left side pain Is it supposed to be so painful???

[Sdc04c 2]

Hey guys, I’m new to this site and after snooping around for answers I decided it was time to join.

So I had the GS on April 26th. Day one (242 lbs) was no different than day five- I hurt. I have had a stabbing pain near my left incision. A pain that feels like a hot knife is stabbing me in the gut. It hurt so badly to sit on the toilet or in a chair, and the getting up part was the worst. I couldn’t pull my pants up or hardly wipe my rear with tissue without crying out in pain. My husband had to help me out of bed and into bed and forget getting in and out of the car. sleeping is pretty miserable as I’m a left side sleeper, and all I can do is sleep on my back proped up with pillows. Sneezing, coughing, or hiccuping is out of the question as it makes me feel like someone is kicking my stomach through my skin like a football. My insides sound like the Titanic as it was sinking under water- groaning, grumbling, and bubbling with madness. When I drink, the area stokes up a fire. I get relief by taking shallow slow breaths and slightly leaning my top half over a stack of pillows stacked on the top of my couch while standing. It help relieve some of the pressure. I have had my fair share of walking around, as I can’t stand to lay around; but my anti-gravity chair has also become my best friend.

I was on a morphine drip for the first three days I was in the hospital with little nausea and on the last day I was put on a small Dilaudid pill. I took the pain pills for the first two days after coming home, but yesterday I had none at all. Nausea doesn’t really perplex me unless I’m riding in the car, which is weird because prior to surgery I got nauseous a lot and just new I was going to suffer post surgery. I’m thankful for that 🙏. Now if only I could get comfortable at night so I could get some good rest!

Today marks day 8 for me (230lbs) and yesterday was the first day I needed little to no help getting around. This morning I’m able to get in and out of bed without wincing out in pain; however there is still a tight tugging to the left stomach area. The area doesn’t have a lot of feeling on the outside skin when touched. I still can’t bend down or over all the way, but that is improving and I’ve modified my bend into an unattractive open legged squat lol.

My question is- HOW NORMAL IS THIS??? I haven’t seen a lot of people on here struggling with pain after surgery and struggling is all I’ve done! Is this stabbing pain and limited mobility normal???

[browneyez42 280]

My surgery was April 25 and the only pain I've experienced was gas. If your pain persists, I suggest contacting your surgeon. Are you able to get in your Protein with all that pain?

[Sadiebug 206]

I did have a lot of pain for the first week. And sleeping was very challenging for about 3 weeks because I typically sleep on stomach or sides. I had one incision that was quite painful for probably 7-8 days and I took my pain meds off and on for close to 2 weeks before finally stopping entirely. Absolutely call your doctor if you are worried about any pain but remember you just had major surgery so it is going to take time to heal. Some people have very little pain but some have quite a bit - it just varies. Walking, a heating pad and time helped me the most. And I for sure had the gurgling and churning and strange noises but that finally settled down about 2 weeks out when I got in a more regular routine of eating, drinking and pooping. Hang in there and you should see a big improvement in a few days!

[Frustr8 7,886]

Goody a heating pad is what I was going to suggest. Alternately try one of those super-cold Patches a temporarily freeze those muscles in that area. Might be worth a try!

[Sdc04c 2]

I have tried the heating pad while I’m in bed and a cold compress while laying in my chair on the patio. Neither were much help, but hopefully time will do the trick.

[SassyScienceNerd 213]

I had sharp left side pain for 6-8 months after the surgery. I'm a little over a year out and it's totally gone now.

[time_2_shine 5]

Hey guys, I’m new to this site and after snooping around for answers I decided it was time to join.
So I had the GS on April 26th. Day one (242 lbs) was no different than day five- I hurt. I have had a stabbing pain near my left incision. A pain that feels like a hot knife is stabbing me in the gut. It hurt so badly to sit on the toilet or in a chair, and the getting up part was the worst. I couldn’t pull my pants up or hardly wipe my rear with tissue without crying out in pain. My husband had to help me out of bed and into bed and forget getting in and out of the car. sleeping is pretty miserable as I’m a left side sleeper, and all I can do is sleep on my back proped up with pillows. Sneezing, coughing, or hiccuping is out of the question as it makes me feel like someone is kicking my stomach through my skin like a football. My insides sound like the Titanic as it was sinking under water- groaning, grumbling, and bubbling with madness. When I drink, the area stokes up a fire. I get relief by taking shallow slow breaths and slightly leaning my top half over a stack of pillows stacked on the top of my couch while standing. It help relieve some of the pressure. I have had my fair share of walking around, as I can’t stand to lay around; but my anti-gravity chair has also become my best friend.
I was on a morphine drip for the first three days I was in the hospital with little nausea and on the last day I was put on a small Dilaudid pill. I took the pain pills for the first two days after coming home, but yesterday I had none at all. Nausea doesn’t really perplex me unless I’m riding in the car, which is weird because prior to surgery I got nauseous a lot and just new I was going to suffer post surgery. I’m thankful for that . Now if only I could get comfortable at night so I could get some good rest!
Today marks day 8 for me (230lbs) and yesterday was the first day I needed little to no help getting around. This morning I’m able to get in and out of bed without wincing out in pain; however there is still a tight tugging to the left stomach area. The area doesn’t have a lot of feeling on the outside skin when touched. I still can’t bend down or over all the way, but that is improving and I’ve modified my bend into an unattractive open legged squat lol.
My question is- HOW NORMAL IS THIS??? I haven’t seen a lot of people on here struggling with pain after surgery and struggling is all I’ve done! Is this stabbing pain and limited mobility normal???

Hi there,

I am so sorry that you are having such a painful experience

I had my surgery on April 5th & I too struggled with extreme pain (exactly as you describe!) & wondered what was wrong with me, as it appeared everyone else had little to none.

I was so worried that I ended up having a battery of tests all to find that everything was fine. So from there I had no choice but to accept that for me, this is how it was going to be.

The pain started to get better, but then the next hurdle was changing to Purée stage. That was also a nightmare (& still isn’t where it should be). So I’ve stopped trying to make changes by the book & am doing things when my body feels ok to try.

If you feel that something isn’t right, please follow up with your medical team. But please know that for some, this is normal & it will start to improve at a rate that is right fo you.

Wishing you all the best

[sideeye 1,440]

The stabbing feeling sound like it's the deep incision where they removed the stomach. It does hurt for a good 10 days or so, at least it did for me. I wore an abdominal binder which helped; people mentioned holding a pillow across your torso but that did less than nothing for me. Sneezing was the WORST. I'm a stomach sleeper and ended up buying two firm king pillows to put on either side of me at night to keep me on my back.

It does improve, but yeah, it does hurt. I never feel it at all now.

[mjcclkwd 27]

I have burning on my left side when I eat or drink. It is above my far left incision which is my most bothersome one. I am not sure if it is still gas or the stomach or the incision. My surgery was 4/18. I am also having issues transitioning to puréed foods and trying to get my Water in. Any one else?

[UKHEIDI 22]

Hi

I had gastric sleeve 4 years ago and didn’t have pain you are experiencing

however, because of GERD, had revision to bypass . Then everything you describe was my painful experience

like others had all sorts of tests when still there at week 4 which revealed nothing. At week 6 , I moved awkwardly and something ripped. I was in agony for 2 days . Then 2 days after that, all pain resolved

met with surgeon and he told me that he had double stitched the muscle as he was concerned about hernia risk.

Its worth getting checked out but if they find nothing , then it is part of healing process

hope you get better soon