HELP - Pain in left side (just south of rib cage) - 1 year post-op

[Marisa1972 3]

Hello all. I am coming up on my one year anniversary and I have had a pain on my left side for the last few months. At first it would come and go, but now I have it every day. When it occurs, it happens after I eat something. It almost feels as though gas is getting trapped (like something is twisted) and I try to push it along with my fingers by pressing on my abdomen, but it is difficult to pass. Has anyone else had this experience? I see my doctor in two weeks, but I'm really starting to worry something is wrong. Plus, it is extremely annoying to feel this pain every day. Otherwise, I couldn't be happier with the surgery results. Thanks for you responses in advance.

[JamieLogical 8,684]

Is it near any of your incisions? All I can think is maybe an incisional hernia? Definitely talk to your doctor about it. If it gets any worse in the next two weeks, you might want to think about trying to move up your appointment.

[Daisy Girl 38]

Gall bladder?

[JamieLogical 8,684]

Gall bladder?

Gallbladder would cause pain on the right side of the body.

[Valentina 2,642]

Gallbladder pain is NOT always felt on the right. A great number of gallbladder patients feel pain center and a few less --to the left.

The person to ask and who can give you the answer to any pain that is severe enough to cause you concern is your physician. Call him tomorrow. I would not wait until your scheduled appointment. If you are concerned enough to post here about it, then you need to call and at least notify him/her of your pain.

Feel better and let us know what's going on with you, friend.

[Marisa1972 3]

The pain moves around a bit, but always on the left side. Not near any incision sites. And I had my gall bladder out 15 years ago. The mystery continues.... thanks for your suggestions!

[VSG AJH 499]

I began to have a similar pain on the left hand side a few months after surgery after transitioning to the solid food stage. It got progressively worse over time until it became pretty much a constant pain. In my case, it turned out to be pain as the result of pouching because of retained fundus left behind during my original sleeve surgery. Pouching was not visible with the contrast on an upper GI, but was visible on two separate EGDs. Actually just had a "laparoscopic partial gastrectomy" (essentially resleeved) a couple of days ago to take off the neofundus.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[KnowNothing 20]

Hey @@Marisa1972 ,

I feel your pain because I've had it exactly the same way you describe it. It started when I introduced more foods into my diet and when I spoke to my doctor he asked me if I have had feber and I haven't. I hope you're not having it neither.

In my case it was because I was starting to eat too fast. I don't feel when I'm full and I started to eat too fast, so after that

I've been reducing my portions and start to eat more consciously and always from a baby size plate. The pain disappeared after that but now it's replaced by GERD.

I hope this works.
Best, Ariana

[Marisa1972 3]

@@ArianaVoltairete,

Thanks for your feedback. I have wondered if it was because I was eating too fast (because I know I do). So over the past few days I made an effort to eat more slowly...and guess what, no pain. Here is the interesting part. I haven't had any GERD since the surgery (and since taking my daily Omeprazole) - and now I'm having horrible acid reflux. I wonder why this is.....it is very strange. Anyway, thank you for your response. I hope this is what is causing me issues.

[KnowNothing 20]

@@ArianaVoltairete,

Thanks for your feedback. I have wondered if it was because I was eating too fast (because I know I do). So over the past few days I made an effort to eat more slowly...and guess what, no pain. Here is the interesting part. I haven't had any GERD since the surgery (and since taking my daily Omeprazole) - and now I'm having horrible acid reflux. I wonder why this is.....it is very strange. Anyway, thank you for your response. I hope this is what is causing me issues.

Hey @@Marisa1972 ,

I'm trying to eat in tiny plates, like coffee cup saucers or creme brûlée plates and I divide my entirely plate in 3 and that is equivalent to 10 min. Then I divide each of those three in 5 so that I can accomplish around two minutes per food bite (grabbing-putting in the mouth-leave the fork-chew-swallow) and I try to check with a clock but still my mind wanders somewhere else like a conversation with my husband or the phone or something that I need to do later.

I don't get hungry at all, but my head hunger and the looking for stomach acid relief make me overeat at it's the worst because it betrays me at least during one meal time every single day. Plus I never feel "full", when I feel it is a sharp and discomfort pain that means that I overate and I either have to puke or deal with the sharp stomach pain that you described.

For the stomach acidity I take omeoprazole. I was in 20mg during the mornings but now my doctor increased it to 40mg. I was supposed to take those only the first two months out of the surgery but now I don't know for how long. During the day it bothers me this as well and I've tried Gaviscon (UK, looks like Milk of Magnesium) and something similar like Tums (which none of them worked) and those are the only things that I can find OTC in Norway, but I have definitely controlled it after trial and error and remembering my grandmother's words of taking Sodium Carbonate (which I only can find it in here as a food ingredient, in the US I believe is Arm & Hammer... NOT baking powder!) and that had reduced my grumpiness and bitchiness caused by excess of acid, plus the pain, of course! I also need to mention that I don't get any reflux, just the pain.

Please let me know if you try any of this and how it goes. I feel sometimes that this site has enormous potential but after posting something, there are very few whom post back and if they achieved a positive result.

My best wishes!

Ariana

[Marisa1972 3]

Thanks for the advice. I am taking 20mg of Omeprazole, but I might increase it, as you mentioned. I will ask my doc when I see him in two weeks. I am having both the acid reflux and pain....(more reflux than pain), especially at night when I lay down. I have tried to make sure to stop eating a full two hours before bed, but it is still bothersome. I never had GERD this bad, so maybe the increase in Omeprazole will help. I too have tried many many other things, but this is the only one that seems to work. I am one year post-op at the end of this month and every time I have stopped trying to take the Omeprazole the acid reflux comes back a few days later, so I have continued taking it. I remember initially my doctor telling me that at around the 6 month post-op point you can try to stop taking it and see how it goes. And here I am...still on it. I don't mind taking it if it works...but now that it has stopped working, it can be aggrevating. I did have a stomach virus about 10 days ago and I'm wondering if this aggrevated something...because I have had the reflux ever since. As for eating, I don't have much pain these days - just the "full" pain. When I feel that, I'm done. And I've been very lucky that I have never thrown up after eating...so I count my blessings. Overall, I've been happy with my results...even with all of the suffering...and would do it all again. Thanks again for your advice. It is nice when people respond to posts. Have a good day!

[Yoga-lady 217]

Gallbladder

[Marisa1972 3]

Gallbladder

Unfortunately this is not it...I had my gallbladder remove 15 years ago. But thanks!

[CBT 450]

PPI can cause rebound acid for like 2 weeks when we stop them after taking them for a long time.

They should be tapered and you can add in Maalox or Tums. But, I do think you should have your doc look at you because pain is not typical.

[KnowNothing 20]

Thanks for the advice. I am taking 20mg of Omeprazole, but I might increase it, as you mentioned. I will ask my doc when I see him in two weeks. I am having both the acid reflux and pain....(more reflux than pain), especially at night when I lay down. I have tried to make sure to stop eating a full two hours before bed, but it is still bothersome. I never had GERD this bad, so maybe the increase in Omeprazole will help. I too have tried many many other things, but this is the only one that seems to work. I am one year post-op at the end of this month and every time I have stopped trying to take the Omeprazole the acid reflux comes back a few days later, so I have continued taking it. I remember initially my doctor telling me that at around the 6 month post-op point you can try to stop taking it and see how it goes. And here I am...still on it. I don't mind taking it if it works...but now that it has stopped working, it can be aggrevating. I did have a stomach virus about 10 days ago and I'm wondering if this aggrevated something...because I have had the reflux ever since. As for eating, I don't have much pain these days - just the "full" pain. When I feel that, I'm done. And I've been very lucky that I have never thrown up after eating...so I count my blessings. Overall, I've been happy with my results...even with all of the suffering...and would do it all again. Thanks again for your advice. It is nice when people respond to posts. Have a good day!

I'm not so far from my journey as you are. I'll be two months on Friday, but something grabbed my attention. Some of my classmates (I'm an university student) got stomach sick a couple of weeks ago and I was dry-vomiting in the middle of the night, so it could also be the stomach flu.

Try to get some answers from your doctor, but if it gets bad, I still recommend you the sodium carbonate so that you can hold on to your appointment, and please let me know how it went because your symptoms and mine are exactly the same.

Good luck and wish you the best!

Ariana