OH my- WHEN DOES it get better!

I am still in pain- OMG- please give me some examples of when I feel normal again!

If your pain is really bad, you should call the doc tomorrow.  I didn't have a lot of pain after the first several days, just a bit of soreness.  I also slept a lot.  Check with your doc to make sure all is okay.  I started to feel more like my normal self after about three weeks. Linda

I guess I should clarify- I am not in agonizing pain- I feel massively constipated, and still sore on my left side- like bruised ribs feeling- soo, I just want to know when I get to feel normal again- like 2 weeks- 1 month- I want some examples!

I think it took me about 2.5 weeks - I'm probably a little slower to recover though, I'm 53 years old. Linda

I forgot to ask if your doc has you taking Colace -- it's a stool softener -- to help with the constipation.  I was told to take two a day after surgery.  I still do most of the time.  Call your doc and ask if it's okay. Linda

Hello. I had lap band done not gastric, but I felt like you did. I was sick and miserable in the hospital and I felt terrible when I got home. My sides hurt and it was hard to lay in bed. I thought I had made a huge mistake and was regretting my decision to have the surgery. It took me about seven days and I was feeling better. Iam young and I still had a hard recovery. I think some people who have this surgery have more swelling and pain.  It is normal to have the bruising and constipation. It does get better. I was like you and I started to get depressed because I felt I would never feel normal again.  Take it easy. Tricia

I had that sore ribs type of feeling for about a week ... it was like my stomach was hard and sore.  But I wasn't constipated, I had the extreme opposite problem for about a week also.  It seemed like after a week, everything was much better and by 2 weeks, I was back to about normal.

Give it a few days ... and get lots of rest!  Deanna

I relied on paid medicine thru about the tenth day.  Every day got a little bit better, but I wasn't one of those people you hear about that says they never needed any pain medicine after they left the hospital.  My left side was very sore upon movement, and I wasn't able to get in and out of bed or up and down from a chair without a lot of Lamaze breathing.  I also needed naps every day, because I would feel pretty good and do some activity, and then find myself pooped.  You need to allow time for recovery from any kind of surgery.  I felt the same when I had my C-sections.  My surgeon wanted me to manage my pain, because in the end it helps you get better faster.  If you are going back to work Tuesday as in tomorrow - I think that's a bit soon.  Take it easy, let others do for you and get ready cause it is going to get really fun when you are feeling better. Patty

call dr. jan...

The bloated feeling is totally normal from all the gas that they load us up with during surgery.  It took a good week and a half to two to get rid of the bulk of it, but that was also using chewable gas x regularly.  Dr Jan and Patrick told me that having a bowel movement would probably take a little while because your body is in shock but also you're not giving it much to use to create that much waste.  I think that it was after a couple of weeks before I finally had something of a bowel movement.  Then after that when I moved to pureed and soft foods I figured I was constipated.  I added Fiber supplement to my daily regime and contacted Patrick who told me that was the best thing to do.  The pain in the left side gets better.   It will feel like you have bruised ribs for a little while but once you get the gas out of the way, the pain lessens.  Just hang in there.  All will be well.  Hope this helps :-)