Horrible gas pain...STILL!

I've been reading here all morning looking for some answers, but nothing so far so I'll just ask.
I am 2 weeks post op and get horrible gas pain usually 20-30 mins after eating (soup) or drinking anything, even water. Yesterday I thought I'd change it up and tried to drink my water with a straw. Oh holy crap didn't even get 4 oz down before it started. I can't burp very easily, I have to stand up and contort my body to get even one burp out and it doesn't always work. Sleeping oh man I dread it, gas is way worse then. Last night I resorted to the "knees to chest, buns in the air technique" it did help for awhile I have to say. Am I going to have to live my whole "band" life like this...is this normal? I'm so frustrate and hurting. Should I call the Doc...it seems like a silly question to ask him. P.S. I do take my gas-X and use a heating pad. Thanks for any help.

Drink more slowly and walk constantly. A friend suggested peppermint tea, I didn't try it, so I can't tell you if it works or not. I know suppositories help to release the gas. Good luck!

Thank you for the suggestions I am willing to try anything. I think I do drink too fast.
Lisa

Straws cause gas--you end up swallowing air(even when you don't realize it)

Mary

I got some Beano tablets, crushed them, mixed them in a little water and drank 'em down prior to "eating" my protein shake. I think it helped.

this is still happening to me sometimes and i am 7 weeks out. i take phazyme a lot, and i have to make sure to keep my bowels real regular or gas tends to get real bad. so, for some weeks i take milk of magnesia every night. i have found that when i am having the gas real bad, it helps if i don't eat anything solid or anything dairy for a few hours.

i have it so bad that my abdomen stays distended and i look pregnant. i didn't look pregnant before, my stomach had fat on it, but it didn't stick out...now it does a lot, it's like a balloon, and i want to pop it.

I just got the band and the pain is unbearable. If I take my pain med before i go to sleep and don't move it dissapates a little but once i move laying down the gas pain is ridiculous. Gas-X has done nothing. Sitting up and walking feels a little better but I haven't released any gas yet. I will give the non stop waliking a try. I really hope this pain goes soon it is really bad. They said my galbladder surgery was going to be worse then the lap band. They are sooooo wrong. My galbladder surgery went beautifly. Barely any pain. I would rate my galbladder surgery one a scale of 1 to 10 a 2 or 3, this lap band surgery a 8 to 9. Any other adiice would be appriciated.

I had same trouble with awful bloating everytime I drank my Protein drink. about seven days discovered that mixing my drink with the VitaMix was injecting air into the drink to almost double the volume. Started mixing by hand and the problem went away.

I agree! Gall bladder surgery was CAKE compared to LB! I was out of the hospital and back to work in three days! I am still out of work -- I am just about 3 weeks post op and I have horrible gas pain! It was so bad last week, I called my surgeon, he sent me to the ER thought I might have developed blood clot or something. turned out to be reflux with spasams - the Nexium helps that but the gas is ungodly!

thanks for letting me know i am not nuts!

Beth, NJ

Hi all, I was banded June 6, 08. I too, had terrible, horrible gas, I thought I was going to die, and what have I done. My husband was going to take me to the hospital, I spent hours walking, laying on my stomach and running to the bathroom, with dry heaves of gas. I just knew that I was tearing up my banding, by retching so hard. I called the dr. she said just keep taking gas x, and walk. Some people just have more gas. The next day I spoke with the nutritionist she told me to try the glycerin suppositories. They did not want me to take a laxative because the rebound constipation was worse. I tried them and what a miracle!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was like instant relief, after all that liquid diet I had nothing to push out. I had one tiny little BM and that had plugged me up, all the gas was trying to go up, instead of down.

I too, still have a pregnant belly :(( It looks bigger than before, Dr. said that is normal, because of swelling of the port site and that will take 4-6 wks to go down. I am having to wear elastic pants up to my bra line, because I cannot stand anything to touch my stomach.

My aunt had it 3 yrs. ago, has lost over 200lbs and swears it will one day just be gone. :)

Well, hope this helps. I get my first fill July 8, has anyone had one yet? Does it hurt?? Going to do it anyway, just kind of wondering.

addy

Ok I haven't had the procedure done. I have had my appendix taken out and when they do that they fill your abdomianl cavity with air and if they don't get it all out they say that you could have really bad gas pains and you just have to wait for your body to absorb it. Do they do this for the LB too? Could that be a reason for gas right after the surgery???
April

The gas from surgery has left, but wow do I have gas by the time evening comes.... I have never had gas like this before, I started on mushies this week and do believe that I am now also lactose intoloerant as well. Never had much of a problem with it before the band.... Not complaining about the lactose thing though, it will keep me from eating ice cream and other bad things.

I also have alot of bloating, maybe it is from getting used to eating food again instead of liquid stuff....

At least I know now that I am not the only one......

Honey-B, you keep up the good work. Just a little while and the horrible gas will be gone. As soon as I started on solid food the gas was just absent. I have had to mix my protein drink by hand instead in the machine as that injected too much air into the smoothie and caused excess gas. Other than that I ear pretty much normal food just a lot less of it. Going today for my second fill and feel wonderful. Have only lost about 50 pounds but have lost 12 inches from my waist. That's all good.

Chuck, Congratulations on the loss. Thanks for giving encouragement that the gas will be less or go away when we start eating solid food.

I mean it makes sense, we have 25 feet/miles?? of intestine and with all that liquid diet there is nothing in there but air.

Had to use the suppositories again last night, they are my help!! It rained and I did not get to walk, walking has helped more since I am eating soft foods. It didn't help at all when I was full liquids. I do see the light at the end of the tunnel and this time it is not a train :)

Hang in there everyone, we wil laugh about this next year.

addy

I think it depends on the person when it comes to gas pain after surgery. I have friends who didn't have any probs at all. I thought I was going to die for a few weeks after surgery. The surgical pain was almost non-existent, but the gas pain was excruciating. So, I know how you guys feel. The bright side is that it does eventually get better. I still have some probs with gas occasionally, but nothing like the weeks following surgery. I do however have really bad bloating and gassy feeling for a couple of days following fills. Again, most people don't have any probs with fills. I guess we are just the lucky ones who have those kinds of probs. Try not to get too frustrated, it does get better!! Congrats on your surgery. Even with the gas pains, I would do it again and again if I had to. It's been the best thing I've ever done!!!