6 weeks - gallstones and burping

It has been 6 weeks since my surgery. My main complaint is the constant belching. My surgeon says it is very common and stems from air we ingest when eating, sipping water, or just breathing. Apparently, it takes awhile for the new smaller stomach to get used to this air, but I am told it goes away eventually and I CANNOT FREAKIN’ wait! As soon as I put anything in my mouth, the burping begins and the gurgling noises coming from my esophagus area are fantastic, let me tell you, especially while at work! I am eating verrry slow and chewing like crazy but I am going to try to focus on waiting a consistent amount of time between bites and taking smaller bites than I currently am. With my baby spoon...   I also started having severe pain in my shoulder/neck a couple weeks ago. It would start in my chest, under the breast bone and feel almost like there was a pocket of air stuck in there – then it would move up into my left shoulder and neck. This got really bad for a few days and I called the nurse, who scheduled me an ultrasound. They ended up finding gallstones, which is crazy since there were none there 8 weeks ago @ my pre-op ultrasound. 30 lbs in 6 weeks will do it, I guess. Of course they want me to have it removed, but I just don’t know. Gallstones run in my family, and my fiancé and I are planning on having kids after my wedding and one year “waiting period" are up, so it is something I will have to consider carefully.   I’m not sure if the chest pain (chest pain or upper abdominal pain, hard to tell the difference?) is from the gallstones or from the air/gas but it always happens at night. It is so crazy to see how your body reacts to this surgery! I am hoping for some relief soon.  

 Amy:

I hope your issue with the gallstones is resolved. I have no experience there.

I'm 4 weeks out and I've had a similar experience lots of stomach noise, burping and gas (it's gurgling even now as I write). If I eat fast it's worse but even if I eat slow I usually get some. I've assumed just what your surgeon said that it just will take time for my stomach to adjust and heal. For myself, I'm not going to worry. It's a small price to pay for a new life.

I do hope you get your gallstones resolved. I hear they can be painful.

Take care.

Hi, I;m a newby, still waiting on my surgery date so I can't tell you about the burbing, but Iknow you do not want to be pregnant and have gallstone at the same time. That is a whole new kind of pain. Sorry I can't be of more help. Good luck with everything.

Well crap. I have an unremarkable gall bladder (pre-op). I hope I still have one post-op. The burping would be very annoying. My DH struggles with that and he hasn't had surgery - gross! But I appreciate you chronicling this for us pre-ops too so we can know what to expect. Thanks, and feel better.

PS: Agreed with the previous poster that gall stones is no way to go into a pregnancy, and you sure as heck don't want to have to have surgery while you are pregnant. So if you're going to get it yanked, do it sooner than later, OK?

I had what we think was a severe gall bladder attack while 6 months pg and I thought I was losing the baby. It was incredible pain, and terrifying. I ditto the above. If you know it's giving you problems, get it out unless they can recommend good meds. My doctor prescribes ursidol starting a couple weeks post op to help avoid isses with gall bladder while you are losing far so rapidly. I think you only have to wait a year to get pg post vsg, don't think you'll have to start over in the waiting game post gallbladder removal. They just want you to do the major rapid fat loss before being pg, and they want you in maintenance or closer to, at least able to get enough calories to support you and baby. It never gets any easier to take care of yourself after you have kids...they always become the number one and you'll put your needs last. As hard as it is to wait, focusing on you being number one now, getting all your ducks in a row, will make parenting that much easier and more joyful. I speak from the experience of having ducks only half way in a row and then got derailed by motherhood for 14 years and only now really going to fix my weight. I am a darned good mom,but I would be even better had I been healthier and happier in my own skin.
For whatever it's worth... good luck, you are off to a fabulous start!,