Day 3 post and hard to breath

**Punkypoo** · 02-05-2012 12:34 AM

It hurts to take deep breaths and even when I'm not eating or drinking. Hurts more when I go drink or eat up high midline just below breasts. Plus I hear all this gurgling. Lots of discomfort. Liquid Vicodin taste horrible!!!

**Msvetrn** · 02-05-2012 12:42 AM

Call your surgeon if you are that uncomfortable or go to the ER.

**Punkypoo** · 02-05-2012 12:46 AM

I know it is part of it. I'm ok just really hurts feels better with pain meds. I just wasn't expecting the upper gastric pain. I know now that they put a scope down my throat too. Did not realize that going in just thought it was for a breathing tube not a port of entry . Ouch

**brailynsmommy08** · 02-05-2012 12:48 AM

the noise is normal. as for the breathing try putting your hands over your head or take a deep breath and slowly let it out over and over. They gave me a tube to breathe into and to bring home for the first 2 weeks to make sure my lungs stayed clear. You have a lot of swelling in your stomach area right now so breathe does hurt from time to time so make sure your expelling all the gas from your lungs and stomach. I use to lay down with my hands over my head and my head propped up and would put a heating pad on my back for 30 mins and my stomach for 30 mins to take the pain away and it worked. If you notice your short of breathe and you feel major tightness in your lungs go to the er as you could have a blood clot or something stuck in your lungs. As for the liquid vicodin try mixing it in sugar free juice and take it like a shot to get it over with. Just remember deep breaths in slow breaths out to keep your lungs clear and the swelling will go away and use a heating pad.

**Punkypoo** · 02-05-2012 01:03 AM

Thanks Jackie ! Did it also hurt with each bite of food? And by food I mean liquids like applesauce or broth? It hurts then right after is the gurgle. But at first it is just straight pain. Will that go away soon? Or does it mean I am too full? I can't imagine I'm full with how little I "eat"

**brailynsmommy08** · 02-05-2012 01:23 AM

it goes away. your stomach is adjusting to the new size, it takes a few weeks but it will go away. try drinking warm broth before eating anything or only eat stuff at room temp as cold things still make me my stomach gurgle. Your not to full by any meals thats a totally different feeling, if you over eat you food tends to sit in your throat and your stomach cramps and it feels like your food is stuck. Make sure your eating from a baby spoon as well and not eating to fast. Take a bite slowly swallow and wait a minute before you take another bite or sip of anything. Your stomach will get use to it. I also found that using a heating pad before and after eating helped calm mine down. Just to have my stomach was felt good and to this day really cold stuff causes cramps. It does get better I can tell you that much, give it time and as the swelling goes down so will the pain and noise.

**Symplee37** · 02-05-2012 02:13 AM

Punky,
I'm right here with you. I have the pain with swallowing anything regardless of temperature. I suffer from reflux as well so that issue isn't helping matters either. I do understand that the biggest issue we're dealing with mostly is gas and it travels around inside us reeking havoc, lol. I'm anxiously awaiting better days. I had no luck with the liquid pain meds in the hospital so I was DC'd on oxycodone ir, which is keeping my pain managed, but as stated above, my heated pad is like a new found bff. It helps me so much with coping with the pain and gas. I will however, slow down and pace myself more when drinking as I think I'm taking to big of a sip at time. Continue to share hopefully we can help and encourage each other along the way

**DavidNM** · 02-05-2012 12:37 PM

see a doctor, dont screw
around with this

**pedirn06** · 02-05-2012 03:53 PM

Most of my discomfort/soreness was at my diaphragm. Took about a week for that soreness to go away. I am 9 days out and most of my discomfort is gas and incidional pain. Neither are near as bad as this time last wk

**Stacey1216** · 02-05-2012 07:32 PM

The surgeons have to lift your liver with a bar during the entire procedure so it is out of the way. You might feel a lot of upper gastric soreness because of that too.