I just got banded dec 20th and I am getting pain in my left shoulder sometimes while eating and after eating. Sometimes I will get pain under my left rib cage. Is this a signal telling me to stop eating? Well I do! Am I always going to get this signal? Also I have no restriction so that's y I'm wondering y am I getting this pain?

Your stitches are still healing into place where the band was placed on your stomach. You shouldn't expect any restriction at all at this point. You may experience some swelling, which translates to "false" restriction, until your system gets back to normal. What you eat, and how much of it you eat, is limited only by your personal motivation and awareness at this point.

As to the pain, I've been told the nerves that surround your core midsection all terminate in the area of your left shoulder. If those nerves were irritated by the banding process, you could feel pain related to those nerves when you eat. As your stomach moves to accommodate the food you've eaten, it irritates the nerves again, resulting in pain in your shoulder. Maybe. I am certainly not a doctor.

Hang in there. Each day gets easier. Good luck!

Dave

Thank you Dave_NW for that info. I have had the same experience as FayFayE and wondered if that was going to be how I felt for fullness from now on. It's good to know that I'm not the only one

I was banded on the 20th as well, and have the same issues. I'm still on liquids, but I can tell a difference in the shoulder pain when I drink something a little thicker, like cream of chicken Soup versus gatorade for example. I think it has to do with the gas issue still....

Thanks Dave!! It happened again tonight at dinner so I stopped eating and I didn't get to that hurtful shoulder pain as much. It was mild I knew to stop! Ugghh it's a learning procedure

Look up referred pain. I was banded 12-14 and just went fr my 2 week post op appt. Surgeon said it is likely tubing from band touching diaphragm. Your body signals pain through left shoulder. It should ease over time.

I just got banded dec 20th and I am getting pain in my left shoulder sometimes while eating and after eating. Sometimes I will get pain under my left rib cage. Is this a signal telling me to stop eating? Well I do! Am I always going to get this signal? Also I have no restriction so that's y I'm wondering y am I getting this pain?

I am soooo glad I found this post. I was banded on 12/21/10. I just finished my lunch (apple sauce, 1/4 cup and 3 oz. of yogurt) and I am having extreme sharp pains in my left shoulder. No matter what I do it is not going away. It subsides for 20-30 seconds and then comes back! This is terrible! My post-op appointment isn't until 1/17. I am hoping it goes away, I can be patient but at times I cannot even take a deep breath because the pain is so sharp.

Such a weird thing. Banded 12/27 and last night I had a sharp pain in my left shoulder starting as I moved through dinner.

You all may be dealing with phrenic nerve pain. Basically some part of the band is rubbing on the diaphragh which causes pain to one of the vertebrae (can't remember which) but it refers the pain to the left shoulder. Fun fun...not. I'm a year post op and still have it.

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