I've been reading peoples post-op comments and have seen a lot of mentionof shouler pain. what would cause shoulder pain?

I was told it is from the gas that is pumped in for the surgery, however I have not experienced this (yet).

Niterun

yes the shoulder pain is from the gas they pump into you, so they can operate on you easier

I am an operating room RN and have had lots of patients complain of shoulder pain post-op. This is VERY common, the reason is that the surgeon instills gas into your abdomen to give them room to move things around and to see what they are doing. The gas takes sometimes days to leave your body. The gas causes abdominal pressure, and the abdominal pressures sometimes affects the nerves to the shoulders. It will go away. Walking helps and if needed, pain medication is sometimes taken.. Hope this helps.:thumbup:

My doc told me that when it happens much later on (meaning not JUST after surgery), that it's because your diaphragm and shoulder run along the same nerve endings, and your diaphragm spasms when it tries to process too large a bite of food. That spasm travels up to your shoulder. It can be VERY painful. I have found that a heating pad works best for me (even better than Advil). Hope this helps.