Left-sided abdominal pain

[reneemdonnell 2]

I am having terrible left-sided abdominal pain after my gastric bypass surgery? 5 days out and I told this to my surgeon and he says it is not related to the bypass surgery. I told him I didn't have it before hand. Go figure. Is anyone else having this issue?

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[samsmom10 0]

I am 8 days out and had a terrible burning on my lower left side whenever I stood or sat beginning day 2. It wasn't near an incision site, but below left of my belly button. I called the Drs office and spoke to a nurse. They called me the next day to see if I still had the pain. I had the burning pain, but no redness or fever. They told me to go to the ER for a CAT scan. The cat scan didn't show any leaks, torn sutures or hernias, but did show an ovarian cyst. So, the millennial Drs stopped trying to figure it out the source of my pain, even though the pain was in my stomach fat area, not deep in my ovary, and started two days after surgery. Finally, I tried holding a pillow over my stomach when I walked for slight pressure which helped, so I ordered a post-surgery stomach wrap on Amazon (size xxxl so it wouldn't be tight). Worked miracles!!

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[James Marusek 5,244]

According to the internet:

Laparoscopic gastric bypass and gastric sleeve surgery (sleeve gastrectomy) produce a similar amount of pain. Typically, more pain is experienced at the site of the incision that the surgeon removed the stomach from. This is usually the upper left quadrant (under your rib cage on your left side).

This makes sense because in order to remove the stomach during a gastric sleeve procedure the incision needs to be widened and often stretched. Muscle fibers tear and are often bruised as a result.

During gastric bypass surgery, the anastomosis (the connection of the intestines to the new stomach) is often made with a circular stapler. These staplers are large and typically require enlarging the incision in the upper left quadrant. The insertion and removal of this stapler can stretch the muscle and sometimes cause bruising.

http://www.obesitycoverage.com/before-after/poop-pain-staples-after-surgery

[deerjay 24]

I am 18 days out, and I too have this pain. I called my doctor, and they say this is totally normal. Like the poster above mentioned, this is the incision where the stomach was removed. Also some surgeons (like mine) stick the muscle to the abdominal wall from the inside just under the incision. This is what causes the pain. I've been out of pain meds for 10 days, and a few of those were the worst pain I've had since surgery. I've found that 2 things really help me: 1) wearing tight workout pants to compress the area and 2) Advil liquigels (if ok with your doctor). Especially the compression thing...I tried a binder, but the tight pants just work better for me. It's the only way that I can sit up without excruciating pain. I will say that it has been getting a tiny bit better over the last couple days. My doctor said to expect it to last 4-6 weeks. On a more positive note, everything else is going fantastically.

[KllrCrly97 7]

I have same thing and my surgeon also said this was normal. I'm two weeks out and it does seem to be getting better

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[Steph~L~16 168]

I had it for about 2 1/2 weeks or so if I remember correctly. When it finally stopped I never had any pain there again.

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[hawk3323 2]

Same here. Had the pain and then within two weeks, it lessened and then disappeared. No issues since

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[samsmom10 0]

I was back in the ER for the second time in less than two weeks because of the pain. After 24 hours of tests this week, they finally concluded that a nerve must have been cut during surgery. I'm wearing a lidocaine patch which is helping to some degree. How it heals quickly,

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[akmarsh 5]

I've had this pain too for the past 5 days (I'm 3.5 weeks post op). It was so bad today that I was crying in the car unable to breathe while my boyfriend threatens to bring me to the hospital. My surgeon thinks it's a small ulcer (even though I have none of the normal symptoms, it's not worse when I don't eat, no vomiting, no blood) and said it can take 2 weeks to heal and had me take Prilosec, hasn't helped at all. I hope it gets better soon for you!

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[samsmom10 0]

Id suggest you go to the ER. It's a way to force them to do the tests you need to have - probably an abdominal CAT scan. Will see if there is any hernia or leakage. Doesn't hurt anything. I have nerve pain from something severed during surgery. I'm on 12-300 mg Neurontin pills a day to calm the pain. It's working, still pain but not nearly as bad. Good luck!!!

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[MonicaEMT 35]

I'm 3 days post op and that's my issue right now. It sucks because everything else is going well.

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[samsmom10 0]

Use ice regularly. Really helps!

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[Elyse519 23]

I am about one month post op and I just recently got over this pain. I had this pain near my largest incision site and my Doctor told me that it is called "transfer pain". He did an xray in his clinic and let me see my stomach, everything was fine. My doctor told me just to put a warm compress or a heating pad to break up the inflammation on inside. When I finally did that I started getting a burning feeling which means your nerves are trying to get back together, it was so uncomfortable!! But about 5 days later, all pain is gone. Now just soreness. Good luck and it will get better

[Pm121 6]

I am 2 1/2 weeks post op and started having left sided pain but it is more toward the back (flank area). It hurts more when I take a deep breath in. Otherwise I am feeling fine. No fevers or other pains. Anyone experience this variation of pain?

[Dawnie Doo 184]

I am 8 days out and had a terrible burning on my lower left side whenever I stood or sat beginning day 2. It wasn't near an incision site, but below left of my belly button. I called the Drs office and spoke to a nurse. They called me the next day to see if I still had the pain. I had the burning pain, but no redness or fever. They told me to go to the ER for a CAT scan. The cat scan didn't show any leaks, torn sutures or hernias, but did show an ovarian cyst. So, the millennial Drs stopped trying to figure it out the source of my pain, even though the pain was in my stomach fat area, not deep in my ovary, and started two days after surgery. Finally, I tried holding a pillow over my stomach when I walked for slight pressure which helped, so I ordered a post-surgery stomach wrap on Amazon (size xxxl so it wouldn't be tight). Worked miracles!!

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OMG you may have just saved my life lol I need that wrap desperately! I have the exact passion on the left side and lower under below button too. Very painful at times. I also have ovarian cysts. There may be a correlation there.

Dawnie_doo