Chronic stomach pain

 Hi, I have had the band for 2 and a half years now. I have lost 70 pounds and am slowly regaining it. I am so frustrated because I cannot get a fill without having such horrible stomach pain, and the most severe gas and bloating after. 

I have a very small amount of fill and can eat a fair amount of food. The problem is I still have chronic bloating and pain that doubles me over at least a few times a week. I don't feel like I'm getting the help necessary from my Dr. My left shoulder also hurts all the time. I don't feel like I can eat a very healthy diet because so many things get my stomach so upset! Any ideas or feedback would be apprecia

The left shoulder pain was referred from the Vagus nerves being irritated and damaged. If you're experiencing the left shoulder pain, it's probably due to this. It happens A LOT with the lapband. The band causes the stomach to bloat and press up against the diaphragm where the Vagus nerves are. Once those nerves get irritated, they like to stay irritated. And the pain signals run up into the left shoulder most often.

I hate to say it, but I've seen this happen over and over at around 2 years out... and it's not likely to get better. I had lapbanding done about 9 years ago and had it removed about 6 years ago. I developed gastritis (which sounds a lot like what you're describing) as well as ulcers, hiatal hernia and esophageal problems while banded.

The left shoulder pain has become a permanent part of my life. It's better now that the band is OUT, but I get it on occasion still because the diaphragm takes ridiculously long to heal. It's in constant motion with breathing, so it never gets a chance to rest.

You may want to get checked for gastritis. It sounds like your body has become intolerant to the band being there, too.

Good luck. Hope you feel better.

PS. please consider joining the Failed band group if only to talk to people who have had these same symptoms. I have a whole thread there about the left shoulder pain, too. You'll see just how common it is... there are SO many people for whom this is a real problem.

Could it be possible that you are gluten sensitive?........I used to have bloating, gas (that I couldn't pass) and constipation constantly, ibs, hard time losing weight.......along with joint pain, sinus congestion and fatigue...

I cut out all gluten and within two weeks was 100% better........ you can google gluten sensitivity and a who bunch of information will come up...........

Just a thought,

Michele

Sounds like gas! Do you use gas x strips or anything like that? You could also trying adding aprobiotic, like Culturelle, to see if that helps. It can be hard to pinpoint what is causing gas. For some people it is dairy or wheat. For me, it's artificial sweeteners.
I used to get a lot of abdominal pain on my left upper quadrant, it turned out to be something called splenic flexure syndrome (gas gets trapped in a bend of the colon, near the spleen). I was prescribed hyosciamine (I think that's how it's spelled) to help the discomfort, but the main thing that helped was eliminating the foods that caused the gas buildup in the first place. It also helps to lay down on your left side for a while, as that position seems to help the gas shift and escape.

 I just got diagnosed with severe gastritis. Sounds similar to my symptoms. I want it out! but after racking up about 25K of hospital bills it'll be awhile.