left shoulder pain

 Had Lap band procedure Wed 3/2.  No I am not a Whiney baby and yes I expected discomfort..but these stories of some one returning to work in 2 days has got to be a fantasy!  

I have extreme left shoulder pain.   I have walked, I have heated and I have tried to not be dehydrated,  have slept in a lounge chair,  but it keeps coming back.  Is this normal?

also having great difficulty eating anything more than water...cant take down more than one or two sips of  protein shake or soup etc.

shoulder pain can mean many things.  for me it meant that my band had eroded into my stomach and had to be removed.  ( i feel great and do not miss the band at all so far).  IT DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THIS FOR EVERYONE, SO DO NOT FREAK OUT!  follow the orders your doc gave you and be very open with her/him regarding how you feel.  my erosions went undetected even after an ultrasound, 2 upper gis, and an xray. it wasn't until they did an endoscopy.  i had a wonderful surgeon who was very proactive about this. 

Hi there - More than likely, it's trapped gas that is causing the pain in your left shoulder.  The left shoulder seems to be a common area that the pain centers around after having the Lap Band.  I do believe it is normal.  Walk!  As much as you can, because that gets the gas moving.  I had the LapBand on Feb 23, and the walking really seemed to help move the gas out. 

I also had a hard time staying hydrated, and also not being able to get much full liquid in.  I'm 12 days out, and am feeling my first hunger pains now.  Just follow your docs instructions, and if the pain gets worse or just isn't getting better, call your doc. 

I am having a hard time with the tiredness!  Just getting a shower wears me out!  But I'm only taking one nap a day now, instead of 2 or 3, so its getting better.

Good luck on your journey!  I wish you well!

Diana

 Shoulder pain sounds consistant wth trapped gas like Diana said. I was only able to drink 2 protein drinks a day at begining. Just keep drinking so you don't get dehydrated and keep walking theat gets the gas moving.
Good Luck and feel better.
wendy

Hi there,
Had my Lab band on 2/18 and I also was in pain,but i tried GasX strip i did eat alot of them,but it helped.Even though i was in pain for almost 2 weeks and finaly it went away.My doctor said it's
normal some people it takes 2 days some up to 2 weeks,So just hang in there it gets better.I have alot of energy after surgery and loving every minute of it.
Good Luck

As some of the others have said, for some reason after this surgery the trapped gas goes to the shoulder. A heating pad is the only thing that really helped me. It'll get better as the days go on. Good luck.

I'm very sorry to hear this. Referred left shoulder pain seems to be a common side effect of the lapband. I had disabling left shoulder pain the whole time I was banded... morning, noon and night. In my case, it was due to diaphragmatic damage incurred during band surgery. In your case, it most likely is due to your recent surgery and the CO2 gas used during laparoscopic surgery and hopefully it will disappear very soon. However, if it DOESN'T go away, please get checked immediately.


I hope your pain goes way soon. I feel for you. I really do think that chances are good you'll feel much better in a day or two, but if you don't, definitely alert your surgeon. Sending you well wishes.
 

Thanks everyone for the replies!  Of course I will hang in there, just nice to hear from others that I am not totally weird.