shoulder pain??!!

jls_27 · June 18, 2008

So now im 4 weeks after being banded and NOW im getting the should pain!! whats the deal?? anyone know what is causing it? Im also having some pain when i going #2 . I have some pressure down there often and it can get pretty bad. Any adivce / info would be great!

~~jessica:confused:

lauramarie · June 18, 2008

hi my left shoulder was really painful after the op and it lasted for at least 8 weeks, i suspect it was when i was getting lifted off the operating table, i think it was a pulled muscle. about problem #2 i really don't know.

Long2BFree · June 18, 2008

You are probably having pressure with BMs because you aren't getting enough Fiber. Check with your doctor to see if it's okay to add Benefiber to your foods and/or take a stool softener.

jls_27 · June 18, 2008

ty fopr the help!

AKgirl · June 18, 2008

I was told the shoulder pain is due to the CO2 they use to inflate your stomach during surgery and it slowly diffuses throughout to be eliminated, pain refers up so we feel it in shoulders, my left was the worst for about two weeks. Another reason my doc said I could have shoulder pain was because they mess with your diaphragm during surgery and again painrefers up. hope this helps, the pain does go away.

pattic · June 21, 2008

I had horrible pain in my left shoulder for about 6 weeks. The dr. repaired my hiatal herinia and I was told that my shoulder would hurt from that also, besides the gas they use. Someone on this website told me to lay on the ground with my arm over my head and use a heating pad. It helped a lot. My shoulder is doing good now.:redface:

greyhoundmom · June 21, 2008

thank you so much! i had a hernia fix too - june 10th with the band surgery - and the spot between my left shoulder blade and my spine is hurting so much. more each day it seems. i don't think it's the gas anymore - that only lasted 5-10 minutes. i'm going to lay on the ground with my arm over my head. it's unbearable sometimes. today, it's been hurting for at least 3 hours (with a break inbetween for a while). it seems talking a lot or walking brings it on. or drinking Decaf tea - acidic i know - but i love tea. maybe it's too soon for tea. thanks again - today i've been getting very worried about this pain because it's not going away like it was.

FitGirl · June 22, 2008

I was banded and a hernia fixed on 4/25/08 and my shoulder still hurts when I eat too fast or the wrong things. It is really strange and was my only real pain after surgery - that left shoulder, from air in the abdomen (referred pain) and I am not sure what now, 2 months later...

GLB1954 · June 23, 2008

I love this website - I get questions answered without even asking them! I have been wondeing why my left shoulder hurts thinking also that it must have been the way they handled my arms during/after surgery! I knew the gas could cause some shoulder pain but had no idea that having a hernia repaired could also cause it! Thanks!

greyhoundmom · June 23, 2008

hi all, i've found if i bend over at the waist and hang my left arm down like a monkey - the pain instantly stops. as soon as i stand up - it comes right back. i think it's from my diaphram. that's how i get rid of hiccups - bend over and drink Water from the opposite side of the glass. it works every time! aren't hiccups are a spasm of the diaphram?

i think if i could take anti-inflammatories (advil or motrin) it would reduce swelling but i can't (they burn my stomach). so.. if you are having this intense pain - maybe advil or motrin (my surgeon did tell me i could take that if my stomach would tolerate it - which i already know it won't).

good luck! this is the only pain i have now and it is really awful at times - like a pinched nerve that will not unpinch. it lasted from 2 to 9pm saturday - that is way too long. i did try the heating pad on my stomach and i think that did help reduce it some.

on a postive note - i've lost 25 lbs now since my pre-surgery weight loss start date of 5/1/08! YEAH!

sammey1 · June 23, 2008

Yes, I had severe shoulder pain. It started about 1 or so after surgery. I too had a hernia repain. It lasted on and off for about a month. Then it went away. I took my pain meds from after surgery to help with the pain. It didn't take it away, but it helped.

Aceituna · April 9, 2009

I had severe left shoulder pain immediately after surgery. They gave me demerol and told me it was the gas. It's been four weeks since my surgery and I get the same shoulder pain. I spoke to my doctor last night and he felt that I should see an orthopedist. The pain may have something to do with my positioning during surgery. However, I didn't tell him that I ate something "bad" for me last night and I immediately had the worst pain ever. So I think that these threads have been very helpful because I think that it's a combination of everything. Eating the wrong things, gas and positioning. I will definitely try the bend over cure! Alleve also helps.