Types of Gas Pain After Lap Band

Type 1 Gas Pain

This is the pain related to the gas they use to inflate your abdomen during surgery. The air is removed, however a tiny bit does sometimes remain and can cause the bloated feeling and the referred "gas pains" in the shoulder. The only remedy for that is time.

Type 2 Gas Pain

This is the pain caused by the gut trying to normalize itself after surgery, and is not always related to actual gas present in the bowel. The bowel is EXTREMELY sensitive, and surgery in the abdomen tends to make it stop moving (the bowel is *always* moving--called peristalsis). When the bowel finally starts moving again, some 24-48 hours after surgery, the pains felt are actually cramping sensations as the bowel moves in an uncoordinated fashion in the beginning. Medications do not generally relieve this type of pain either...the gut just needs to get back to normal. Physical activity helps this along.

The gas can last from a few days up to a couple weeks.  Sometimes people experience lots of burps, passing gas, or even vomiting air.  In rare cases some people naturally swallow air throughout the day and this can cause problems as well.