stevek Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 Hi All! I'm new to the site and was banded by Dr. Ortiz last Friday. I'm having a couple of problems and was wondering if anyone has any advice to offer. When I drink fluids, I feel a restriction and some pressure like a gas pain at the band site. I assume this is normal on newly banded patients. I'm drinking very slowly but can't seen to avoid this discomfort. Recently, I've had sharp pain in my shoulder that stays there for 10-20 minutes after I drink water. It's almost like I feel the pressure in the band area and immediately start to feel the pain in the shoulder. Is this something to be concerned about or do i just have to suck it up through the first couple of weeks during the recovery period? Another issue is... (gulp!)... Bowel Movements or should I say lack there of. I imagine this too is normal due to the fact that nothing but clear fluids is being taken in. Any advice on this? Regarding the surgery, I was very pleased with the treatment I received at OCC and would recommend them to anyone. Everyone there was great- very professional and supportive. My wife and I were also lucky to have met some wonderful fellow bandees during our trip and are looking forward to sharing the journey with them and also you folks on the site as well. Thanks to all for any advice that you can offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollie Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris_TX Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 Steve, It sounds to me like you are experiencing gas pains--left over from the air that was pumped into you during surgery. The way to fix it...WALK, WALK, and then WALK some more. I walked tons after surgery to prevent this, and so I never got the shoulder pains. But, I know I've heard from folks who have had the gas pains in the shoulder that walking helps, even if you already are having problems. So, my non-expert advice (as I am not a doctor--only a fellow bandster)...get to walking. Hope that helps! Oh, and did I mention WALK?? Kris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregNE Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 Hi All! I'm new to the site and was banded by Dr. Ortiz last Friday. I'm having a couple of problems and was wondering if anyone has any advice to offer. When I drink fluids, I feel a restriction and some pressure like a gas pain at the band site. I assume this is normal on newly banded patients. I'm drinking very slowly but can't seen to avoid this discomfort. Recently, I've had sharp pain in my shoulder that stays there for 10-20 minutes after I drink water. It's almost like I feel the pressure in the band area and immediately start to feel the pain in the shoulder. Is this something to be concerned about or do i just have to suck it up through the first couple of weeks during the recovery period? Another issue is... (gulp!)... Bowel Movements or should I say lack there of. I imagine this too is normal due to the fact that nothing but clear fluids is being taken in. Any advice on this? Regarding the surgery, I was very pleased with the treatment I received at OCC and would recommend them to anyone. Everyone there was great- very professional and supportive. My wife and I were also lucky to have met some wonderful fellow bandees during our trip and are looking forward to sharing the journey with them and also you folks on the site as well. Thanks to all for any advice that you can offer. The shoulder pain is common and normal. It usually disappears after a week or so. Belching frequently helped me almost totally avoid this pain. Walking also has been reported to help. As to pain at the 'band site', this is more vague. It is common to have slight pain/discomfort at the port placement site, which is the longer incision. This is normal, however is only an emergency if it appears to turn red, or shows other signs of infection. Unless you are knowledgable in anatomy, you may not know where the band actually is. I sure do not, however the actual stomach and thus the 'band site' is much higher than most would imagine. When people refer to having a stomach ache, it is usually an intestinal ache. The bowel movement issue is one rarely discussed. I can report I had minimal BM's during the clear liquid stage. The stomach does create gastric digestive juices in response to consuming even just clear liquids. For me, this small amount of digestive fluid was my only BM during the first week after surgery. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stockprincess Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 Hi there! I am sure you have enough information from the responses, however, I just wanted to add my experience to maybe help you feel more normal. The pain in my shoulder (most common in the right side) was SO bad that I was close to tears many times. It was the worst pain I have ever felt. After a week, I called the office and Dr. Martinez told me how normal it was. He said to just take some mild pain meds (liquid form) and walk. I had it for about 10 days straight, then it subsided. However, I am 4 weeks post surgery and ONCE in a while, it comes back. I have seen that it comes more when it is cold outside, which is another thing Dr. Martinez told me. Hope that helps! It gets better, I PROMISE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoriBecky Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 it will get better! If you ever have any symptoms that are worrisome - just call me - if its after hours I have Dr. Martinez cell # on my outgoing message = you can always reach him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevek Posted February 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 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=1Good luck with your band! Hope this info helps.... Hollie Thanks for the advice and website info- it was a great help. Good luck on getting it approved- in spite of the discomfort- the weight has already started to come off and feeling better everyday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevek Posted February 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 Steve, It sounds to me like you are experiencing gas pains--left over from the air that was pumped into you during surgery. The way to fix it...WALK, WALK, and then WALK some more. I walked tons after surgery to prevent this, and so I never got the shoulder pains. But, I know I've heard from folks who have had the gas pains in the shoulder that walking helps, even if you already are having problems. So, my non-expert advice (as I am not a doctor--only a fellow bandster)...get to walking. Hope that helps! Oh, and did I mention WALK?? Kris Thanks for the advice- I've been back to work since day 4 and moving around but haven't had much of a chance to just walk for any length of time- will definately start tomorrow. How has the band worked out for you? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevek Posted February 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 The shoulder pain is common and normal. It usually disappears after a week or so. Belching frequently helped me almost totally avoid this pain. Walking also has been reported to help.As to pain at the 'band site', this is more vague. It is common to have slight pain/discomfort at the port placement site, which is the longer incision. This is normal, however is only an emergency if it appears to turn red, or shows other signs of infection. Unless you are knowledgable in anatomy, you may not know where the band actually is. I sure do not, however the actual stomach and thus the 'band site' is much higher than most would imagine. When people refer to having a stomach ache, it is usually an intestinal ache. The bowel movement issue is one rarely discussed. I can report I had minimal BM's during the clear liquid stage. The stomach does create gastric digestive juices in response to consuming even just clear liquids. For me, this small amount of digestive fluid was my only BM during the first week after surgery. Hope this helps. Thanks for the great and candid advice. I'm hoping the pain disappears shortly and will try the walking right away. Thanks for the advice on the other issue- you're right- it is not mentioned much and I felt the answer was going to be that since not much is going in, not much needs to come out. How has your experience been with the band as time has gone on? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevek Posted February 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 Hi there! I am sure you have enough information from the responses, however, I just wanted to add my experience to maybe help you feel more normal. The pain in my shoulder (most common in the right side) was SO bad that I was close to tears many times. It was the worst pain I have ever felt. After a week, I called the office and Dr. Martinez told me how normal it was. He said to just take some mild pain meds (liquid form) and walk. I had it for about 10 days straight, then it subsided. However, I am 4 weeks post surgery and ONCE in a while, it comes back. I have seen that it comes more when it is cold outside, which is another thing Dr. Martinez told me. Hope that helps! It gets better, I PROMISE! Thanks for the advice. How are you doing with the band after 4 weeks? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevek Posted February 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 it will get better! If you ever have any symptoms that are worrisome - just call me - if its after hours I have Dr. Martinez cell # on my outgoing message = you can always reach him! Thanks for the response- You have a great group on your board and everyone has had great advice. I'll try some of the suggestions and work on making it get better. It's great to know that we can reach help if we need it and I will certainly contact you if these things persist. Regards, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollie Posted February 11, 2007 Report Share Posted February 11, 2007 peppermint tea is also helpful for the excess gas pain. also ginger tea might be helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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