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Gas and what to do about it??????

Pat99

Pat99

Member
OK, someone had to be the one to bring this up:eek: What the heck is up with all the gas? I understand the science behind why it's happening but come on already!!! During the nutrition class we were "warned" about this but who knew just how bad things could get. I started soft foods over the weekend and have had nothing but problems if you know what I mean. I swear I can't even eat three bites before the "entertainment" begins. Plus the gas pains in my small intestines are sometimes unbearable for a short while. I start my meals with appetizers consisting of extra strength GasEx and throw in a Lactaid for good measure. Dessert is usually an encore of GasEx. The nutritionist told the class that we can use as much GasEx as we need but how much is too much? Has anyone tried anything different that actually works good? I'm not kidding when I tell you that sometimes the dog leaves the room. Joke all you want too but I think this is going to become the hottest thread in the forum!!!

OK, I'm going to go hide in the corner now :(
 
HI Pat No need to hide:) Where I work we have a bunch of young Hot Shot firefighters (They really are called Hot Shots) and most of them eat a very high protien diet and I can't even hold a candle to the smell when I walk in their office LOL!!! And I get so bad I have to leave the room:rolleyes: But onto the gas pains, I found out early on if I went and layed on my side on the couch or in bed I am able to release my gas and get rid of the pains sooner, it was very painful until I figured out to lay on myside but I never even thought about gasEx.

When I go shopping now and I have gas I usally find an empty isle and move through it very quickly, although it is funny when people walk by when I just can't help it, then they are the ones moving by quickly:eek:. I think lettrel had a very funny story of her and her daughter in the supermarket, I had to laugh, my kids are all grown up and moved out but if I still had young ones they would have stooped going to the store with me by now.

How are you doing? You are down 20lbs already thats great!! I have been really tired lately with the time change and getting up early for work I am wiped out by the end of the day so I barely have been too tired to post on the forum. I went in for my check up and everything is really good but my D3 is low so she increased that to 4000 iu, I always forget to up my dose in the winter so she said it wont hurt to keep it at 4000iu all year. Have you tried using the wall yet that Kevin made. I think I will try it out soon. Keep up the good work and try laying on your side when you feel the gas build up it wont get rid of the smell but it helped me relieve the gas pains. :cool: Tom
 
Thanks for the tip regarding gas pain. I'll have to try it. As soon as I posted my weight loss at 21 pounds the scale keeps going up and down 3 pounds so I guess I'm having my first plateau. I have been having problems with being tired since my surgery but the surgeon said it's normal and will last about 2 months. He said it's mostly due to the drastic reduction of calories and my body needs to adjust. I can doze off in mid sentence yet I still can't sleep for more than a few hours at a time. The exception was when I fell asleep for 6 hours with the computer on my tummy and ended up with 2 dime sized 2nd degree burns from the exhaust fan. Now I know what a hot foot feels like. My D3 is low too but I was told to increase mine by only 1000 iu. I also have to take B complex as well. And of course I have to take extra calcium but have to wait until the end of this month to start that. I guess calcium is not tolerated well immediately after surgery. I hope it doesn't cause excess gas *LOL* Like I will be able to tell the difference.
 
Hi everyone. It was suggested to me to have Gas X strips. I am still pre-surgery, but I still get dumping issues and extreme gas, and the strips are wonderful.
 
I can't help it..I'm smiling great big reading this thread.

Gas is your friend. LOL. Gas is generally caused by protein. If you are getting a good amount of protein, you are gonna get gas...can't be helped. LOL. I am just thankful I'm not alone here. I think I will try those strips. Thanks for the idea.

Fiber helps me a "bit". I say just a "bit" cuz...well..OMG...you so don't want to be around me when my body decides it needs relief. One day, I'm certain I'll be arrested for it. LMAO.

Good luck to all in this horrible but extremely funny side affect of gastric bypass surgeries everywhere.

LOL
 
Letrell-I haven't tried the strips yet because I haven't been able to find them so I only tried the chewables. The last 2 days I think I perfected the "system". I take one extra strength GasEx immediately before I eat a meal or drink a protein shake plus I take one Lactaid chewable since I am actose intolerant. It makes a huge difference. It's not 100% but it's a whole lot better than what was happening around here the last few weeks. When I was in the hospital they were giving me liquid simethicone made for infants made by Major. It doesn't work as well as the ES GasEx. I begged one of the nurses to leave the bottle for me to use as needed but she wouldn't. The next time she came into the room I "blasted" her but good. Just a coincidence I assure you. She left the room in a hurry and brought me another dose of the simethicone, and left the bottle *LOL*
 
Sometimes I wonder if I am lactose intolerant. It seems that anytime I have anything with milk in it, that I can't handle it too much. Sometimes, I feel like my stomach is going to explode from gas, and not just when I am having something with milk. Since I have been changing the way I eat for pre-surgery requirements it has been a lot worse. I am drinking at least 1 protein drink a day, I use Body Fortress sometimes I make it with 1% millk, and at other times I use water only. It seemed the 1% is easier on my stomach then using 2% like I used to.
 
Protein drinks are hard on my digestive system too, even with help from the OTC meds. If it wasn't for the Lactaid tablets and GasEx I would be truly miserable. I don't know if there is a medical test for lactose intolerance or not but I am going to discuss this with my primary care physician during my next visit.
 
Gas is a great thing in a car but in this situation,not so much-I have problems with it when I eat veggies or high surgar content foods,deserts and such-My solution at this point is to eat my protiens first and that limits other gas causing foods due to the smaller portions we can eat-It may not work for you but that's my thing-don't get me wrong,Gas X in not that far away at any time but I seldom use it anymore.
The classes taught us that lactose intolerance is common in post op patients so I limit my carbs and veggies and usually never eat cream sauces.I also limit ice cream to a small bite or two from my wifes serving and that seems to be enough to satisfy me.
I'm very lucky in that I can eat any meat products and I do-I also eat fish every day so my protien numbers have remained good.I never liked the protien power drinks but tried all of them-They tasted metallic to me and I never found one that I liked.
I did consume them for my 10 day liquid diet pre-op but after that I tried to avoid them any way I could.
 
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tramcar8 said:
Gas is a great thing in a car but in this situation,not so much-I have problems with it when I eat veggies or high surgar content foods,deserts and such-My solution at this point is to eat my protiens first and that limits other gas causing foods due to the smaller portions we can eat-It may not work for you but that's my thing-don't get me wrong,Gas X in not that far away at any time but I seldom use it anymore.
The classes taught us that lactose intolerance is common in post op patients so I limit my carbs and veggies and usually never eat cream sauces.I also limit ice cream to a small bite or two from my wifes serving and that seems to be enough to satisfy me.
I'm very lucky in that I can eat any meat products and I do-I also eat fish every day so my protien numbers have remained good.I never liked the protien power drinks but tried all of them-They tasted metallic to me and I never found one that I liked.
I did consume them for my 10 day liquid diet pre-op but after that I tried to avoid them any way I could.
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You're lucky that you can tolerate protein without getting gas. Since I am only 4 weeks post surgery I can not consume the recommended 50 to 90 grams of protein unless I drink a shake or 2 each day. There just isn't enough room in my pouch for protein rich solid foods. Plus, I'm not a big fan of meat products. The protein and other dairy foods are causing me to have gas. I eat absolutely no sweets with the exception of small amounts of fruit but do enjoy veggies if I have room for them after my proteins.

I agree with you about the protein shakes having a metallic taste. It's from the vitamins and minerals that are crammed into them.
 
When I was 4 weeks post-op I was living on mostly cottage cheese,tuna and ice popcicles and didn't always get my protien in.I remember being worried about my numbers but I did ok with that-If you don't like or don't tolerate meats well that would make it more difficult.At 4 weeks you wouldn't be expected to tolerate all meats well anyway,I don't think.Good Luck in your journey,I know you will get answers here or from your Doctor-I'm sure someone has been thru this type of situation and can help or give you more ideas.You will find what works-We all do-It just takes time to find the system that works for you.
 
So, I am not sure what it is I feel when eating, it's kinda like a cramp, squeezing thing that happens one my first bite or two, I'm on soft but it was happening when I was on puréed. Any thoughts? I feel kinda dumb not knowing but,I guess I gotta ask to learn
 
When I was having extreme diahrrea (sp) I thought it was dumping. Didn't report it til my 2 year check up. The surgeon put me on fiber. I had severe cramping the first 2 weeks I was on it. I was miserable. Was easier to just not eat. That said...maybe it's your body actually responding correctly to fiber of a different sort. Do you dump after cramping or are you pretty normal?
 
Gas X, all i can find are the flavored ones, What about the sugar in them? I bought some, but wont try them LOL
:confused:
 
Bernieann said:
Gas X, all i can find are the flavored ones, What about the sugar in them? I bought some, but wont try them LOL
:confused:
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I'm not sure how much sugar (if any) is in GasEx but I'm sure it's a negligable amount and shouldn't cause any complications. The rule of thumb given in the nutritional handouts I received said that up to 4 grams of sugar per serving was an acceptable amount. This was refined sugars, not including any sugar alcohols, etc. Plus, I was told by the nutritionist that GasEx was OK to use and that it would be available for me in the hospital.
 
Pat99 said:
Protein drinks are hard on my digestive system too, even with help from the OTC meds. If it wasn't for the Lactaid tablets and GasEx I would be truly miserable. I don't know if there is a medical test for lactose intolerance or not but I am going to discuss this with my primary care physician during my next visit.
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Pat change your protein to Soy Protein you wont have the pain from the lactose, I have been lactose intollerant for 5 years now and i know that pain!, I to was warned about the GAS PROBLEM! OH my goodness its horrible sometimes but i really dont have any pain with it any more Praise the Lord, before surgery i had bad bad gas pain, you all have funny stories, but i guess when it's happening it's not funny, I always go to the ladies room and sit and let it come out and when i done i make sure nothing came with it, and leave. I know that we have massive gas due to the high Protein diet we eat. :p
 
Believe it or not soy also gives me gas if I drink or eat much of anything made with it. This was a problem with me even before the surgery. My PCP said some people have a hard time digesting soy products and to just avoid them if it becomes a problem. Taking lactase enzyme plus GasEx (generic) is working for the most part. The gas is becoming less and less as time passes except if I have a trigger food like beans or cabbage so I avoid those most of the time. Now I only have to use GasEx once in a while but I will probably be taking lactase for the rest of my life. Since my surgery I depend on dairy as my main source of protein since I eat very little meat. I can't eat enough food to meet my protein requirements so I have to have at least one high protein shake a day.
 
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