Pain

Hey all, I am 8 months post surgery, everything I have gone thru seems to be fairly typical outside of a VERY weak left shoulder since surgery...surgeon can't figure that one out. Ultrasound done - showed nothing. MRI coming in August for that. Anyway - 91 lbs down, not regretting anything at all.

Periodically I get some pretty harsh pains on my left side just below the bottom rib on the rib cage - it's almost like a cramp that comes and goes - seems to be after I drink liquid. All will feel fine, then I'll sit back with a glass of water and the nasty pains start after a few sips. Lasts about an hour.

Anyone else experience this?

My surgeon says if you have any bad pains or pains that come in waves, you should go to the ER as it could be a blockage.

I am sorry you are experiencing pain and it's good that you have spoken to your surgeon about it. I had some random sharp pains in about the same area you are describing and after discussing with my surgeon and having an ultrasound (that didn't uncover anything) our best "guess" was trapped gas. I keep anti-gas tablets with me and if I feel the pain I chew one of them and it seems to feel better. Hope you can find the cause of your pain.

Thanks - I suspect that may be what it is, altho it doesn't seem like an area to hold gas being so far to the left, but a gas pill does seem to relieve it after an hour or so. Last night I also seem to alleviate the pain by laying down on my stomach on the floor.

Just thought I would post up here to see if maybe others had discovered an ugly alien ready to burst from within...with it being Christmas and all, thought I'd better be prepared for another dinner guest. ;-)

Are you a side sleeper?

Yes I am

I had a lot of shoulder pain 3-4 months out. Like injury pain. Trainer said it's likely from sleeping on my side.

If if you think about it we lost a lot of weight from our waist and hips. All that padding took some of the load off our shoulder as we sleep on our sides. Take the padding away and now the shoulder has a lot more stress on it.

I sleep on my back much more now as the weight loss has improved my breathing.

Im not saying this is definitely your issue but it could be.

My shoulder pain started immediately after surgery - both shoulders - part was the air/gas escaping, but much of it has been tingling/nerve issues, for the most part tingling is almost gone, but left shoulder is so weak I cannot even lift a glass of water if my arm is in a certain position. I have normal strength lifting if my arm is down, but if I have to lift something from the top (imagine a large box, and you have to reach into it to pull something up and out...I CANNOT do it...it is everything I have just to lift the weight of my arm all by itself. Strange - surgeon says he's never run into that before...but I never had ANY issues with it prior to surgery. I do seem to sleep on my back more now - like you say, lost some padding so more comfortable on my back.

That definitely does not sound like the issue I had. That it became evident immediately after your surgery seems peculiar to say the least.

Why so long for the MRI?

Welcome to the Canadian Health Care system...if it is an emergency, or if the doc thinks perhaps cancer or some other pressing diagnosis, you get in pretty quickly - but for routine testing...its months. My doc put me on the list for a colonoscopy when I was 50...didn't get it till I was 52. I am not complaining - merely stating fact. Even with the waits, we still have it pretty darn good up here.