Question:
Gas Pains or not?

Does anyone get gas pains on the left side right under i would say your chest. I believe that is where our intestines are. I am 4 years out and I have never really had any trouble until a few months ago. I did just start a few months ago taking an Iron supplement and calcium and this is when it all seemed to start. Any suggestions?? Thank You    — DD102205 (posted on April 13, 2008)

April 13, 2008
Have you ever had your gall bladder checked? I know that years ago, I had gas pain there and sometimes it felt like it was around my shoulder blade area. It was my gall bladder. If you don't have your anymore, then check with your dr. Teresa
   — teresasmiles

April 13, 2008
Calcium will cause you some gas discomfort...(I hope you are taking the calcium and iron two hours apart and never together) Do not take either near coffe either. Also if you are RNY and are taking Ferrous Sulfate that alone may be your trouble too...RNYer's and DSer's do not process Iron Salts...and it can wreak havoc in your intestines as it dissolves into salts (Since you have no stomach acids or the bypassed small intestine where iron salts are normally absorbed.) Otherwise it is probably the calcium and over time you should begin to get used to it. Good luck
   — .Anita R.

April 13, 2008
do you still have your gallbladder??? vitamins wouldnt' cause gas -- iron can constipate you -- fast good luck roberta
   — RCassety

April 16, 2008
Hi, I started having pain after lapband surgery about six weeks out. For the first 13 days I had the horrible left shoulder pain. I take three chewable calciums a day and only recently started taking chewable iron every day. Boy the iron has sure made a good difference in my energy level. However, I started paying attention to when I had my pain and it always occurred when my stomach was empty for at least an hour or more because I'm not good about taking in all the fluid that I need. I just stay so busy I forget to drink. When I made more of a point to drink as often as I can and eat when I'm supposed to eat, the pain goes away. As soon as I lapse in giving my body what it needs, the pain comes back. I also find I feel better when I stay away from dairy products. I switched from the whey protein powder to a soy protein isolate. Although the soy doesn't dissolve as well in soy milk, I still think it keeps me from being as hungry as when I use whey protein isolate in skim milk. When I spoke to my surgeon about the pain, he felt it was just muscle pain because the gall bladder pain would be on the right, not on the left side. He suggested I take Motrin, which my PCP told me not to take because of trouble I had with jejunitis and anemia. I can take a tylenol tablet broke in half. I also wondered if the pain was caused by the calcium but my gyn emphasised the need for the calcium because many lapband patients have trouble with bone density. Hope you feel better soon. Regina ([email protected])
   — Bigwyfan1964