I had my sleeve on 12/12/11. I have to tell you other than a couple little things that went wrong, 3 weeks today and I'm doing awesome. Ive lost 30 pounds and eating good. Here's what happened in the hospital the first night after surgery. My IV came undone and thank God I woke, because I was bleeding out. I thought my ice bag was leaking, my bed was soaked and my IV was squirting blood out. All is good. A week later, I'm thinking this pain in my left shoulder is the dreaded trapped gas, but it wont go away.Liquid vicadin is all that's helping. I go in for a cat scan, and it shows that my spleen had some trauma, most likely a knick and one of my lungs was not filling all the way. So here's my question, how long will the pain last? I think my lungs better, but the shoulder is bad and I don't want to be hooked on vicadin.I see the doctor wed.

Wow I'm sorry you went through all that! I'm a Michigander too! Who is your surgeon?

Wow Kathy - I have not heard of anyone with a nicked Spleen. This I can tell you - generally when you are up and moving it helps tremendously. Walking and sipping, though clechet sounding,really do help with that trapped gas (if it is the gas). By three weeks, I had a second surgery for a complication and I did not have the type of pain you describe. You need to get your lungs going, definately. And honestly, because of the spleen maybe that is adding to your shoulder. If it gets too bad, I would call doc again.

Take care.

Besides walk, walk, walk, also try a heating pad for the shoulder pain. It helped me tremendously!

If you keep having shoulder pain keep on the doctor. My shoulder pain was from referred diaphragm pain - I had an abscess and leak. Any swelling in your abdominal area can push on the diaphragm and cause this pain. Eventually the vicodin didn't touch it. I also ended up with pneumonia and then fluid around my lungs which caused my lungs not to be able to expand all the way. I had 3 chest tubes placed and spent a total of 4 1/2 weeks in the hospital. If you have ANY trouble breathing even a little get to the hospital!

Well thanks so much. I do have a doctors appt. Tomorrow. I will really ask a lot of questions.

I hope you get nothing but positive news at your appointment tomorrow.

I had shoulder pain for just over a week. I was at my wit's end about it. It finally went away for good when we started walking a couple of miles each day, but it took a few days. What a relief!

I also used heat, and I think it might have helped to lay on the side that hurt. My left shoulder hurt, and I noticed that after sleeping on the left side, the pain would disappear for a while. It would gradually come back through the day. It may have been coincidental, but it was a relief to not have that pain for a few hours.