Post-Op gas pains???

[Cresta]

Hello. I am asking questions on behalf of my mother. She had her operation on Monday, April 23, 2007. She is doing great (with a few acceptions). We figure there is no one better to ask than those people who have been through the procedure.

Our first question is: How long after surgery (the average) should you experience the gas pains? My mother had the sharp pain in her shoulder the evening she came home from the hospital. We called her dr. and he said not to worry about it unless it persists. Needless to say it went away. She was feeling great for the next three days. Now today, she is having abdominal pain (gas pain). Is this normal??

Second question: What can she do to aleviate the pain? She was perscribed pain medicaiton but it is a litter hard for her to get the whole pill down, so she has been breaking them in half.

Third question: She has been coughing alot. Is this normal??? She had a cough prior to surgery, but then it went away but we are not sure if it has come back or if this is due to the surgery.

[I of Beholder]

Hello. I am asking questions on behalf of my mother. She had her operation on Monday, April 23, 2007. She is doing great (with a few acceptions). We figure there is no one better to ask than those people who have been through the procedure.

Our first question is: How long after surgery (the average) should you experience the gas pains? My mother had the sharp pain in her shoulder the evening she came home from the hospital. We called her dr. and he said not to worry about it unless it persists. Needless to say it went away. She was feeling great for the next three days. Now today, she is having abdominal pain (gas pain). Is this normal??

Second question: What can she do to aleviate the pain? She was perscribed pain medicaiton but it is a litter hard for her to get the whole pill down, so she has been breaking them in half.

Third question: She has been coughing alot. Is this normal??? She had a cough prior to surgery, but then it went away but we are not sure if it has come back or if this is due to the surgery.

Hi there and I feel your pain. I was banded on April 25th, in TJ by Dr. Ortiz. I also, have terrible gas pains, and there is a noticeable "lump" (over all the other weird gassy pockets)by my port incision. I thought for sure after a few days that it would subside, but it hasn't. I guess it will take quite a while to get out all the op gas. Don't forget that what we had was surgery, "minimally invasive", but surgery all the same. We were poked, blown up, organs shoved out of the way, and an artificial "vice" placed around our stomach, how are we supposed to feel? I would say to keep hydrated, as that will help in getting the aenesthesia out of our systems, and to be as active as possible, to help dissipate the gas.

The coughing may be lack of moving around, and if she is heavy, as I am, the heart strains under the added pressure, and doesn't work as well in cleaning out the body. Make sure that she sips plenty of water, luke warm or warm, and keep moving around, it really does help. Otherwise, time will do the healing. Best of luck to you gals.