swelly belly

I know we all have it, but I do not understand it . I am in bed at night and in bed during the day. Why is my stomach in the evening so much bigger than in the morning?
It is not as if there is a huge difference in activities, I am not overdoing anything. Why am I swelling up like a balloon every day? And where does it all go during the night?
I did try a binder, but it hurt like mad and after I took it off kept hurting for a day, so I am not likely to try that again. I do use icepacks a lot, but also read that people use heatpads. Does that not increase swelling?

I tired everything, nothing worked. My doctor told me at my 6 week check up that it was from the bowels reaction to the anesthetic and that I needed to go on metamucil. I even told her my bowels are very regular, but she said try it. I did, it helped a little bit, but there is still some swelling. I am down about 8lbs from my previous weight but my clothes are all tight!!! Very frustrating at this point!
I wish someone had the answer!

Here's my theory...since we're healing, and our body was created to know this, extra fluids go to the healing area and that's why it's puffy. Think of an ankle that swells even as its' healing. In the night, it all gets dispursed evenly again because most of our bodily functions go in to a rest mode. Whether I was in bed all day and now that I try to stay up all day (to fight the insomnia at night), I get the same result. I am about 3-1/2 weeks post op. I wear the binder, not tightly, and it helps me with comfort more than the swelling. I put an ice pack in it sometimes, if my belly is real warm (sometimes 10 degrees higher than my thighs because of all of the extra blood). And I also like the heating pad on low. Both feel great!

The swell belly is inflammation from the part that is healing. I agree with when you sleep at night things are more calm & it disperses a bit. I had the swell belly for 5 months & then one day it was just gone. It is a good thing because it is how your body heals. I do hope yours goes away soon.

5 months!

Yep I kept a journal & it was just after the 5th month that it was gone.

Everyone heals different, I started to notice a difference around six to eight weeks post-op. It has been 4 months since my surgery, and I rarely get swelly belly, still have some numbness in top of the incision though.

Wishing you a speedy recovery

I think I figured out what the swelly belly really is. I had surgery 4 yrs ago. The swelly belly was (in my case) an area nearly from one hip bone to the other. I went to the Body WOrks exhibit to see the interior of the body to come to understand what had happened. It seems that the omentum which is a sack around the organs. If this sack splits opened, then there is a tear where fat cells grow on no surface (they usually grow on the omentum). In my case it took over a year until the severe hot pain reduced...another year of simply moving toward numbness, and FINALLY i found a diet greattastenopain dot com, that has returned my bowel function to normal. I have now lost the extra belly fat.. and i can begin to feel human again. If i had found the diet earlier I may have begun to feel better sooner. My bowel will never be the same after that surgery, but at least I have now come to find out how to live pain free. good luck. I hope the tear in your omentum is smaller than mine.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by ompen I think I figured out what the swelly belly really is. I had surgery 4 yrs ago. The swelly belly was (in my case) an area nearly from one hip bone to the other. I went to the Body WOrks exhibit to see the interior of the body to come to understand what had happened. It seems that the omentum which is a sack around the organs. If this sack splits opened, then there is a tear where fat cells grow on no surface (they usually grow on the omentum). In my case it took over a year until the severe hot pain reduced...another year of simply moving toward numbness, and FINALLY i found a diet greattastenopain dot com, that has returned my bowel function to normal. I have now lost the extra belly fat.. and i can begin to feel human again. If i had found the diet earlier I may have begun to feel better sooner. My bowel will never be the same after that surgery, but at least I have now come to find out how to live pain free. good luck. I hope the tear in your omentum is smaller than mine.

THAT IS SO AWESOME! Thanks for coming in and sharing with all of us "newbies!" You're an answer to prayer. A real God-send!

Debra

I will be 3 months on September 16th and still have swelly belly. Some days it is worse than others. Yesterday and today I look like I am 7 months pregnant!! I hope it gets better soon as I am really tired of wearing stretch shorts..lol!