Post surgery pain!

[Justagirl77]

So I’m feeling a lot of pain when I breath in and out in my upper
Left side! Is this normal? I have taken three walks already and
Doesn’t really help! Ate a popsicle but getting water down
Is super hard and painful! Any tips would be extremely
Helpful!

[sraebaer]

Talk to your doctor. We are not doctors, so it's hard to say what's normal and what is not. We all have a different pain tolerance, I did not much pain at all.

For me my gas pain was in my upper side, and all you can do about that is walk. It went away in a day or 2. But by talking to your doctor you can get an idea if it is gas or something more serious.

Good luck!

[Luna354]

Ask your Dr or nurses. Keep walking. Sounds like gas.

[Sweetpea903]

It’s called “referred pain”. I had it as well. It WILL go away, but I know it’s
damn uncomfortable. Your pain meds SHOULD take care of it, but if not, be sure and talk to your doctor.

[Justagirl77]

Thank you everyone! Great advice!

[Sweetpea903]

It’s called “referred pain”. I had it as well. It WILL go away, but I know it’s
damn uncomfortable. Your pain meds SHOULD take care of it, but if not, be sure and talk to your doctor.

[Aussie Girl]

Gas pain - ask the nurses for a hot pack, worked well for me

[Beeza]

To do the laparoscopy procedure, they have to inflate the body cavity with gas. This is to give them room to work and see what they're doing with the camera. The gas can be either nitrogen or carbon dioxide. Part of the gas gets absorbed by the body and can seep into the joints causing pain and discomfort. Mine went to my left shoulder. It will lapse in a day or two.

This is what a diver feels when they get "the bends".

[Christie13]

So this is what I found online.....bottom line there is some normal but it should be reported to your surgeon to be sure!

Chest Pain After Gastric Sleeve Surgery

Orthostatic pneumonia is one of the causes of chest pain immediately after gastric sleeve surgery. This often results from a prolonged stay in bed. Prolong recumbent position leads to stasis of fluid in the lungs, thus creating an enabling environment for the growth and multiplication of bacteria. The symptoms include chest pain, cough, difficulty with breathing, fever, etc. A plain chest radiograph will confirm the diagnosis. Treatment is with appropriate antibiotics based on microbiological analysis of the sputum. Early ambulation and incentive spirometry are the defensive options.

Another type of chest pain in patients who have had gastric sleeve surgery is heartburn. This is a burning sensation that is felt behind the breastbone. It is worse in a recumbent position. Heartburn in this group of patients is caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This is a condition characterized by reflux of the acidic contents of the stomach into the lower part of the esophagus leading to irritation and erosion of the more moderate esophageal wall as the lining of the esophagus is not adapted for an acidic environment.

Although some obese individuals have this heartburn before surgery, gastric sleeve surgery can have variable effects. While some may have a reduction in the severity of their symptoms, others may have it worsened while those that never experienced heartburn before surgery may develop it after surgery.

Many explanations have been put forward as the cause of GERD in obese people and after gastric sleeve surgery. These include a hiatal hernia, relaxation of the esophageal sphincter, elevated intra-gastric pressure, damage to the esophageal sphincter during operation, etc.

Related: Gastric Sleeve Surgery Side Effects

Treatment is with antacids and reducing gastric acid secretion with the use of proton pump inhibitors. Elevating the head of the bed while lying down may minimize the frequency of the symptoms. A gastric sleeve revision surgery may, however, be indicated if all these conservative methods failed.

Postoperative chest or abdominal pain is not uncommon after gastric sleeve surgery for the treatment of obesity. While some of them may be due to inadequate analgesia after the surgery and quickly treated with increased analgesic dosages, others may be a pointer to postoperative complications, some of which may be life-threatening if not promptly diagnosed and treated.

It is, therefore, necessary to report any abdominal or chest pain after gastric sleeve surgery to your surgeon for proper evaluation and possible treatment.

[ItsMyTurn]

Sorry you are so uncomfortable! Speak to your doctor or nurses. I had pain exactly where you are describing yours is.
I was told it was gas pain. I have had multiple abdominal surgeries over the past 15-20 years and knew exactly what that felt like. This was different. My surgeon told me the aches/discomfort was my diaphragm. During surgery they are disrupting that area in your body and 'doing what they do'. This can cause some swelling. That was the case for me and after a few weeks it worked itself out & healed. I also had a very bad reaction to Chloraprep as well as the surgical glue that was used (had no idea I was allergic as these products were never used during previous surgeries). My poor body is still trying to figure out what the heck I've done to it! We are all different. Hang in there! It will get better.

[Justagirl77]

Thank you so much for the research you did Christie13 and thank you
Everyone else for all the info! I am doing a lot better today just trying to get fluids down
and I still have the gas pain,but I’m using heat and ice for it!

[Stacey03]

Hope you're feeling heaps better :-)

[HMaryn]

Glad you are feeling better! I had my surgery about 4 weeks ago and the gas pain definitely lasted a few days for me. Getting up and walking was tough, but definitely helps! In terms of getting liquids down - it took me about five days to figure out that I had a lot easier time with room temperature or warm liquids. I usually love ice cold water, but that was really hard on my tummy. I was really surprised by how well I was hitting my liquid goals by keeping my water and protein drinks out of the fridge and by sipping tea (caffeine free). Good luck!!

[Justagirl77]

Thank you!

[texasfella]

I was incredibly drugged up when my doctor explained that he had injected something that could cause pain in my upper left side, specifically my shoulder, and not to worry. I can't remember what it was. Fortunately that pain never came. You might be having the same side effect. Definitely check with your doc.

Today is the first day I can swallow without getting a spasm in my esophagus on the way down. Boy, those are painful. I find it helps to kind of hang your mouth open after taking your sip in case a bubble is fighting its way up.