Left arm pain when walking-suggestions please!

vegors · February 22, 2008

I am looking for some advice as I was banded on the 13th and have had two really bad experiences this week with pain in my left arm when I have been out running errands or just walking around at costco. I even took Tylenol extra strength before going to Costco today, to try and head off any pain. Didn't work. We walked slowly( which just about killed me as I use to be quite a fast walker) but the pain came on not 5 minutes after getting there. It starts as an ache in the shoulder blade area and just spreads from there and gets to be like a huge charlie horse and I can hardly lift my arm. I tried sipping Water thinking I was hungry and needed something and it eased the pain for a short bit of time when it first started out, but was useless as the pain spread. I had not over eaten as it had been hours since I had had a slim fast shake. I could really use some suggestions as to how to prevent this pain or what I may be doing to cause it.

Thanks a bunch!

Elisabethsew · February 22, 2008

I think you really need to see your MD. Women don't have typical symptoms of a heart attack but left arm pain is significant and can be the only sign for some. An EKG and some blood work will anwer the question. You were banded on the 13th so there is a slight chance that it's being caused by the lingering effects of the anesthesia but that's unlikely. Please see your MD ASAP and let us know how you're doing.

vegors · February 22, 2008

I had one just before I had the band put on last week, but it was a quickie and nothing came up about it. The thought of heart problems had occured to me, but with so many talking about left arm pain, I just assumed it was from the diaphragm being swollen or the phrenic nerve being irritated. I will give my doc a call tomorrow and see if I need to come in. Thanks for the advice!

Bunny · February 22, 2008

I am no doctor but it sounds to me what my doctor and books I have read call "referred pain". Basically, your shoulder hurts like heck but it's normal and relates to gas. For me, the pain was the worst of all pain associated with the surgery. If they had not forewarned me, I would have been completely freaking out!! The pain lasted about a week and a half for me.

Call your doc anyway. They probably should have set better expectations for you. Basically, they told me my shoulder was going to really hurt and around 10 days out I would be completely hungry and that I should make my Protein drinks thicker during that time.

vegors · February 22, 2008

Thanks Bunny! I have read about the referred pain, but just didn't know why it seems worse when walking. I tried my breathing thingy yesterday, you know the one you get at the hospital, and was just about at the end when i was really trying to force the air out and bam! That left arm started to hurt like the devil! My husband and I both assumed I had irritated the diaprhagm or something inside of me when I was pushing out that last bit of air. It went away after a few minutes. But there must be something that is getting irritated when I am walking, but I am not breathing heavy, so am not sure what it is. And no, my doc said NOTHING about left arm pain and what to expect. I read about the pain on this website, but still was not prepared for how long and how bad it was.