Left Shoulder Pain After Lap Band Surgery

[mlemlr 0]

I've had the left shoulder pain on and off since surg in June 2007. Mine is top of my shoulder up into neck and down the arm, hard to pin point the spot, I'm thinking a nerve thing, seems to be worse after exercise or if out walking around a store. I work for an Orthopedic Dr and have never said anything just thinking it was the pain everyone has after surg. but yours all seem to be in the front/upper chest area, is that correst?

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Mine is at the top of the shoulder and goes down my arm. I haven't had it for awhile except for a little bit the other day. Like I said, mine comes and goes.

[Sue Magoo 71]

Millie:

When mine comes it's at the front of my left shoulder running up my neck. It hardly ever happens anymore for me, thank goodness. If I eat too fast, or a bite or two too many it can occur.

Sue

[momlambert 77]

Millie:

When mine comes it's at the front of my left shoulder running up my neck. It hardly ever happens anymore for me, thank goodness. If I eat too fast, or a bite or two too many it can occur.

Sue

yeah, me, too. Sometimes it goes down into my arm a little as well. Usually it's for the same reasons.

[Fort Bend Band 0]

As far as the shoulder pain, I am 10 months banded. I had horrible shoulder pain for weeks and would often get cricks in my neck for about 3 months. Now, I only have those symptoms once in a blue moon or when I eat too much. I read (I think in this thread once) that one person was told by their MD that where the port is sewn into place can also add some extra pressure on that sheath of nerves (I do not know proper terms) that you feel in your shoulder. For those of you still suffering I can say that for most people it does go away so hang in there and the weight loss you will eventually have will be worth it all!

Jamoorse, I think you do need to go to someone else that is caring and supportive. I do believe your band could be leaking or it is wide open because I have not heard of someone gaining so much weight back unless removing the band or taking all the saline out on purpose. There is a thick solution fill (Omnipack) that I had to get because the regular saline was absorbing away from my band and into my body. My MD said that they couls not explain why this happens to some people but it does. I am so sorry for your struggles!

[meighanam 0]

Hi, I'm three years out and this used to be a VERY common problem of mine, it happened to me mostly when I hadn't eaten in a while or when I started to get hungry and didn't eat right away. After a lot of discussion, the doctors came up with the theory that the irritation of your diaphragm, by the banding, leads to these problems, kind of pushing gas up to your left shoulder/left side of neck area. That's also why it's worse when you sit for periods of time because it pushes everything up, again irritating the diaphragm. What seems to work is either eating or drinking something or walking around a little. Hope this helps! Eventually you can kind of tell when it's coming on and what to do so it'll become less of a problem.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Mine hadn't hurt for awhile and then yesterday I got food stuck. I was really trying to avoid a pb, but I noticed that my left shoulder started hurting. Eventually, whatever was stuck moved through, but my shoulder continued to hurt all evening.

[bethrn 0]

Hi all,

I had my lap band surgery in December of 2005. Up until this point I've only needed 2 small fills. I'm not sure of the exact volume because my surgeon never tells me, even when I ask. He says it's his secret. I think he's just not wanting me to think I can eat whatever I want and keep getting my band tightened. I've never had much restriction. I've never PB'ed. I occasionally (when eating a steak too fast or something) feel it get "stuck" for a minute, and then it goes down. Amazingly, even with this little bit of restriction, Ive still lost about 55-60% of my excess weight. I'm still 50+ pounds over my ideal body weight, so my surgeon filled my band today. I haven't lost or gained any weight in the past year. I've been at a stand-still because I can basically eat whatever I want, and too-often I guess, I have done just that. This was my first fill in 13 months, and fill #3 for me since surgery. Just to be on the safe side, I decided to stick with liquids today and tomorrow in case it swelled and things just didn't want to go down. About 3 hours after my fill, I noticed a constant pain in my upper left quadrant of my abdomen; the same pain as if I have eaten too much. I figured it was just swelling. Now, 3-4 more hours have passed and I have terrible pain in the top of my left shoulder. It is agonizing. I haven't been on this forum in so long, but I decided to come here just to see if anyone else experienced this after a fill. I am inclined to believe the swelling from my adjustment is pressing on a nerve. I hope this goes away soon. I just wondered if you guys ever had this happen, and, as usual, here it is. I'm actually glad to see it's not very uncommon. Makes me worry less. Thanks as always for the great information provided. I've been mostly a lurker since my surgery, but the information you all provide here is wonderful. :tt1: For the past year I could eat whatever I wanted, I tried to make good choices, and I guess I did better than I would have done prior to the band because I haven't gained any weight at least. I'm back and ready to get kick-started again on the rest of my weight loss. :frown:

[lisasparkle 0]

Hi

I was banded in Belgium in April 2007 and suffered this shoulder pain terribly. I visited my own GP and my Lap Band Consultant - apparently during laporoscopic surgery, your stomach (in our Op), is inflated with gas to make everything more accessible. Some of this gas can be trapped when they 'close you up' and cannot be dispersed by a 'burp' or 'fart' because it isn't within our digestive system, just 'inside you' The pain is caused if the gas is under your diaphragm as this pushes on a nerve which causes the pain in your left shoulder - weird eh??

I struggled for 2 weeks with severe pain, I couldn't get comfortable in any position - but it did dispappear gradually. However, it can come back if I eat too much so I use it as a deterrent...and I'm 4 stone down after just one fill, and loving it!! Lisa xx

[GinaG 0]

Hi there, I am new to the forum and am actually trying to find help for a friend. She had her band removed almost a year ago because of the pain in the shoulder. The pain has never subsided. It was concluded that the vagus nerve was damaged. She has developed a new symptom because of the damage. She sneezes repeatedly. She sneezes so much and so hard sometimes that she passes out, sometimes several times a day. Has anyone had or heard of this? We are trying desperately to find a doctor that can help but so far have not had any luck. We have several friends with the band and she is the only one that has had this bad of a complication. The shoulder pain was completely intolerable for her. It was bad. By the way her lapband surgeon closed his practice because of all the botched surgeries he did. The problem is that now no other surgeon wants to take this on because of the severeness of it. :biggrin: So if anyone can...HELP!!

[Fort Bend Band 0]

All I can say about your friend that passes out from sneezing is that you may want to try to consult with Hadar Spivak, MD. You can find his info at bandmd.com and I think he has done so mant successful band surgeries but also does research for all types of gastro-intestinal issues so maybe he couls help diagnose what went wrong. He is out of Houston, TX. AND i HAVE NO IDEA WHERE YOUR FRIEND LIVES BUT MAYBE A PHONE CONSULTATION COULD BE SET UP ARE A REFERRAL TO SOMEONE IN YOUR AREA.

[vegors 0]

I was banded 7 days agoand have had the pain that so many of you have mentioned. I noticed that I wake up fine, but even before I eat or drink, it is back, but certainly tolerable. Today, however, I woke up and it was already hurting and proceeded to make my day miserable. It was also my first day out and about, running errands and driving. I noticed too, that my stomach was much more swollen than it had been in days past. I am assuming I ate something last night that my digestive system did not like. So I am assuming I caused the increased pain for myself-lesson learned!! What I have noticed is that my pain can be any where-neck, shoulder, area between the two, the bicep and the area down below the clavicle. When it is really bad and I tense up and yes, I will admit, I have even cried a few times it hurts so darn bad, that it all seems to hurt that much more. Does crying seem to irritate the diaphram area so that it contributes to the pain? I find that a heating pad and laying down are the only things to take it away. I know I had a pretty bad hiatal hernia from what my surgeon said, but I have not read in any of the posts about the shoulder pain, if anyone else who seems to have the pain worse than others, if they too, had a hiatal hernia repair. Wonder if that had anything to do with those who seem to have the pain more chronically than others. Thanks for this site everyone-it reassures me I am not alone in these problems that I have!

[Sue Magoo 71]

Teresa:

I had a hiatal hernia repair too. I didn't have bad shoulder pain until about a month after surgery when I was on the mushy stage for eating. I had tuna w/mayo and it got stuck. I didn't have any fill yet. My shoulder pain was so bad I called Dr and he said to go to emergency room to make sure my band was okay. I had a horrible night, lots of throwing up, and they gave me some morphine for the pain (I didn't ask, and was surprised that they offered it, but I accepted because pain was so bad for several hours). They gave me a ct scan, and I threw up the contrast liquid too. Eventually they said ct scan was fine, went home throwing up all the way. In the morning I called doctor again and he said I better go and have a swallow test to make sure band was still in position because I had thrown up so much. It was fine. I was on all liquids for four days after that.

Now, occasionally if I pb I get shoulder pain, but hardly ever. It does get much better.

Take care.

Sue

[vegors 0]

Sue,

Thanks for your comments and it looks like I will take it real easy when I finally get to my mushy stage! Since you never had the pain until your tuna got stuck, I guess that throws out my theory on hiatal hernias!

[missrachel87 0]

I had my Lap-Band done in April 2007 -- almost a year later, I'm STILL having left shoulder pain! It's disruptive (and causes me to be VERY cranky). It happens every time I get the Band tightened. It usually starts from the shoulder and progresses up into my neck (same side). It's nice to know that it's not just me, though! -- seems like a lot of you are experiencing the same thing! I plan on calling my surgeon this morning, to discuss medication options, as I am sick and tired of this nasty little bugger interrupting my day! Hate to say it, but I've tried almost every remedy there is (OTC gas relievers, NSAIDS, etc) and the only thing that was able to relieve the pain (and the bad mood associated with it) has been Norco. Like I said, it's not 24/7, but usually lasts every day, all day, a few weeks after the Band has been tightened. Really very embarassing, I went to Arizona to meet my boyfriend's parents, and wound up laying on their living room floor with a massager wedged between my shoulder and neck. Feddd up....