Extreme tearing pain in abdomen post op

[Sclark8756 18]

I have had extreme tearing pain like that of a muscle in my abdomen to the left of my belly button since surgery 4 weeks ago. My Dr says it's normal but everyone I know that went to other surgeons says they only experienced pain for a few days. Has anyone else experienced this and should I get a second opinion?

[lauratro 67]

I had the same thing. I twisted a lot one day and felt like I pulled a muscle. It got worse and worse and lasted about a week. Horrible pain and I could not get comfortable in any position. My doctor said that they use glue on all the incisions except for one. They use stitches and they are actually sutured to the muscle.

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[Sclark8756 18]

At least I know I'm not the only one. I had glue on all my incisions and my pain is not any better. I saw a chiropractor that said he believes a muscle was cut during surgery. The psoas muscle? Anyone heard of this?

[Mhy12784 423]

5 minutes ago, Sclark8756 said:

At least I know I'm not the only one. I had glue on all my incisions and my pain is not any better. I saw a chiropractor that said he believes a muscle was cut during surgery. The psoas muscle? Anyone heard of this?

I dont mean to be rude to anybody who believes in alternative medicine, but your chiropractor is an idiot. Thats an extremely unprofessional thing for a chiropractor to say, especially considering im willing to bet he/she didnt run a single diagnostic test to support this, and probably knows absolutely nothing about bariatric surgery and in this case is flat out making up stupid crap. The surgeons arent working over there, and the chances of a surgeon accidentally completely cutting a muscle during laparoscopic surgery under vision are extremely low (not to mention a muscle in an area they arent working)

More likely than anything is its soreness from surgery. Significantly less likely but plausible is an infection or incisional hernia from surgery. And a 99.9999% chance its not a "cut PSOAS muscle".

[Sclark8756 18]

I'm not saying I believe what he said. But this is stabbing pain and it has me grasping at straws. I can't sleep. Bending kills me. And I can't live on pain meds. 4 weeks has me depressed. I'm just searching for answers that may lead to relief. Thank you for your opinion.

[Berry78 4,261]

You could always go to your regular doctor (primary care, family physician), and see if they want to order any tests. Hernias can happen, as can excessive scar tissue, and the like. Any pain that is so bad 4 weeks post op deserves a second look.

[Sclark8756 18]

Thank you. I'm going to do that. I don't know anything about hernias but I will definitely look into it.

[Mhy12784 423]

2 hours ago, Berry78 said:

You could always go to your regular doctor (primary care, family physician), and see if they want to order any tests. Hernias can happen, as can excessive scar tissue, and the like. Any pain that is so bad 4 weeks post op deserves a second look.

Wouldn't it make sense to go to the surgeon who performed the surgery that may have caused it

[Berry78 4,261]

1 minute ago, Mhy12784 said:

Wouldn't it make sense to go to the surgeon who performed the surgery that may have caused it

Of course, but it was my impression that the surgeon was blowing the patient off. Since the OP is still concerned enough to get onto an internet chat room to inquire, obviously the question was not answered satisfactorily by the surgeon, so a second doctor can take a look and order tests if deemed necessary.

From what I've seen on the boards, it is somewhat unusual to still be experiencing significant pain 4 weeks post op..especially pain enough to hinder sleep. A common complaint for up to 2-3 months is the occasional pinching sensation that comes from the stitch in the muscle.. but to describe it as "extreme" is a red flag.

There are several kinds of complications that can happen that might need treatment, so even though the OP probably doesn't have those problems, it's always good to rule them out.

[dreamingsmall 1,125]

14 hours ago, Mhy12784 said:

I dont mean to be rude to anybody who believes in alternative medicine, but your chiropractor is an idiot. Thats an extremely unprofessional thing for a chiropractor to say, especially considering im willing to bet he/she didnt run a single diagnostic test to support this, and probably knows absolutely nothing about bariatric surgery and in this case is flat out making up stupid crap. The surgeons arent working over there, and the chances of a surgeon accidentally completely cutting a muscle during laparoscopic surgery under vision are extremely low (not to mention a muscle in an area they arent working)

More likely than anything is its soreness from surgery. Significantly less likely but plausible is an infection or incisional hernia from surgery. And a 99.9999% chance its not a "cut PSOAS muscle".

Hi. I think its abit rude calling someones whatever an idiot lol. My own surgeon told me they do alot of pulling tugging and cutting around the muscles the area that has the largest incision were they pulled the tummy out, so i can see it could be som damage possibly this lady is experiancing. i had alot of pain on one side and he explained why. it does not seem so far fetched, they could have cut something. Unfortunately it is not always the most plausable that is the case. But who knows. She is better going to the emergency room if the surgeon is trying to dismiss her.

Edited August 24, 2017 by dreamingsmall

[Sclark8756 18]

Thank you all for your suggestions and support. This has been such a scary time for me and it helps to hear the opinion of others. I am going to my primary care physician and follow up with my surgeon on September 7th. I will let you all know when I find the answer. I have lost nearly 30lbs since I began this journey and would like to see a light at the end of the painful tunnel.

[cwhit 3]

I too have experienced incredible pain in only one of the incisions. I DID call my Doc because I was concerned that it was not normal. This is the explanation that i received from my Doc: The incision is the largest and it is the spot where the stomach is removed. The muscles around the incision are affected. What has most likely happened is that during the closure of the incision, a nerve was caught in the incision. Doctors cannot see the nerves when closing the incision. The pain will lessen over time, but, will not completely go away until the stitches dissolve. That could be 6 to 8 weeks. My pain is lessening a little, but, it is still very uncomfortable. My Doc also suggests cold and hot compresses....alternating between the two. Hope this helps.

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[Sclark8756 18]

That does make sense. At least yours eventually got better. It helps a lot. Thanks!

[Sullie06 1,047]

I had this pain to the right of my belly button below my largest incision. It was an awful burning, ripping type of pain and it took a good 6 weeks to go away completely. My surgeon said that (the biggest incision) is where all the action happens so to speak so it makes sense that it's the most painful. He also thought I had an issue with scar tissue due to a prior abdominal surgery that had incisions in the same area as my VSG.

[Sclark8756 18]

I'm starting to believe this is the same case with me. Some nerve damage in that area of largest incision. I'm going to try to wait out the 6 weeks. I'm most frustrated about not being able to do much. Never one to sit around. Thank you for your help. Maybe I can help others one day.