patticarmel

Hi - I have just had my band 5 days ago - I too are wondering why I did this to my self - I have this feeling like I have indigestion all the time - my post site is fine , what happened to me in hospital is that they put dressings over all incisions and Im allergic to this type of dressing so I have many blisters - I know what you mean about shoulder pain and discomfort , I find this worst at night time trying to get comfortable - I feel the same type of negatives as you feel - BUT

I have not had to take any diabetic medication since I had the band fitted - my sugar levels are great - best they have ever been - I feel like I have energy - something I didn’t have much of - I WANT THIS TO WORK and I want to live a long life to enjoy my 5 beautiful grandchildren - my girlfriend says I am so negative and to snap out of it - she’s right - I need to... and I WILL...

MY weight was at first appointment 144 kgs

Last Friday when I had band fitted it was 136.5 kgs

Now 5 days later I am already down to 131 kgs - it may not seem a lot to some but to me it is fantastic.......

Cheers

Patticarmel

I am hoping others on here will be brutally honest with their thoughts. So much of what is written on here is positive and that is great, it is one of the reasons I decided to have this done, but now I am feeling completely alone with regrets. I have researched the forum and have only seen a few people who have voiced how I am feeling. I am also hoping that my entry will not be deleted.

I was banded about 2 weeks ago (yes I know it wasn't long ago). I did not have the gassy feeling right after the procedure, but incredible port pain. My port and laproscopic sites seem to be higher than most people and I had lots of bruising. My port feels like it sits right on the edge of my ribs, so leaning forward can be a killer. I called several days after my surgery and Dr So said that extreme port pain is not that common but that it should get less. It has decreased somewhat, but now several times a day, I still get a heartbeat pain at the port site that makes me stop what I am doing. At 8 days post/op, I also started getting this horrible sharp shoulder pain right in my left scapula that literally takes my breath away (worse than a gallstone). It comes and goes for no apparent reason, but when it comes I immediately start sweating and have to do deep breathing to get through it. About a week after the surgery I also became extremely bloated and gassy all the time.

Let me say that I am a physical therapist and very familiar with the stages of healing. I understand scar tissue and know the physiology of what is happening to me. I completely understand the CO2 in my body and the fact that it takes a while to get out . Let me also mention that I am doing everything under the sun to help this. I am walking 3 miles a day everday, using heat, putting pressure/massage and taking tons of simethicone/gas x to no avail, anti-inflammaories etc... I am also taking 10mg vicodin at night which barely helps me but takes the edge off. Because of my desperation, it was very difficult to find reputable studies on the symptoms I am having. I found the Australian article regarding shoulder pain and it says

"Shoulder pain following LAGB surgery is common, usually affects the left shoulder, and can

in some cases last 5 weeks or more. Avoiding injury to the crura during the procedure may prevent more

prolonged pain."

So I found out that some people apparently do not have the shoulder pain immediately but one or more weeks later and they may have the shoulder pain for months/years, some continue to have port sensitivity years later and many people are just bloated and gassy for the rest of their lives.

My goodness, I cannot imagine 3 more weeks of this port pain and shoulder pain and the possibility that I will forever have bloating and be gassy.... and yes I do understand those of you who believe the bloating and gas for the rest of your lives isn't a bad trade off for weight loss.

I am not a complainer and typically think of myself as a pretty tough cookie, but these side effects are affecting my day to day function and I am mad at myself for doing this to myself. Obviously my body is more sensitive than most, but I have yet to see someone else on the current forum implying they were going crazy with the side effects after surgery and feeling depression and regret. I know that I could not have anticipated this but the only thing that is making me feel better is the thought of removing this band in a few months when the scar tissue slows down. I swear if I could do surgery on myself, I would have done it already. I know healing and everything takes time ("this too shall pass"), I tell that to my patients all the time, but if I am so unusual to have such extreme symptoms, I cannot know for sure if and when it will pass.

Anyway, I do not want to discourage anyone who is reading this. I believe the lap band has changed many peoples' lives and has been a blessing to them. My best friend also had lap band surgery 6 months ago, had little to no symptoms and is doing fantastic. Therefore, she cannot relate to my situation at all.

I am just talking about my own individual case which apparently is in no way the "norm". I am scared, I am worried, I am seriously depressed and I am on the verge of tears most of the time. I just wanted to be brutally honest on this forum in the hopes that there is someone out there who can relate so I would not feel so alone and scared.

Thanks for listening.