hollie

peppermint tea is also helpful for the excess gas pain. also ginger tea might be helpful.

Hi Steve. I have not been banded, but am hoping that a doctor will approve me for the process soon. I have done loads of research on the procedure. From what I've read, the gas pain/shoulder pain is normal. During surgery a lot of air is in your abdomen (I think they pump air in to make it easier to perform the surgery). It may take a while for this air to work its way out of your system. The air unfortunately puts pressure on a nerve that goes straight to the left shoulder causing the shoulder pain you are experiencing. From what I've read, this is completely normal. As for the constipation, that also seems to be a normal thing and something you'll probably always deal with b/c of less nutrients in your diet. The most common 'fix' seems to be a fiber supplement such as benefiber. An austrailian forum I've found helpful has LOADS of posts about this (and many other issues). The web address for that is.... http://au.messages.yahoo.com/health/lap-band/?p=1 Good luck with your band! Hope this info helps.... Hollie