shoulder pain after lap band related to diaphragm?

I think shoulder pain is related to phrenic nerve irritation. That nerve supplies the diaphragm which sits just above the stomach. When this nerve is irritated (from stomach surgery, eating too much or too fast, bleeding in the belly, etc) the pain can be "referred" to the shoulder. If this pain is constant (or "chronic"), it may be temporary (after recent surgery) or the nerve may be trapped (as with slippage or misplacement of a lapband). You should definitely notify your surgeon!
In my case, I get it when I eat too much or too fast (after gastric sleeve surgery) so I can avoid it by eating small portions (duh!!) or eating slower (duh!).

Last night I was shopping for shoes. I bent over to tie a pair. As I stood up, I got a stabbing pain in my left shoulder... AGAIN. Then I got all sweaty and lightheaded. AGAIN.  The pain got worse and worse, so I came home. Then I started sneezing and my left shoulder felt like I was being stabbed. AGAIN. It's been about 8 years since band removal. And the damage to my diaphragm and Vagus nerves is STILL not healed. 

I'm bumping up this old thread because there are people going through the same thing and they need to see they are not alone in it. The Lap Band sucks and I regret ever having it done. 

Hello there from Australia.  I had the lap band ten years ago but due to my stomach becoming enlarged and ongoing heartburn my surgeon and I decided to do revision surgery.  Since the revision surgery I have slowly, at each input of saline, experienced severe, drop to the floor pain, in my left shoulder.  It is associated with eating, gas, and upon waking in the morning.  The pain starts in the shoulder and shoots up my neck and sometimes as far as into my ear when it is severe.  I have tried heat packs, slight assistance, eating slowly, no assistance and liquids with very limited results.  I have now had most of the saline removed but still experience the pain to a lesser degree.   It has now been 2.5 months since my revision surgery.   I was thinking the pain was coming from the permanent stitch placed during the surgery but reading the posts note that it could be damage to the diaphram.  I would like to know if anyone else has had the same severe pain and has a final resolution.