Numbness

[JoAnnFYI 1]

Hi All...I hand my band surgery on tuesday..Aug. 5th..I'm still on Clear liquids and doing pretty good..however, I've had this numbness on the outsides of my thighs..not sure whats causing it..but I'm assuming it has something to do with having to sleep on my back...anyone else have these symptoms early on?

JoAnn

[kombat96 0]

i had my surgery done a weekago. iam having numbness in my lower back area, and left buttocks. i too would like to know if anyone else has these problems. did yours go away yet, etc.....

[Alexandra 55]

Hi to both of you, and welcome! I don't have any firm notion of what might be causing your numbness, except perhaps immobility? Since your surgery was so recent you've probably been sitting a lot or lying in one position all night, whereas before you probably moved around. That could cause some temporary nerve weirdness, I'd imagine.

Just a guess...

[gretat 0]

Hi JoAnnFYI and kombat96,

I just had my surgery, too---on the 12th. I have not had any numbness---it sounds like something that your Dr. really would want to know---so just to be on the safe side, I'd call and see what they say!!

Take care,

Greta

[JoAnnFYI 1]

Yes Greta, I informed my doctor right away..he had no clue what was causing it and still doesn't..

Good Luck with your post-op care.

JoAnn

[TimeTraveller 0]

Had my band installed two days ago, and am experiencing numbness on my upper right thigh. Thought at first that it was because I had to sleep on my back since sleeping on my stomache is currently out of the question. Perhaps a pinched nerve?

[Wheetsin 714]

This is actually a "common" (using that term lightly to mean of all the people I know who have had surgeries, I've heard this more than a hanful of times) effect after abdominal surgeries: abdominoplasties, hysterectoies, gall bladder surgery, bypass, banding...

In fact, plastic surgeons will often list thigh or buttock numbness as a "what to expect after surgery" indicator.

It's usually attributed to either "bumped" nerves, new nerve pressure (e.g. black sleeping if you don't usually), stretched nerves (or cut, if they were near the incision site), etc.

The guideline is that feeling shoud return any time from a few weeks post-op to 18 months, and that if feeling has not returned after the 18 months, then it probably isn't going to.

I've never met a surgeon who actually *cared* about this, though. My mom went through this after her hysterectomy, and I was surprised but the overwhelming attitude was, "A little numbness is no big deal, we only worry if it's something bad".

[TimeTraveller 0]

As long as it's not an indication of a blood clot, I can deal with it. Thanks!

[Wheetsin 714]

Not that I know of, but check with a medical prof to be sure. I've had bloodcots (superficial) and my mother has been hospitalized more than once with DVT. In both of our cases, we probably would have welcomed some numbness because blood clots *hurt*. Even my little superficial ones - the whole area was red, and an angry red over the area of the actual clot. Seriously, you could see exactly where the clot was, just by looking at the skin, and you could feel heat radiating like a sunburn. And I swear, a gently breeze blowing across my skin hurt, let alone anything touching it.

My mother with her DVT - I can remember her literally crawling on her hands and knees from the car into the house because the pain was too great to stand or walk.

So I personally wouldn't associate numbness with a clot, but I'm not a doctor so that means squat.

[Betsyjane 2]

Any possibility you had it before? I had some numbness in my thigh and my Dr. said it's from carrying my stomach around. He said truck drivers get it, and workmen get it from carrying heavy tool belts too. Thanks, Doc!

[enterprise01 0]

I don't know about clots, but I do know that numbness can be warning sign of a brain aneurysm. I didn't learn this until my best friend died in 2004 from an aneurysm. She had had spots of numbness on her legs, but I could never get her to see a doctor. I myself didn't even think it was that serious. The ER doc told me otherwise. Not a day goes by that I don't wish I had dragged her into a doctor's office for a check-up. However, if the numbness is something new since the surgery, I would suspect that it was caused by the surgery -- a disruption of the nerve pathways. Of course it never hurts to bring it up with your doctor again.

[LapBandit 5]

I had this exact thing you're describing immediately post-op. I mentioned it to my surgeon and he diagnosed it as nerve damage from the "seat belts" they have to use to keep you on the table during surgery. He estimated a six month recovery and that is almost exactly how long it took until it stopped bugging me. I'd feel numbness, tingling, burning and it was a real pain to deal with.

BUT-I'd definately recommend sharing your symptoms with your own doctor and make sure that is what is wrong. Also, your doctor might have some suggestions to help. Mine pretty much told me that nerve damage is just a waiting game and if it really bugged me then I could see a neurologist.

[Betsyjane 2]

You can also get thigh numbness from diabetes.

[susannah 2]

Gday, I get numbness in my limbs but it is from MS. Also a possibility. Susannah

[Spydr 0]

I tto have MS. The doctors did not catch it until I lost a bunch of weight. They told me the numbness is because I was so overweight. Once the weight was gone, they had to try again.

Please check with your doc ASAP whenever something does not feel right. You are paying them to take an interest in your health. Take advantage of it. I wish I had been a bit more of a hard ass with my doctors regarding my MS.