The only real problem I have had lately is the pain in my left shoulder that seems to get worse if I eat too much. It also hurts at times to raise my left arm over my head for too long. It feels like a pinched nerve. My doc offered to do an MRI but says that this is very common. I am just wondering if anyone else has this problem.

OMG I am so glad I found this thread! I am in SO much pain right now and feel like I am having a heart attack! The pain is in my upper left shoulder into my neck and I feel tingling all the way down my arm! I haven't had anything since 12:30 and am now taking in some Ensure at 7:18 so hopefully this is a hunger thing! I have my first post op on Monday so we will see! I was banded 5 days ago. It would have been nice to know this was a normal thing from my surgeon so I wasn't freaking out! Any advice...? :thumbup:

I also had a small amount of shoulder pain, but it went away. This past week my mother who has not had lapband surgery started to have the same type of pain 3 days later we rushed her to the emergency room she thought she was having a heart attack, form the pain. She had really bad shoulder pain and it hurt when she breathed sometimes and under her arm and down her arm hurt too. Well she had some call flursy(sp) I have no idea how to spell it but it is when a a little sac under your lung gets infected sometimes it gets liquid in it also. They gave her antibodics (sp) and some pain pills. It might be worth a trip to the Dr. and it can bee gone in 3 or 4 days.

Yes I had the same problem when I first had my surgery I don't have it any more. But my sister had surgery in December and she says the same thing. So I guess it is common.

My right shoulder ached right after surgery... it was the worst of my pain. But that's all gone. However, my left shoulder aches, on top, if I get hungry or eat too much. Must just be a bander thing.

I also had a small amount of shoulder pain, but it went away. This past week my mother who has not had LAP-BAND® surgery started to have the same type of pain 3 days later we rushed her to the emergency room she thought she was having a heart attack, form the pain. She had really bad shoulder pain and it hurt when she breathed sometimes and under her arm and down her arm hurt too. Well she had some call flursy(sp) I have no idea how to spell it but it is when a a little sac under your lung gets infected sometimes it gets liquid in it also. They gave her antibodics (sp) and some pain pills. It might be worth a trip to the Dr. and it can bee gone in 3 or 4 days.

Pleurisy... not pleasant, I hear. Saying a prayer for your Mom.

I am glad that I found this thread. I am just about 3 weeks post-op and I too still have left shoulder pain. It started in both the right and left shoulder but now it is just in the left shoulder.

I have the same exact problem and my Dr. says they are related but could not give a reason. Alireza.

I didn't take the time to read through all of the replies, but I was banded two days ago and I have the left shoulder pain. I was told that there is a nerve that runs from the diaphragm area up to the left shoulder. I did have to have a hiatal hernia repaired during my surgery and when gas is causing me pain, the left shoulder pain is also happening.

I have read alot of people complaining about L side and shoulder pain. Some people didn't get it check out with the surgeon. I was sent to the er on monday for the same pains. I was having L side pain with standing and walking the radiated up to my L shoulder. When they ruled out that it wasn't a heart attack , then they made sure that the band was not slipping, it was the tubing stuck in between my spleen and diaphram. The tube that runs from the port and the band is not surgical ancored, so please make sure that you are talking with the surgeon and not your primary care physician. The primary really don't know much about the surgery.

I am alright, I am taking pain releivers and hopfully either it will wiggle out, or my body will make a cusion. If not and I am still in pain, the will go in and short the tube.

Sharon

Do anyone know the name of the nerve in the left shoulder? If so please let me know I have had terrible pain, since the night of surgery and It lasted 5 days, then found out I am lactose intolerent and changed to another drink that is lactose free and the pain is better. The pain does return if I put my shake in a blender and drink it the air that forms from mixing brings the pain back, so I have stopped doing that.

I just got banded on 4/29/2010 and the shoulder pain is bad. I get to see my surgeon today 05/3/2010 so I'll let you know what I find out. HANG IN THERE!!!!

I have been banded for 6 days. I asked my doctor about this pain prior to surgery, he explained that all nerves in the body are connected. This is reflective pain. When ever the mouth of your stomach and that area hurt, you feel it in your shoulder. Perfectly normal, but literally a pain. Mine does seem to happen after I have a large portion of liquid ( which is all I am allowed right now) so it makes sense, it the band tightens, it hurts, and since it's reflective pain, I feel it in my shoulder. It does help when I put a heating pad on.

Good luck to everyone who is experiencing this, hope this info helps a little.

I'm glad to have found this thread. I was banded on 5/19/10 and am 19 days out from surgery. I had this pain for the first 3 or 4 days after surgery and then it went away but in the last 3 days it has returned. It's been frustrating and I was fearful that I had done something wrong. I called the nurse today and she didn't have an answer for me, but the doctor is calling me tomorrow. I hope this isn't chronic/long term pain - I don't know if I could deal with that. In the short term I'm eating my mushies very slowly and taking GasX.

Like so many others, VERY glad I found this thread! I just talked to my RN and this is what she told me --- it can last 2 -3 weeks on average and for some people, even longer. The first 2 - 3 weeks is due to gas being trapped, drinking/eating too much, eating/drinking too fast, cold versus hot, and so on. It appears there is a long list of things that can cause issues with the diaphragm area which is where the pain is actually coming from. I have read several things on here about "reflective pain" and that is what she was explaining to me. I did find that if I sip warm liquids instead of taking what I consider a normal swallow of something, I don't have the pain as much or as bad. Not sure this helps but that's my two cents on the issue. :tongue2:

I have been psot op 4 days ans the shoulder pain is horrible, I can feel it in my diaphram when I take deep breaths too, I am hoping it goes away.

STRETCH TO HELP LEFT SHOULDER PAIN

I was banded 6/2/10 and have had left shoulder pain everyday. Drinking water too quickly and eating too much initiate almost immediate pain. The more of each, the more intense the pain. Sometimes I have the shoulder pain for no identifiable reason (but it is usually not severe when it's for an unidentifiable reason). My doctor said it is gas that affects the nerves in the diaphram which share nerves with the left shoulder (it's reflective pain). When you have laproscoptic surgery, your stomach is inflated with CO2 so that the abdomen is expanded so that the cameras can get a clear veiw of your insides as your Dr. performs surgery. It takes a few weeks to get all of the gas out. If it persists for longer, what or how you are eating could be causing additional gas (too much, to fast, or foods our new stomach cannot tolerate well). I think chewable gas-x helps. My brother in law is a physical therapist and showed me a stretch that immediately relieves the pain everytime- this saved me from misery:

SHOULDER STRETCH

1. Take your left hand and put it straight up in the air like you are raising your hand

2. Twist your left hand so your palm is facing you (arm still straight up in the air)

3. Bend your left arm at the elbow and run your left hand down the left side of your back (run the hand downward on your back from shoulder towards mid back (on left side)

4. By now, your left hand is running down the left side of your back AND YOUR LEFT ELBOW IS POINTING STRAIGHT UP IN THE AIR

5. Now take your RIGHT hand, place it over your head, grabbing your left elbow and with your right hand pull the left elbow BACK as far and hard as you can.

It is actually a common stretch, and works out my pain. It stretches and moves the shoulder muscles and thus helps alleviate the nerve pain. THIS DOES WORK EVERYTIME TO RELEIVE MY LEFT SHOULDER PAIN.

Hope this helps others!

Edited June 12, 201016 yr by sloanjd