Update: Chest pain after TT? It was Gallstones!

Any of you ever experience chest pain & difficulty breathing after your plastic surgery?  Today is day 10 post-op after my TT.  All was going fine.  Very little pain or discomfort since day 5 when I stopped taking my Vicodin.  I ventured out for 2nd day in a row to my mother-in-law's house, where I basically just lounged around watching TV.  I drove home, and when I got here, all of a sudden my chest started hurting horribly and I found it VERY difficult to breathe....it felt like someone was standing on my chest.  The first thing I thought was heart attack, so I chewed an aspirin and took a Vicodin, then went and laid down to try to relax.  It took about an hour for the pain in my chest to go away.  This started 3 hours ago, and now I feel better.

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar to this.  Ideas?  What do the muscle spasms I was taking the Valium feel like?  Surely I wouldn't be having spasms in my chest?

Update 6/30/09:  I had a gallbladder sonogram today and they found gallstones & "sludge" in my gallbladder; not sure as of right now if I will need to have it removed or just take medication for the stones.  From what I understand, rapid weight loss can trigger gallstones.  Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know what the cause was, just in case anyone else has similar symptoms down the line!

Hi Ronna
I have issues off and on with GERD and have similar chest pains at times. I am on Protonix and as long as I take it consistently it rarey every happens. Thing is every once in a while I feel all cured and come off it and that is when the pain/discomfort starts.
Just to be safe you may want to call the surgeon and let them know.

Yeah, I plan to call the surgeon tomorrow to report this, unless it returns tonight, in which case I WILL be going to the ER.  I used to have GERD, but my lapband surgeon fixed the hiatal hernia that was causing it.  No problems since then, and today's pain felt completely different.  However, anything is possible, and I hadn't thought of GERD, so thanks for your input!

Hey Ronna,

I would call my plastic surgeon.  I personally haven't had this problem. It could be you driving or doing to much to soon.  But I would definitely call your surgeon to at least find out what is going on.

Praying that you are doing okay.

Jasmine

I just wanted to let you know that I had GERD before RNY, my doc said it would go away but it can always come back.  Guess what?  It did!  I also take protonix everyday, if I don't, I get severe chest pain.

However, I would definately talk with your surgeon about this.

Same here.  Severe chest pains with GERD.  I can usually take a Nexium and feel better.  Mine came back about 2 years after my RNY.  You may want to talk to your Doctor about it...

What about GALLSTONES?  A couple of my friends on Facebook said they had almost identical chest pain when they had gallstones.  I'll be calling my doctor this morning to see what he thinks.

Hey Ronna,

I had the exact same problem after my upper body lift in January. 

At first I thought it was b/c of the pain meds, b/c narcotic pain meds can have reflux type side affects and I was on them for about 10 days.  Lots of lipo caused lots of pain!!!

Then the pain continued after I stopped taking the pain meds, so I went the GI, he though it was GERD, so tried several acid blockers like prilosec and nothing helped.  So he scoped me in March, he believed that I am suffering from Bile Refulx, not Acid, so I take a medicine that blocks bile and it works very well.   The problem is, the medicine is a pain in rear to take b/c of timing of when you need to take it and it blocks absorption, so I have to be careful not to take it to close to other meds.  I took it too close to my birth control this month and it threw my cycle off ( I know TMI)

So I went to my RNY surgeon and he sent me for a battery of tests.  Nope, no gall stones, but yes, an enlarged gallbladder.  BUT, thats not enough reason to take it out, so now I had to do another test and now I wait to hear back from my surgeon to see whats wrong.

Ok, sorry super long post, to bottom line say, call your WLS dr and a GI, b/c hard to tell what is causing this.

Good luck!!!!

Thanks Ilyssa!  I have a call into my WLS.  His PA called me today and asked me several questions and is waiting to talk to my WLS after his surgeries this morning.  He said it could be my gallbladder or even my hiatal hernia (which they fixed during my lapband surgery) and/or issues with my band.  More than likely, I will be sent for a gallbladder scan and a barium swallow to check out my band and hernia.  I sure do appreciate you sharing your experience with me!

Thanks!