Help...Please...

[snowflake21al 0]

Ok, so here's the deal, I had my surgery on Thursday of last week. The surgeon told my family that I did great in surgery, a text book case etc. I did ok from Thursday till Sunday on my Clear Liquids except I was starving, that's normal I suppose. I was having a lot of gas pressure and pressure in my chest but it had mostly subsided by Monday and I felt like I was good to go back to work. And even as a 'treat' I let myself have some cream of potato Soup Sunday night even though I wasn't suppose to start full liquids until Monday. I felt fine after I ate it and better b/c I was starving. Well Monday I fixed myself some SF Carnation Instant Breakfast to drink on my way to work, I drank all of it and felt ok, then I got to work and about a hour later I started to feel this weird feeling in my stomach, almost like really strong hunger pains, so I though, hmm maybe I'll have some yogurt, thinking that I was just really hungry from being on clear liquids so long. I took a good long time eating that (45 mins) but the feeling persisted and maybe even got worse. I thought maybe I just wasn't used to having the full liquids after being on clear for 5 days. So about 2 hours later I thought maybe I would try drinking half a Protein Shake. That didn't help. And then about an hour later I fixed some Tomato Soup and sipped on it. I was in tears from the 'pain' , if thats what you want to call it and I couldn't stay at work so I came home and called my doctors office, they said that it was normal to feel that way after starting full liquids. I also called the office coordinator who does all the seminars and nutrition classes and she also has a band. She was concerned because once that feeling starts I really can't drink anything because it makes it worse. She though that maybe I was trying to eat too much also, which that could have been but she wanted me to talk to the nurse in the doctors office so she had her call me. After I explained to her all of this she said well maybe your band is a little tight from the swelling due to surgery, I could give you a steroid pack but I really don't want to if you are still able to drink. But she said to call if I didn't feel better and let her know. But later on that night I got up the nerve to try some more soup so I fixed some very thin cream soup. Ate with no problems and felt ok. So today I got up and drank about 3 oz of low sugar oj and when I got to work I just sipped on Water all morning. I started feeling this 'pain' around 11 but it was not bad, just barely there. So for lunch I thought maybe I can have something since I hadn't ate all day. Well I ate some chicken noodle broth and by 2 I was doubled over in my chair at work. The only way I can describe the pain is to tell you that it feels like bad stomach cramps or really severe hunger pains. My stomach grumbles and growls like if you have an upset tummy. The pain also kind of pulsates, it gets a little better but then comes back worse. The pain is in the lower part of my stomach not where my band is supposed to be. This has lasted from 2 until now and still going and it's 10:30 my time. Also earlier I felt like I was having some pain start in my throat towards my sholder. I am really getting to the point where I just can't take it anymore. If anyone has any idea of what this might be, please let me know. I plan on calling the nurse back first thing in the morning but I am just reaching out to see if anyone else has experienced this b/c I have never heard of anything like it. Please help if you have any ideas....

[di1138 8]

It sounds like it could be gas. I still get gas after I eat. Try the GasX strips. I find if I bend over from a siting position I burp easily. Try walking a bit too when that happens. Ask your doctor if he thinks it could be gas.

Hope you feel better soon.

[di1138 8]

oops I forgot.. the pain in your shoulder IS gas. The doctor should have prepared you for it. I am sorry he didn't.

[snowflake21al 0]

If it is gas then why is it happening inside my stomach not around my abdominal area like right after my surgery. I don't think the pain in my neck was gas either, like I said I experienced gas pain after surgery so I know that feeling, this is totally different. Something is not right. I'm fixing to call my doctors office here in about 5 mins to see if they can get me in today. Thanks for the help anyway.

[di1138 8]

Keep me posted. I hope everything is okay. Will be thinking about you.

[snowflake21al 0]

Well I called the docs office and they wanted me to come in. I went and explained what had been going on to my surgeon and he basically told me that due to me starving my body for over a week being on clear liquids that my stomach just needs to get back used to having food. He was not worried at all by what I was telling him and he said it was perfectly normal. He said just give it some time and if it don't get better to call back. I'm disappointed b/c when you don't feel good you really don't want to hear it's normal. You want to hear Oh yeah I know exactly what that is and heres what can help you. I am still not sure that there is nothing else wrong but I'm going to try a few more days of clear liquids and see if that helps...but at least I didn't go to the doc in vain, they went ahead and took out my staples!

[Wheetsin 714]

The only way I can describe the pain is to tell you that it feels like bad stomach cramps or really severe hunger pains. My stomach grumbles and growls like if you have an upset tummy.

Is the "growling" actually in your stomach, or is there a chance it's happening higher, closer to the esophagus, but you're associating it with your stomach because you most closely associate it to hunger pains? Is it actually growling, or is it a "gurgling" sensation? Is the pain ever relieved when you eat/drink something else? Not trying to infer that you don't know what you're experiencing, but there's a band sensation that makes similar sounds to a growling stomach, that new bandsters often assume is hunger, but is actually occurring in the esophagus.

The pain also kind of pulsates, it gets a little better but then comes back worse. The pain is in the lower part of my stomach not where my band is supposed to be.

Where you feel the pain isn't as significant as you might think. I have all kinds of referred pain from my band. Most often I feel it lower in my abdomen, to either side of my belly button. I rarely feel pain anywhere close to my band's position, except for when it's radiating to my back between my shoulderblades (and running up and down my spine).

This has lasted from 2 until now and still going and it's 10:30 my time. Also earlier I felt like I was having some pain start in my throat towards my sholder. I am really getting to the point where I just can't take it anymore. If anyone has any idea of what this might be, please let me know.

You've been told it's gas, I disagree. If I apply your symptopms to what I know about me, then I would say it sounds like you're experiencing food getting stuck (contrary to what a lot of people here will tell you, this can happen on liquids). It can also happen randomly, or in a pattern that's based on time of day, or in a pattern associated with your day's activities, etc. When I am stuck, I get a pressure (not pain) in the area of my esophagus. It then starts to manifest as pain to either side of my belly button (I mentioned this earlier), and in my hips -- like in the same place my hands would be if I stood with my hands on my hips. I will then begin to feel it between my shoulderblades, and pain will begin to radiate up and down my spine from there. Eventually I will feel "weird" in my throat. The pain in my abdomen, most often, increases to the point that it will take my breath away even though I have a high pain tolerance. Sometimes when I'm stuck, I will continue to feel stuck for hours and hours, even if there's not actually anything there, or it's only "lightly" stuck. Hard to explain. But often it has happened that I take a bite of something, feel uncomfortable for hours and hours, the entire day -- but I can take a drink or bite of something and it goes right down (and I usually feel completely fine afterward). So... sorry for the novel... but it sounds to me like you're feeling your food/drink "stick." Nothing in your description other than "pulsates" (which would normally happen in the area of the shoulder or collar bones, not your stomach) and "shoulder" would make me think you're experiencing gas pains.

[Wheetsin 714]

BTW, even if what you're feeling is gas (from your surgery), taking Gas-X will do absolutely nothing for you other than maybe a placebic effect. When related to laparoscopic surgery, "gas pains" usually refers to the relocation of the CO2 they exapnd your abdomen with. (They blow you up like a balloon). Gas-X is ingested, and as such designed to work inside your gastrointestinal system. Per their own product information, Gas-X only affects the gas that's associated as a by-product of your digestive system... in other words, the gas you would fart out. This is not the same as the pains caused by movement of CO2 through your body, which has no fix other than absorption/dissipation. Taking Gas-X for this pain is like putting a band-aid on your elbow because you have an ulcer that's bleeding.

[elisa 0]

had that. I was banded 8/23 I was on clear liquid 2 days and then thick liquid the rest of the week. When I started eating thicker Soups with noodles and chicken my stomach started to prtest. I had the runs after that for about 3 days. At least it got rid of the gas so I never had sholder pain. What it sounds like is that you have gas and lots of it. I realized the protien powders and the carnation make the gas worse for me. Once I started soups I had high protien like lots of egg drop Soup. I lived on that . You could have the jello's and the puddings. I drank a lot of iced tea.Hope you feel better-Elisa

[snowflake21al 0]

Thanks for the info, I agree that the Protein Shakes probably makes it worse and one of the people that I talked to about it said to try the whey that dissolves in your food or drinks to add Protein since I really need to be getting some. Wheetsin I really appreciate the insight. I can drink after the pain starts but I don't think it helps and actually it might get worse afterwards. And the growling and gurgling is actually in the bottom part of my stomach, if I put my hand there I can feel it right about where my belly button is. What you said makes sense though and I feel much better today. I guess I was getting myself all upset and making it worse. I will definately keep ya'll posted. Thanks again...

[meschultz 0]

Snowflake,

i hope you are feeling better and sorry to hear you were having so many pains. I am preparing to have my surgery on oct 1 and hope that it goes well .. I go for my pre op tomorrow so we will see what my diet plan looks like then. best of luck to you and hope you are not experiencing anymore pain.. take care

[snowflake21al 0]

Thanks so much, I am feeling pretty nauseated this morning but not the pain that I was having thank God. My surgeon told me yesterday that some peoples stomachs react differently when introduced to full liquids so I hope that is just the problem. Thanks for the good wishes! I hope your surgery goes well...