Hey everyone, I'm 21 days post op and this shoulder pain on my left side is unbearable......any suggestions on how long it lasts or what to do to get rid of it....thanks for any help

Are you walking enough? I would call your doctor and ask why you still have shoulder pain. I did not have the pain in my shoulder but it seems to be a very common thing but I've never heard of it lasting for 3 weeks.

The walking is the best remedy as the gas needs to migrate outside your body and this can take awhile as it's not in your gastro system. A heating pad can help with the pain too.

Hey everyone, I'm 21 days post op and this shoulder pain on my left side is unbearable......any suggestions on how long it lasts or what to do to get rid of it....thanks for any help

Usually they say the left shoulder pain is gas which is true for most people with the early pain experienced after surgery. However, after 3 weeks the gas would have dissipated so it is no longer a gas issue.

The longer lasting left shoulder pain is referred pain from the diaphragm. It can be pretty intense . . . for me it felt like a horse kicked me where my shoulder and neck joined. Sometimes it was like a sharp pinching sensation, sometimes a little like a burning sensation but it was definitely pretty painful. It would get worse after I ate.

It lasted for about 5 weeks in my case. The only thing that helped (and it only helped some) was massage and soaking in a hot bath with my neck/shoulder submerged (with my belly incisions exposed to the air and not resting in the water).

The only real cure is time, but it does indeed go away. It is rare that it lasts for several weeks but there are a small percentage of us that have this happen. One common thing I have noticed when discussing it with people is that those of us with this problem almost always had a hernia repair performed at the time of banding.

Out of curiousity, diid you happen to have a hiatal hernia repaired during banding?

I hope you feel better soon.

Thank you for the responses. HeatherO, I didn't get a hernia repair, but when I spoke to the doctor he says it's gas and to keep walking. He also suggested sleeping flat on the floor. You desribed my pain exactly a pinching sensation, the worst. I will try soaking and sleeping on the floor.

I didn't think my shoulder pain would ever go away but it finally did. I think in some people it just takes a little longer than others.