot. I did not take any pain medications at all.

Where did you have your surgery? Here in the states or in Mexico???

As for the incision, may I ask how many inches it is? I have to incision sites that are 1/2 inch in size and two smaller (looks like a puncture circle wound that is less than 1/4 inch in size)...... Everyone I read about seems to have very big incisions? Why, were they not done microscopically? Let me know, little curious here.

Thanks,

[GARYG 10]

I had my surgery in my hometown of Boise, ID, by Dr. Jim Valentine. I have 4 small (3/8") incisions and one larger (1-1/2"). I don'tt have any pain from the gas but just a lot of annoying gurgling and boinging around. I still haven't pooped.

[LisaPunkinHead 187]

@@GARYG, those are the same incisions I had -- 4 smaller and one larger.

@@Tauruslady5, the surgery was laparoscopic, but they still had to cut to get in the belly!! :-) The larger incision is the one they pull the stomach out through.

[MzRed12 1]

You may need to take a swig of Milk of Magnesia. That's what I had to do and the gas started and I had a bowel movement.

[Elode 8,093]

@@GARYG I had pain. The thing that really helped me was my abdominal binder, it helped tremendously with getting up and positioning .

[GARYG 10]

19 DAYS OUT. Lost 20 lbs. in the first 2 weeks, but currently experiencing the 3 week stall (at 2 weeks apparently.) My blood sugar is between 115-125 consistently-down from over 300 consistently. Did my diabetes go away?

[PMJ 55]

Do not strain your body to pass gas puts a lot of pressure on your stomach. This became my habit…would walk around house or outside then sit on toilet, it's the possition that helped me, put your hands down by your sides and lift your feet off ground a little. Actually, that is the proper way to poop as taught by a therapist in hospital my mom was in.

There are so many great references here, see what is recomended for Constipation, Had mine 4/3 and was able to pass a few little pebbles and it helped a lot. Hope you see some progress. keep us posted

[GARYG 10]

I haven't been constipated for a couple weeks now.