Left Shoulder Pain After Lap Band Surgery

[sloanjd 0]

STRETCH TO HELP LEFT SHOULDER PAIN

I was banded 6/2/10 and have had left shoulder pain everyday. Drinking Water too quickly and eating too much initiate almost immediate pain. The more of each, the more intense the pain. Sometimes I have the shoulder pain for no identifiable reason (but it is usually not severe when it's for an unidentifiable reason). My doctor said it is gas that affects the nerves in the diaphram which share nerves with the left shoulder (it's reflective pain). When you have laproscoptic surgery, your stomach is inflated with CO2 so that the abdomen is expanded so that the cameras can get a clear veiw of your insides as your Dr. performs surgery. It takes a few weeks to get all of the gas out. If it persists for longer, what or how you are eating could be causing additional gas (too much, to fast, or foods our new stomach cannot tolerate well). I think chewable gas-x helps. My brother in law is a physical therapist and showed me a stretch that immediately relieves the pain everytime- this saved me from misery:

SHOULDER STRETCH

1. Take your left hand and put it straight up in the air like you are raising your hand

2. Twist your left hand so your palm is facing you (arm still straight up in the air)

3. Bend your left arm at the elbow and run your left hand down the left side of your back (run the hand downward on your back from shoulder towards mid back (on left side)

4. By now, your left hand is running down the left side of your back AND YOUR LEFT ELBOW IS POINTING STRAIGHT UP IN THE AIR

5. Now take your RIGHT hand, place it over your head, grabbing your left elbow and with your right hand pull the left elbow BACK as far and hard as you can.

It is actually a common stretch, and works out my pain. It stretches and moves the shoulder muscles and thus helps alleviate the nerve pain. THIS DOES WORK EVERYTIME TO RELEIVE MY LEFT SHOULDER PAIN.

Hope this helps others!

Edited June 12, 2010 by sloanjd

[yorkshire 0]

Left shoulder pain was the first pain I felt when waking after surgery. I've also found that pain Patches do help as well as sipping and not gulping and not too much at a time. I'm still on liquids and only one week post-op. Hopefully it will decrease with time.:thumbup:

[Marys.edge 0]

Look, I have the pain it is day 2.. this is the first I read that so many people had it so long.. this is not good, nor normal.. now what?

[Marys.edge 0]

Thank you Sloan JD.. Stretch is helping!

[sloanjd 0]

Thank you Sloan JD.. Stretch is helping!

So glad to hear the stretch helped you Mary! Good news, I'm at week 3 post-op, and my left shoulder pain is completely gone!! There is light at the end of the tunnel!! I've also lost 14 pounds since surgery (and eleven pounds 2 weeks pre-op for a total of 25 pounds!) So, look forward to better days!! Hang in there... :bored:

[lafrogura 0]

Something has got to give here.. I have had my band for 2 years now.. I just changed docs recently for the fills. My surgeon was doing them but I was not losing weight, I actually gained weight for the 2 yrs following my lap band surgery. I changed docs a couple of months ago and he has done a couple of fills and now I have good restriction but I have terrible left shoulder pain that starts about mid-day. OMG! It's terrible. I have been taking liquid gas meds for it thinking it's air that is trapped in my stomach and the "hole" where you swallow food is the same hole that you burp through. I can't expel the gas from my stomach so it's moving elsewhere in my body and becoming trapped in my shoulder. Laying down is the only thing that's helped.

[pasturias 0]

I was banded five days ago, and the left shoulder pain has been bad. Liquid Tylonol helps, but it is very irritating. Seems to happen if I am hungry or full. I am going to be speaking to the doctor about it when I go for my follow up.

[altopower 1]

I found it really bad in the first month or two after being banded last October. I still get the left shoulder pain but it's not constant and it does tell me that I've either been drinking too much too fast, or am too hungry. When I'm too full, I start with hiccups.

Stretching it out helps, as does worrying about the pain. I"m considering it a trade off for the lapband and since it's not constant, I can deal.

[jbs42946 0]

Im 7 months out had some lft shoulder pain comes and goes i wonder why its because im hungry>>thats wierd?? i jus ate and it went away????why does this happen??

[confused 4]

I could only wish for shoulder pain...I was banded in 2007, then I was just rebanded in 2010...my first band slipped. Well the pain I have is in the center of my breast bone and under my right ribs. I first thought that it was muscles because it went away with tylenol. I have thought of gas and have tried taking chewable gas ex. I'm even scared and thinking that it's something to do with the band or port. I can't bend over to tie my shoes or pick up things. I can't sleep on my sides or stomach. I just find myself praying for some kinds of answers or for the day the pain goes away.

It has been almost 5 weeks since surgery and this is still going on. I don't remember any kind of pain the first time that I was banded that is why I have come here for some kind of help or answers. Thanks to everyone...and best wishes.

[di1681 0]

My doc said the same thing.. But guess what noone should be charlie horse or in pain for laying a certain way for thiisss long. I did my surgery jan ,2010 and my shoulder bothers all the time.. Its not like i laid in that position for days .. It was a whole hour max

[gdf18 2]

Wish I could send my story out to everyone, but maybe it will get around.

Left shoulder pain should only happen for a week or so after surgery if at all. It starts as gas which is trapped. Why the left shoulder? Because it's actually pressure on the diaphragm and the diaphragm and left shoulder are attached at hte same spot on the spinal cord. Your brain reads it as shoulder pain.

HOWEVER, anyone having it longer likely has a piece of excess tubing hitting the diaphragm. That's the cause. There is always a little excess tubing - not everyone has it hitting the diaphragm and not everyone experiences pain when it does.

MY STORY- not only did I have excess tubing hitting my diaphragm-----a stray piece of body fat wrapped around the tubing forming a noose, or vise around my diaphragm. Million to one shot, right?

I complained for over a year as the pain became worse and my original surgeon (I have happily moved on) ignored me, made me feel stupid, and had any excuse that didn't involve him. In the end, although it was not his fault that hte fat wrapped it, he ignored my pain and suffering, and who knows....did he leave in too much tubing, opening me up to the problem?

Tubing can be moved and my new surgeon took one look at my xray and scheduled surgery (before they know about the noose effect). He just saw that it was hitting me inside and saw no reason for me to have pain. The rest was a surprise to all.

STAND UP TO YOUR SURGEON OR GO FOR ANOTHER OPINION. I LEARNED A LESSON AT GREAT COST - LOST A YEAR + to pain and gained weight trying to avoid the pain.

Great good luck to anyone who has this problem- take care of yourself....no one is going to do it for you.

[mrtj 0]

I'm experiencing the same exact pain.

[LAEXGORDITA 0]

I was banded 7/2007 and I still have left shoulder pain! The pain can be crippling sometimes and it is there EVERYDAY.

The doc doesn't listen to me and I feel weird changing my surgeon again. I'vr done it twice already.

So I have given up on the band and want it gone.

[CindyMinnesota 0]

I am 3 months out after surgery..I had left shoulder pain for a few weeks after the surgery.

Now, I only get it when I eat too much..I think for me it has to do with the "soft stop" when my body is telling me that I am too full..