In Pain advice needed

[Gummiebear 0]

I am feeling tightening in my throat again and now I am having severe right shoulder pain. I read in some other threads that shoulder pain can be gas but I have not eaten yet today and I dont feel like I have gas. The pain is so bad and it burns. I am having an upper GI tomarrow but I dont know if I can wait that long with the pain. Can this indicate a band slippage problem? I am really concerned about that since I dont feel restriction.

[blahblahblah 4]

more info needed...when were you banded???

rain

[Gummiebear 0]

I have been banded for over a year

[blahblahblah 4]

when in doubt, call your dr.

Or go to the ER...but a call to the dr. would be my first step.

Rain

[Iluvharleys 15]

Well, if you have been banded for a year, I doubt it has anything to do with gas pains. I would call the doctor and ask him what you should do.

Please keep us updated!

[Gummiebear 0]

took a hot bath and drank some hot tea the pain seems to be settling a little. I cant wait until tomarrow so I can just feel better about my whole band situation. I will let u all know when I find out. Thx

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I am feeling tightening in my throat again and now I am having severe right shoulder pain. I read in some other threads that shoulder pain can be gas but I have not eaten yet today and I dont feel like I have gas. The pain is so bad and it burns. I am having an upper GI tomarrow but I dont know if I can wait that long with the pain. Can this indicate a band slippage problem? I am really concerned about that since I dont feel restriction.

The gas pains are usually immediately after surgery from the gas used to blow up your belly during surgery. Some people have shoulder pain from over eating. You could have gallbladder problems, nerve irritation, a slip, erosion, all kinds of possibilities. Everything from something minor to something not so minor.

Is your restriction different? Has it changed drastically for no apparent reason? Do you have pain elsewhere?

[Lap_dancer 8]

Call your doctor.

[Gummiebear 0]

I posted about my gal bladder the other day that area hurts really bad sometimes. My restriction had never really been good. I can count on one hand how many times I have PB in a year. Which Could be unusual since I am almost max filled. One thing that IS different is I used to have trouble with chicken occassionally but in the last few months I can eat it with no problem. I always chew my food really well I kinda wanted to experiment and swallow a big piece of food and see if it gets stuck but then what if I cause additional damage. Getting something stuck on purpose seems a bit extreem lol. I guess I will have to wait until tomarrow after my upper GI to find out whats really going on. I am hoping and praying that my problem is soft food syndrome I saw someone mention on these boards before. I eat alot of yogurt and cottage cheese still for lunch or Breakfast and usually whatever we have for dinner is what I eat. Wish me luck for tomarrow.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I don't understand, if your restriction has never been good why do you have soft food syndrome?

[Lap_dancer 8]

Gummi you could be overfilled. I posted on Dr. Kirchenbaum's 2000+ thread an article that I found really interesting. it's about fills.

Search it if you have time.

[Gummiebear 0]

Well I eat alot of soft foods just because I like them maybe thats a bit different than soft food syndrome but wouldnt that cause me to take in more calories than I realize? I am just grasping at straws and hoping I have not slipped. Whenever I feel my throat get really tight I also take a xanax. It relaxed my throat but my shoulder pain is still intence. My doctors have never done anything under Fluro just thought I would mention that.

[Lap_dancer 8]

I pulled that article for you Gummiebear. It's a good read.

Think You Need a Fill? THINK AGAIN

By Nikki Johnson

Do you remember that feeling you had when you first had your band placed? For a while, everything was great. You didn't experience hunger, you felt satisfied with a small portion of good food, you had more energy, and you were thrilled with your initial weight loss progress.

If you are like most people, your experience changed over time, Some of those feelings of hunger returned, and you stopped losing weight. You knew you needed something, so you went to your surgeon's office and asked for a "fill" right? If so, you might be surprised to learn that it is your thinking about your band, and not the band itself, that needs adjusting.

The LAP-BAND Bad Word

Paul O'Brien, MD, FRACS, is a skillful, compassionate surgeon and a foremost expert on the LAP-BAND System. he was involved in its design in the early 1990's and placed the first band in Australia in 1994. Since then, he has treated thousands of patients and is recognized worldwide for his expertise. When his patients utter that worst of four-letter words, "fill," in his office, they are asked to throw a dollar in the Red Cross donation bucket--a reminder that, according to Dr. O'Brien, thinking about a "fill" is just wrong thinking.

How can a concept that we hear about so constantly be so very wrong? Dr. O'Brien's answer is simple: "Any adjustment to the band is something that only takes place in the context of clinical consultation--part of a relationship of trust, honesty and communication between patient and surgeon--that is much more key to the success of the patient than the precise number of milliliters of Fluid in the band. This concept of partnership is the central theme of Dr. O'Brien's new book, The Lap-Band Solution--A Partnership of Weight Loss.

Patty's Note: Available on Amazon.com ISBN#9780522854121

Like many people, you might assume that weight gain or a sustained plateau means an incorrectly adjusted band; in fact, you may be right. But you may be surprised to learn that weight gain sometimes results from a band that is too tight. This is part of the reason why the "fill" concept is so misleading. If your surgeon determines that you are not losing weight as you should, then discovering why that is happening is crucial. Sometimes adding Fluid to the band will only make matters worse.

Life in the "GREEN ZONE"

Most people who have the LAP-BAND operation will have an amazing feeling of disinterest in food for the first week after surgery, before any adjustments are even made to the fluid in the band. According to Dr. O'Brien, that lack of interest in food is referred to as satiety. A related but different feeling is satiation, or the feeling you get as you are eating, precisely at the point that you don't need any more food to eat but you do not have an uncomfortable feeling of fullness. These two feelings--satiety and satiation--are what the properly adjusted band helps you achieve, allowing you to maintain your new healthier eating habits.

Your careful observation and truthful sharing of your feelings and eating behaviors, combined with the expert care and training of your surgeon and his or her staff, can make the very individual determination of whether your band is properly adjusted much more accurate. In order to help create the most effective partnership between themselves and their patients, Dr. O'Brien and his colleagues at the Australian Centre for Obesity Research and Education have developed a concept they refer to as the "Green Zone". When patients are in the green zone, they experience satiety, satiation after properly-sized small meals, and satisfactory weight loss or maintenance.

However, there are also yellow and red zones, both of which indicate that the band is not optimally adjusted. If your band is too loose, you will not have the benefits the band's hunger-controlling mechanism. If your band is too tight, you will have trouble eating properly and may actually gain weight because the foods you can eat more comfortable, that tend to be liquid and calorie-rich, like ice cream and chocolate, do not provide the proper nutrition. Learning to recognize when you have the feelings and eating behaviors that signal a problem can help you give your surgeon the information he or she needs to help you keep the band optimally adjusted.

Thinking Adjustment

Once you have eliminated the concpet of "fills" from you Lap-Band vocabulary, you will be able to let go of much of the conventional thinking connected to it. Perhaps you have heard talk about the "ideal" amount of fluid in the Lap-Band. While it may be helpful to have some idea of how much fluid is in your band, Dr. O'Brien says there is no magic number. No perfect amount of fluid will provide the best results for everyone. He says, rather, that "whatever volume of fluid is needed to achieve the [feeling of non-hunger] is the correct volume." When you notice that you are feeling hungry or are not losing weight, your body is telling you it is time to revisit your partner in weight loss -- your surgeon. your success absolutely depends on this relationship. So rather than thinking "adjustments," adjust your thinking, and, in partnership with your surgeon, find a lifetime of health!

For more information about all of the themes discussed in this article, please see Dr. O'Brien's book, The Lap-Band Solution--A Partnership for Weight Loss, which is available fro Amazon.com. We also invite you to visit LAP-BAND® System Forum - Home for more information and supportive resources.

[Gummiebear 0]

I was just reading that as u posted it that is a good read. I didnt realize being too tight could make u gain weight. I guess everyone is different and that could be true about eating foods that are more comfortable. (Learning to eat around your band) thats very possible and I am hoping its that simple and maybe my issue can be corrected easily. If you do get too tight for a period of time dont they unfill you completely? I think I read someone say that they had to do that to reverse the damage that was done.

[Lap_dancer 8]

I was just reading that as u posted it that is a good read. I didnt realize being too tight could make u gain weight. I guess everyone is different and that could be true about eating foods that are more comfortable. (Learning to eat around your band) thats very possible and I am hoping its that simple and maybe my issue can be corrected easily. If you do get too tight for a period of time dont they unfill you completely? I think I read someone say that they had to do that to reverse the damage that was done.

YEAH! Me too!! I read the article and thought it was so informative. It makes sense for some of the stuff I've been through. Learning to eat around your band...whoa, that hit me where I live.

I just had a fill on Friday in Aurora, Co at my surgeon's office. I had a fill not from him back in July (saving money)...let me tell ya...nevermore.

So right now I truly think I hit what they call a sweet spot. No pain, no stomach pain, no nausea. I'm feeling real good.

I wish the same for you Gummie.