I made it through (barely)

[kei1170 0]

Hi everyone...

Well, I was finally banded on April 21st and am a week out. So far I'm doing okay (thanks to the help of my fellow bander and friend, Tina - who has been a joy), but I do have a few "issues".

For the past few nights I wake up out of a sound sleep due to pain in my (i believe) area where the band is - is this normal? I mean I know I don't expect to be healed overnight, but the pain although not constant does occur daily and this worries me. I called my doctor and he told me I was slightly filled during the surgery and said that if I wanted to come in to have my port drained a bit...

I said no and have my first follow-up this Thursday. He mentioned I have a newer band??? Anyone out there have the same or had a somewhat fill on the day of surgery? I think this might be the case since I really don't have much of an appetite and am now on my first week of soft foods (grits, pudding, cream Soups, etc). All last week was liquid, which was fine.

As for the gas - my god!!! The pain I've had in my arm, shoulder and neck have almost been unbareable despite the walking I do to relieve the pain. I'm considering GasX - anybody use this for relief?

Thanks,

Kei

[StacieS 0]

I've been using the Gas-X strips that dissolve on your tongue. LIFE-Saver!

[Hastings 3]

I had a three cc fill in a ten cc band when I had surgery. It has worked well. I was banded on March 5 and haven't needed a fill. I am restricted as much as I want to be and am eating fine.

I don't really have any pain from my band, but I do have to use care about my port. I can't sleep on my stomach.

[harleymom 0]

For the first week, I had a hard time sleeping due to pain in my stomach. As I once was told, this too shall soon pass. I was fortunate, I did not have severe gas and did not have to use Gas X. I have actually had to use it more after the first few weeks (about week 3)....It will pass (literally :biggrin:)...I have the new band and haven't had any problem. I also had to have it filled the day of surgery due to it being loose on the day of surgery. Good luck!!

[Wheetsin 714]

Gas-X won't help with the operational gas, so if that's what you have, save your money. If you're having intestinal gas it may do some good, people report mixed results with it. It's a misunderstanding that it will help with surgical gas. All gas is not created equal. :biggrin: Even on their website it's clear that it will not. It's designed to work inside your intestinal tract. Surgical gas is outside of that, in your body's "free space"... and unfortunately the best you can do for it is move around, see if heat/cold will bring any relief and wait for it to dissipate/be absorbed.

Pain in the port area - not sure. But is the pain actually in the port area, or is it near the largest incision? Most people's ports are not directly at the incision site, they're located off to the side, lower, higher. So does it hurt "around" the incision area, or directly under the incision?

Typically fills are not given at the time if surgery, and I believe the manufacturer's guidelines advise against it. This is because of the swelling and bloating with surgery, add a fill to that and it would be easy to get someone way too restricted way too fast. Then again, maybe your surgeon noticed there was a lot of extra room when the band was placed, opted not to use a smaller band, so used some fill to compensate. Who knows? But it's not standard procedure.

[BA123 0]

We all know how you feal as far as pain goes, but don't worry, it will go away and you'll be better than ever afterwards.

My non-medical, totally psychological help for the pain was thinking of myself after I loose all this blasted weight. It takes your mind off the pain. Start thinking of what you're going to wear (bikini), what you're going to do (jogging), stuff like that.

Believe me, it's all worth it. Get ready for a new you.

Edited April 29, 2008 by losingjusme
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[NancyJ1960 0]

Heat, lots of moist heat will help dissipate the gas too.

[dancinglamb 0]

Typically fills are not given at the time if surgery, and I believe the manufacturer's guidelines advise against it. This is because of the swelling and bloating with surgery, add a fill to that and it would be easy to get someone way too restricted way too fast. Then again, maybe your surgeon noticed there was a lot of extra room when the band was placed, opted not to use a smaller band, so used some fill to compensate. Who knows? But it's not standard procedure.

Wheetsin-

I specifically asked my surgeon about that and he said the AP bands come with 3cc in them already so that's the baseline. It's never counted as a fill. (i.e., when you go for fills and they remove existing saline to calibrate before adding new in, the 3cc is basically a 'tare' like on a scale.)

I ended up getting the Realize band and he told me that this one actually has a 'negative' fill and there's no restriction whatsoever. Kind of sucks, since I'm *starving* hungry.:biggrin:

-m

-m

[mhazelrigg 1]

Typically fills are not given at the time if surgery, and I believe the manufacturer's guidelines advise against it. This is because of the swelling and bloating with surgery, add a fill to that and it would be easy to get someone way too restricted way too fast. Then again, maybe your surgeon noticed there was a lot of extra room when the band was placed, opted not to use a smaller band, so used some fill to compensate. Who knows? But it's not standard procedure.

When my surg put my band in, he said he fills it up completely and then opens up the port and lets all the Fluid that "wants" to come out, out. He said that it depends on how much restriction is there to begin with. Typically, people with bigger stomachs push more fluids out. I asked him if all surgeons did that, and he said that was how he was taught, but every surgeon is different. I had 1cc of Fluid in my band on my first fill. My friend had her first fill and she had 2.5cc's left in her band. I think that everyone is different!

[ssdown 0]

I was given 5cc's at the time of surgery and noticed nice restriction as soon as I could eat mushies and solids. I did not know about the 5cc's until my 1st fill.