I know this has been talked about a thousand times already but my question is this: I am 10 months post-op and I have very severe left shoulder pain. It's not all the time and it's usually in the afternoon, although I've had it in the morning too. It doesn't always happen after a fill and it can be very random but when it's there it's PAINFUL! I have done about as much research as I can and I've come to the conclusion that it's the phrenic nerve (possibly referred pain). My doctor doesn't know what to do with me and thinks it's odd that I still have shoulder pain as he has concluded it's free air. I have a hard time believing that.

So, does anyone out there have any suggestions as to what kind of doctor I should see or start with to try to fix this? The only relief I get is from narcotics and laying on my left side. :thumbs_up:

I was banded yesterday and I am having a "stinger" up through my left shoulder and into my neck on the left side. I am walking a lot but does not seem to help. So far this pain exceeds my pain when trying to eat.

yeah when I got banded the only pain that I had was my shoulder and I had alot of gas! It was horrible, my shoulder pain did get better but then came back and comes and goes. Good luck!

I also was banded yesterday and have the horrid shoulder/neck pain. I told the nurse about it today, and she said if it's not gone tomorrow then I need to call them back. But you all seem to have it for weeks? Oh my! This is excruciating!

Okay, this is bazaar... I was banded on April 23 and I have been having pain in my left elbow and it goes up to my shoulder and sometimes into my ear.... I asked my surgeon about it at post-op appointment and he gave me the same response... take ibuprofin. He thought it may have something to do with the left arm being strapped and held down during surgery.

The fact that many people have simular symptoms after surgery is puzzling me..... I'm hoping that mine just gets better. We will see.

Patty

The left shoulder pain is "referred pain" from your diaphragm. It sits above your liver and stomach and is, well, "upset" during surgery! LOL Regardless of how gentle your surgeon, many of us have that shoulder pain. Some say it's trapped gas but if so, it's gas that is agitating the diaphragm. For me, it only hurt when I breathed deeply...like after going for a walk etc. For me, the pain was like a muscle cramp and having my husband rub my neck (and having my breathing rate/depth return to normal) made the pain go away. Some say lying on their left side with their hand stretched above their heads works (but again that's just releasing the cramp in the muscle, like when you have a charley horse/cramp in your calf and stand up on the painful leg to make it go away)

A pain that radiates from the elbow is different...different cause, quality, treatment. Either way, though, it will pass.

Thanks for the info... It is slowly getting better... :thumbup:

p