post surgery problems

[VancouverWA]

I'm post surgical for 5 days and am so bloated, so full of gas, watery stool and mildly in pain. Boy, I sure hope this band is worth all this! Any suggestions for these problems? I'm actually afraid to go to bed. I wake up on my side and my stomach is so tight. Last night woke up PBing, didn't throw up but had the watery mouth. Walked it off but I am not getting sleep because of this. Please, please, please......any body got any ideas on help with this?

[vix]

Congrats on making the decision to get your band! I'm only 3 days ahead of you, so hopefully someone else with more experience will have more info for you than me, but I just wanted to say that I truly think from reading this board and others that everyone is different in the way that they adjust to the band.

I too could feel the band in my chest when I took a deep breath until about yesterday, but it's completely gone now. If you are bloated, I would imagine it is the gas. I didn't have any problems at all until my 6th day and then I had a horrible "knife-like" pain under my left shoulderblade. It's still there now and the only pain pills I ever took were because of this pain. It was worse when I ate.

I think that people are so different in how they react to the things in their bodies, that it is just going to take you some time to adjust. You are only 5 days out...it WILL get better. One thing that really helped me was to sit with a heating pad on the lowest setting on my abdomen and then on my shoulderblade. Maybe that would help you too. And, of course, walk, walk, walk....

Don't get discouraged and don't give up. You should start feeling better as the days pass. >

[1jmk]

I'm post surgical for 5 days and am so bloated, so full of gas, watery stool and mildly in pain. Boy, I sure hope this band is worth all this! Any suggestions for these problems? I'm actually afraid to go to bed. I wake up on my side and my stomach is so tight. Last night woke up PBing, didn't throw up but had the watery mouth. Walked it off but I am not getting sleep because of this. Please, please, please......any body got any ideas on help with this?

Hi Vancouver WA,

I SO know what you're going through. I went through something similar, and the only things that worked for me was walking, taking a stool softener (like Senocot) and adding fibre back into my diet (I took a tsp. a day of Benefibre in whatever liquid I was drinking). The combination of these things and taking Tylenol for the pain were the only things that gave me any kind of relief. If I were you though, I'd touch base with your doctor back at the OCC (or wherever you had your surgery). They've gone through it hundreds of times, and they know how your surgery went, if there were any complications, your BMI, co-morbidities, etc. It may be well worth a phone call (or email).

In the meantime, just know that you're not alone and there are many, many people who have gone through (and survived) just what you're going through.

Hang in there, Vancouver WA!

- (1jmk) Janet.