Left shoulder pain. Considering band removal. If you've done the same, did you get relief?

I've been having pain in my left shoulder for some time. At least 2 years but it was always off and on and bearable but got really bad over the last 6 months. FINALLY went to the doc which turned into X-rays and a trip to the orthopedic. He said probably tendinitis, gave me a cortisone shot (which didn't help at all) and sent me to do PT. Physical Therapist is stumped because my range of motion is good and some symptoms just aren't adding up to tendinitis or an injury.  He wants me to get an MRI. 

I started keeping a journal about the pain and noticed it usually starts after I eat lunch and is worst in the evening. Never even occurred to me it could be band related - thank you Google. 

If you've had this problem, what happened after you had your band removed? Any tips on ways to minimize the pain in the interim? 

I have an appointment w/ my band doc on 2/4. Thinking about getting it removed. Dreading another surgery and researching a revision but the sleeve is the only thing that appeals to me and I'm not sure if I want to go that route. (Would love to hear from some revision people) 

I had a complete unfill in Dec 2013 because I was having really bad upper abdominal pain due to Aerophagia. Swallowing too much air that was getting trapped in my GI tract because of the band - similar pain to diverticulitis. Took about a million dr visits, tests,  etc over the course of a year to finally figure out what was going on. No more pain after the unfill. 

My heartburn is still out of control though. 

I think I'm just finally fed up and done with this whole band mess. Dr visits, tests, co-pays, etc. The complications are just more than I bargained for. And I'm still a fat ass!   Hoping people these days are making a more informed choice.

Banded Aug 2007. 310lbs > 160lbs > 240lbs current 

YES! and YES! :)

I had my band for 3.5 yrs. I had food poisoning and developed reflux on water, Gastritis, and severe shoulder pain. And wasn't able to go above 7cc in my 14 cc band after that .

I eventually lost range of motion with my left arm. I Googled LB+ left shoulder pain and lo and behold found Nicci Martin on this Forum who had also suffered.

Unfortunately, I had a Surgeon that Ignored all my pain and symptoms. However i took matters into my own hands and ADVOCATED to have my band removed. The reason I did this was because

#1 Allergan states shoulder pain as an severe adverse complication to the band. I called ;) them

#2 I too thought Ok maybe I have a rotator cuff injury, Saw the orthopedist and had a steroid infection even though he found No reason for the pain.DIDN'T HELP.

#3 Suffered with  pain that felt like I was being stabbed (  In tears, due to the  pain), then it would burn and eventually subside. But would reoccur at any given time.

#4 "played" the game" with my Surgeon and had all the tests he insisted on shoulder Xray, EGD, CT scan with contrast. almost had an MRI but my PC wouldn't sign off on it ;)

BUT My surgeon kept telling me "Everything is FINE"

FINALLY After showing My surgeon the Allergan information I DEMANDED my band be removed, because  I KNEW at that point it HAD to have slipped due to the Food poisoning ;)

SO almost 4 yrs to the day after having the Band placed, I told My surgeon either YOU remove it or I'll find someone who will!!

 Band removed, SLIP confirmed, and PAIN was gone as soon as band was removed ;) Range of motion took a few weeks to return but it's been a year now and I'm THRILLED to say I"M BAND FREE!! and Pain Free!!!!

Not personally, but I totally agree with Annie. This could very well be band related. Left shoulder pain can be symptomatic of damage to / pressure on the vagus nerve and when allied with bad heartburn, this rings every alarm bell.

Glad you have an appt with your bariatric doctor.  Revision to the sleeve seems to be the way many people on OH go. And all that post on here seem very happy with their choice. I do, however, know two people who moved from band to sleeve for whom it is been a very bad experience. But no surgery is perfect and they are the only two I personally know of. 

Go on the VSG forum and ask there. 

Sorry to hijack the post but was just wondering with your two friends that went from band to sleeve, what kind of bad experiences they had?

Lynda

Both had their revisions over two years ago. One just had a very slow recovery, it was well over six months before she could eat the amounts of food recommended. Food made her nauseous and eating was very uncomfortable. Bad reflux has been mostly controlled by medication but still sometimes gets really bad. 

The other had a much worse time and has accepted the verdict of both her doctor whom she trusts and a second opinion doctor that this is basically her life now. From the very beginning and still now at over two years post-op, she is constantly, fiercely, unpleasantly hungry. But eating makes her sick. So she has to fight to eat, whilst desperately wanting to eat. For the first few months she thought it woukd improve. But it didn't.  So she feels hunger, needs to eat but food is like an unpleasant medicine which she has no choice but to take.

She is a very positive person but occasionally gets overwhelmed by the sheer life-affecting difficulty of living with her sleeve. Ironically, she is a first class cook who loved, while banded, producing healthy foid and inventing recipes. 

Wow thanks for sharing that Kate.  Did the first friend have reflux before the sleeve?  With the second, do they know why she has such a problem with food and why she still feels so hungry when the part that is supposed to control the hunger hormone has been removed?  Sorry, I am just trying to find out all I can before I go ahead with one of these procedures myself.

neirher had reflux during their time with the band BUT both developed it when theur bands started to cause problems. They had therefore hoped removing the band would stop it as it was not something which they had previously.

It is my understanding that although the majority stop feeling hunger, not all sleeved people do. For some reason this lady's hunger has not only not gone away, it has got dramaticslly worse. Her doctor told her (both doctors, in fact and she has researched and found others supporting this) that for a few people, the skeeve just has thus effect. There us nothing wrong as such with the operation. 

But the vast majority of sleeved people posting in OH seem to be happy. 

Are you moving from band to skeeve? 

I have an op scheduled Feb 10 but don't know what I am having yet.  I had my band removed three months ago and the doc said there was quite a bit of scar tissue and lesions.  He said he wouldn't know how that healed until he goes back in to do the operation and said that he may not be able to do the sleeve and it might have to be a RNY.  I don't know how I feel about that, so finding out all info I can on both.  I might not have a choice in the end.  I was always really wanting the sleeve but a few things I have read make me lean towards the RNY but I have seen some stuff about that too that frighten me.

Seems to me that all Wls is terrifying when you read the horror stories! But when you see all the people who have succeeded you realise the horror stories are just the ones that make the news! 

TBH if I ever have to lose my band, I can't imagine I wouid have another surgery. I do know all the band problems and I really do understand some continue even after removal. And I do get that for some oeople like Nic these are permanent. And, yes, it is easy for me to say when I haven't had their problems! But for the majority of people, the band *can* be removed and the problems necessitating removal *are*sorted by that removal. The other surgeries feel to me just too drastic. 

But that is very much my personal feeling. Almost everyone *****vises to another surgery seems to not regret it. 

My very best wishes to you. The statistics for revision are on your side 

I had my band removed due to tremendous left shoulder pain back in 2005. I just had a bout of left shoulder pain this morning because I also developed gastritis, hiatal hernia, diverticulitis, yada yada during my time banded. BUT, it's a heck of a lot less painful than it was when the band was in my body. And, the big difference is that it goes away after a bit. When I was banded it never, ever went away. I also underwent the cortisone shots in my shoulder... did nothing, of course, as you know. No pain medication relieved the left shoulder pain for me. 

Get the band out as soon as possible before it gets worse. That's my advice. Good luck to you. I understand what you're saying very well!