Question:
I have severe pain under my right breast. It starts about 1 1/2inches away

from the center of the top of my incision. I had my gall bladder removed at the same time as my open rny. The pain started 3 1/2weeks after surgery. It feels like someone has stabbed me in the ribs and keeps twisting. It hurts to bend, twist, lay in bed, and walk up stairs. The only relief is sitting. My surgeon said it is muscle spasms caused from the rib retracters. She told me to walk. That make me hurt worse. The best time is in the morning. As the day goes on the pain gets worse. It was so bad that the week after seeing my surgeon i went to see my family doctor. I told him I thought my rib was broke. He said he could xray me but thought the same thing as my surgeon. Could there be a torn ligament or something else? Sometimes it hurts all the way from the front around the side to the back of my ribs. When the first started I was laying on my back and twisted over to reach something on the left side of the bed. I felt a pop and severe pain. I looked to see if i had bursted open. Has anyone else experience this kind of pain and how long did it last?    — obsessivekompulsive (posted on December 23, 2002)

December 23, 2002
YES.........my was under my left breast and it hurt sooooo bad....than after about 1-2 weeks it just stopped...there is nothing you can do...its from the retrators they use to hold you open during surgery. Dont worry....i feel that all the pain i had indured was well worth it....im 5 weeks out and 30 lbs lighter!
   — sandrac131

December 23, 2002
My left side did not stop hurting until 6 weeks post-op. I had a pillow for my back and a heating pad for my stomach with me at my desk at work. I slept with the heating pad on my stomach at night too.
   — Wanda R.

December 24, 2002
I had a pain in my right side that started about 10 days after my surgery. It lasted all day but was better the next morning. I used heating pads and rest. I thought it was a blockage and tried some apple juice to clear it. Apple juice caused me to have a BM in the hospital on the day I was due to go home. I am now thinking it was a pulled muscle from getting into the car on the passenger side. I usually use the drivers side so I think I stretched muscles I don't usually use. It sounds like you did someting similar, only to a greater degree. Good luck.
   — Pam R.

December 24, 2002
I forgot to add this has been going on for 3 weeks now. I work for a major retail chain at the refund counter. We have no desks jobs and it will be my busiest time of the year, if I could go back. I would be fired if I had to go back to work now. My 6 weeks are up day after Christmas. I have to hold my ribs for any movement.
   — obsessivekompulsive

December 24, 2002
I am 2 weeks post op and I went to the emergency room this evening for the same thing and they said i have pluracy (I think thats how you spell it) Anyways, they said it is common after any type of surgery and that it is fluid around your lungs and when you breathe it has nowhere to go so it causes pain???
   — Karen W.

December 24, 2002
I'm a little over a week post-op and I have the same pain except it's on my left side and I was done LAP. I don't think laps get rib seperators so I don't know what mine's all about, but I was darn near in tears during xmas mass today. I sure hope it goes away - I'll be calling my surgeon on Thursday.
   — Toni C.