PAIN after surgery

[Soexcited 64]

OK fellow bandsters I need some stories please. My husband was banded Wednesday AM 10/21 at 10am. It's now Friday night 10/23 at 8.30pm and he has so much pain he is in tears....inside his belly around his port area. The pain meds knock the pain and he falls asleep but when Oh GOD when will the pain subside??????

[TxMomof4 0]

I am sorry to hear he is still in pain. I would think the next few days would make a world of difference! Is he walking much? I was told if I could walk around the pain would subside faster. I guess it has to do with blood flow....

Best wishes,

Deanna

[SoflaJim 0]

Hi there Banded on 10/22/09. Im still in pain. the pain from the gas is getting better. The walking realy does help. I have pain in the port area too. The Doc gave me some liquid lortab, it helps, but makes you kinda drowzy. Im told it will get better day by day. It is all worth it, just tell him to hang in there, I'm hanging in there with him also.

Jim

[Soexcited 64]

Jim...how much are you walking around? We walked around the halls the day after surgery at the hospital and today he had an office visit and a blood draw so was walking back and forth from the car. His pain is unbearable, tears running down his cheek just to try to switch postions in bed??

[babyka16 0]

i just got banded this week and im in allot of pain. so i just called up the doctor and got stronger meds and man they work great! i can sleep and mover around in bed. i would just call the doc and get something stronger!

[MoniqueD 8]

I know exactly how he feels. I had my banding on Tuesday and here it is Friday and I am still in alot of pain. The liquid Vicodin/Lortab does help but when it wears off...OMG! The port site hurts so much. I keep hearing that it gets better by the day...But, just not yet. Tell him to walk around, put heating pads over the incisions and stay on the meds. I just requested more because I do not want to run out over the weekend. I am going to buy some liquid Tylenol in the morning...Just in case. Tell him to hang in there. This too shall pass. Just think of the outcome. I just went into my closet and tried on some skinny clothes. Eventhough I feel horrible, it made me feel a tiny bit better...Knowing that it won't be long before I can fit them and then be able to buy new ones. Keep us posted and God bless....................:blushing:

[julia19642 0]

I had very very little pain after my LB surgery. But as a veteran of 8 abdominal surgeries, I've had some that were real "doozies". Walk walk walk. It really helps the healing and pains. He can even hold a pillow over his belly as he walks and moves around. I noticed that the more I sat in one position, the more it hurt to then move. Just use a pillow from bed and hold it tight against the belly when walking...or even turning over in bed.

I just remember being very sleepy post-op with lapband....and I felt that I was too sleepy to even walk, but my darling friend and my darling husband forced me to walk (per MD instructions).

My advice....hold that pillow tight on the belly when walking around...it really does help.

Best wishes.....

[hope2bthinr 0]

I was banded monday and home tuesday. I've been putting ice packs around the uncomfortable port site and I have to say it has helped tremendously. I'm without pain meds all day today. But everyone is different, so try different things. I also walked at least every hour for about 5-10 minutes and took gasX strips. All of this I read on this site in various threads. You might try doing some searches for what people did to deal with the pain and make it decrease faster. I slept in a recliner the first three nights, not expecting the flat bed to be comfortable till the pain in the incisions was better tolerated.

Hope this helps. Hang in there. It gets better every day.

[SheriB 0]

I was banded on Wednesday, too, and cannot believe how much pain I've been in! When replacing the band, they also repaired a hiatal hernia, so that may also be contributing to the pain. Anyway, banded Wednesday, and home Wednesday. They gave me Tylenol with Codeine, which makes me sick, so I haven't been taken any pain relievers. Every day has gotten a lot better. I was up and moving a lot, though. But dang, the pain!

Today is Saturday and the first day that I feel ok. My worry right now is that I haven't been hungry at all, so haven't really taken in any calories since Tuesday.

I hope your husband feels better soon.

[MyBandJourney2009 0]

wow SheriB, you sound just like me,,, had my surgery on Wed and they found a hiatal hernia and repaird it. My pain is from the air they pumped in during surgery, they call it gas, but feels more like someone sticking a knife in my shoulder blade when I move or breath. I've been taking the pain meds at night along with a suppository for the sick feeling and with both of those,,, I have a very well rested night in the recliner. No pain,,, no nothing, lol. I feel better today, but still have the air pain up in my shoulder,,,it get's very annoying and frustrating, but I know it will go away soon. I feel better today, but a lot of my bad feelings are coming from the pain meds last night,,, they make me feel all loopy the next day! I'm up and moving more today than yesterday, so hopefully it will kick it out soon. The heating pad really helped the pain in my shoulder fade away some. Also, coughing with the port site is Horrible!!! but I hold a pillow on my tummy and bend over and it's not as bad. Good luck to us all that are still in the few days after,,,, I know it's worth it,,, but right now we all still feel yukky!

[MLeigh 0]

I was banded on 9/21 and also experience pain that drew me to tears. My initial pain was so severe I was unable to walk as the doctor had instructed. I needed help with every movement I made, sitting up, lying down, rolling over, etc. After two days of unbearable pain I called my surgeon who then prescribed me a stronger pain killer. At about 5 days out I was finally able to get out of bed on my own. I wasn't pain free until about 16 days out (although after about 10 days it was mostly a sore feeling).

1) If the pain is that bad, get better medication.

2) Ice packs really do help temporarily.

3) Keep up on the pain meds, once you get behind on the pain, it's a struggle to get ahead of it again.

4) GOOD LUCK! Send me a message if you've got any questions I can help you with!

[sandiegokate 0]

Hang in there everyone!!!!:blushing:

I remember 10 days was definitely a turning point for me. The first couple of days were tough, getting out of bed, getting up off a couch, etc. Holding a pillow to my stomach definitely helped. I found I could lay on my side with a pillow to support me also after a couple of days.

Soon it will be only a memory... if that! Two months out I am feeling fine, once in a while a tingle by the port but that only makes me smile now as it reminds me how happy I am that I got my band. Still a LONG way to go for me, but the weight is moving in the right direction!!:laugh:

[daqui26 4]

it took me about a week before i felt better, the only advide i can give is walk, walk, walk.

i thought the pain would never go away but it does.

[Soexcited 64]

thanks so much everyone, the stories help us both feel not so hopeless.

[marsla 0]

It really amazes me how different we all are . I have not taken anything but Tylenol since my surgery on Oct 7. I never even filled the prescription.