May 28th Anyone??

[sailorChristy 1]

Congrats, 5/28 banditos! Welcome to the family. :cool:

Hope you all have gotten rid of most of your gas pain by now.

Marathon, the way it was explained to me -- and the way I experienced it -- was that the CO2 is within the abdominal cavity, where you can't eliminate it. Walking causes the gas to be absorbed (that's not the word the nurse used, but it was something like that)... by other body tissues and eliminated. I walked, shaking like a leaf, back and forth through the house when my first gas pain hit the day after surgery. I started burping a bit, and burped as much as I could all day. (It wasn't until the next day that the gas started to leave through 'other means.') Once the gas moved into my digestive tract, the Gas-X worked like magic. It took a few days, but thankfully the bloat and pain went away. PTL!

2911plans, I love your name and signature!

All of you are sounding chipper and doing great! You'll be amazed at how much better you feel each day.

Fondly,

Christy

[2911plans 16]

Hi Christy...Thanks for the encouragment. I begin and end my days on this site...I know I would not be as strong without it. Today is day four post op. I had a bad night. I was hurting so badly. The pain was from gas and bloating and I guess from the repaired hernia. I was going to go to work tomorrow, but I am still walking doubled over a bit. I teach 9-10 year olds. When can I look forward to less pain and more energy?

[singingintherain 1]

I do find that the periods of tiredness come and go throughout the day and I have to nap.

No pain for me now..just sore upon waking.

Can't say I have any difficulties such as the severe shoulder pain some go through from gas.

I think getting through this liquid diet stage is going to be the toughest thing. Especially while watching tv and seeing the food commercials!

[sailorChristy 1]

Hiya, 2911 ~

I am so sorry that you're hurting, sweetie. Are you taking the pain meds and/or OTC pain relievers that your surgeon prescribed/recommended as scheduled? There is definitely no shame in using the "tools" you've been given.

If your body is on a similar healing schedule as mine, tomorrow will be the day that you smile more than you grimace. For today, try to find a good balance of walking and resting (more resting than walking, of course), and use a gas-x melty strip every so often.

You've had more "work done" than the majority of us here (yay! - you marked one health issue off your list as "cured" before you even woke up!)... and it sounds like the hernia repair must be causing you some of the angst.

Are you able to take a couple/few more days off from work to recover? Be kind to yourself, doll. I promise that it will get better... and in this case, better = "wow! I'm banded! This rocks!"

:-)

Christy

[pinkxx88 0]

Hi,

I was banded the day before you, May 27th. Surgery went well, stayed overnight. I did not get any pain meds, I was afraid of getting sick from them. The only problem right now is that I am weak, probably due to lack of calories. I am on clear fluids. I am only getting about 290 and I am to stay on this for a week? I am calling the nutritionist tomorrow to see what else I can have. The other problem that started yesterday was bad gas. I wonder how to get rid of it, have been walking but still bad gas pains in stomach and between shoulders.

Good luck to all the May banders!

[singingintherain 1]

I am glad your surgery went well.

re: sufficient nutrients: definitely check .

When I was in the hospital the day after my procedure the nurse stressed that I was to only sip 30 cc's of liquid EVERY 3 HOURS. That is about 6 tsp every 3 hours??? I definitely knew that was wrong and in saying that she proved she was not a bariatric nurse. Things changed significantly when I got a new nurse when the shift changed over that evening.

If that nurse only saw how much the xray tech made me swallow before I left she would definitely think about her insistence.

[marathonmommy 0]

Thanks so much for those who posted they are experiencing pain. I do not feel pain from the incisions either, but the pain/uncomfortableness from gas is unbearable. I lay hugging a pillow for hours. I walk in between bouts with the pillow. Today, I dry heaved 3 times. The dry heaves actually made me feel a little better, although I'm afraid this has happened. I'm petrified to vomit, but I'm guessing dry heaves are just about the same. I do not remember reading about this pain . . . maybe I just didn't pay attention. When will this end?

[meem 0]

Man I can remember the gas pains!! OUCH!!! Everybody will heal just a little different, but the gas pains do go away. I used a heating pad and walking helped a lot. For me, about five-six days out the gas finally evaporated. I had it real bad in my left shoulder.

goood luck and believe that this will pass. (excuss the pun)

[2911plans 16]

I have the same questions. Will we return to feeling normal? I would to fell bloated and stiff because I have a band around my tummy. Do you ever go back to feeling good prior to the band? I am 4 days post op. I know I should give it time, but when you do not know how long you will feel this way it makes the journey a little depressing. Any advice? Does most banders feel better 2-3 weeks down the road?

[marathonmommy 0]

I have the same questions. Will we return to feeling normal? I would to fell bloated and stiff because I have a band around my tummy. Do you ever go back to feeling good prior to the band? I am 4 days post op. I know I should give it time, but when you do not know how long you will feel this way it makes the journey a little depressing. Any advice? Does most banders feel better 2-3 weeks down the road?

We have just about the same stats. Hubby didn't want me to do this - thinks I am crazy. After the last couple of days, I am beginning to think he was right. UGH! So painful . . . . I hope the band does not make me permanently uncomfortable!

[LindaD 3]

It took me TWO FULL WEEKS after my c-section to feel at all better.

Now, this is less than that - that was an open abdominal procedure and this is laproscopic. So it should mean faster recovery.

But guys, I think you need to give it more than a few days before you consider throwing the towel in.

I'm surprised you hadn't been aware of the post-op pain. I mean, just from reading/following on here, but you should have been given the information from your doctors.

It will pass. This is Day 3 for me and it's already feeling better. No, not perfect by any means, but it's getting better. I knew about gas and nausea and all that - it was the grogginess that caught me by surprise but today was much better in that regard too.

I've been doing 30 minutes a day on my treadmill (first day, 3 ten minute slow walks, second day, 2 fifteen minute slow walks, and today I did a 30 minute with a short intermission to get a drink and see how things felt). I think this easy / slow walking has been helping with the gas a lot.

Good luck!

[pinkxx88 0]

Thanks,

I know everyone is different. I also know you have to give your new stomach time to adjust, but how can you recover quickly when you have nothing to help. I know I won't starve, but I don't think 290 calories is enough to help me heal. I will let you know what the nutritionist said. Thanks.

[sailorChristy 1]

marathonmommy, 2911plans, and the rest of the 5/28 gang ~

How are you feeling today? Is that dreadful gas all out of your system? Are you getting your mojo back?

I too was unprepared for the misery of the first several days -- the severity of the gas pain, specifically. In the interest of being encouraging, my local bandsters didn't dwell on the gas and other pain-related aspects of the procedure. Even when a medical professional describes what to expect, it's impossible for them to truly quantify how badly you'll feel after surgery because everyone is different.

The turning point for me was when I walked laps around the first floor of my house until I worked up my first big burp. After that, it took three days, but during that time I was pretty much constantly burping and gas-x-ing my way through it.

Please let us know how you're doing, 'kay? :confused:

[pinkxx88 0]

Hi,

I was banded the day before you, and as of Monday, I was feeling much better, too. The surgery pain was not too bad, it was the gas. It eventually went away after 4-5 days and then I started to feel better. The other bad thing is my skin from the bandages....OUCH! My incisions look really good, but the skin around them is red and extremely sore. I have now waited until I am in the shower for 5 minutes or more to take them off....OWWWW. Hope this gets better.

I walked for 3 blocks today, and it felt good. My weight is now down 21 pounds prior to surgery. YAHOO! Tomorrow I am allowed to start mushies, I can't wait!

Hope everyone else is doing well.

[2911plans 16]

Hey all!

I went back to work today..big mistake..I teach and today was th elast day of school. I wanted to be there to wish my students a happy summer. I was doubled over in pain by 11:00. I was hurting so badly I was shaking. Tomorrow will be one week post op. I am taking it very easy. I came home,took some pain meds and napped for a couple of hours. I no longer think its just gas pains. It could be pain from a hernia repair. I am not hungry, but I really want to chew something. I can't wait to get past this and feel normal and eat normal foods. I start the mushy stage on 6/11/09.