5 Weeks Today Post Op - Severe Shoulder Pain

o glad to hear that you found the solution! :)

that must been so stressful...

cheers
agus

Good news re no shoulder pain!

Eating should get better.

This reminds me, I forgot both breakfast and lunch today.

Got to eat something now .....    :)

I took 25 minutes to eat my lunch today and besides feel overfull (on 5 teaspoons of food mind you)  I don't have the shoulder pain! Isn't it funny that food can cause shoulder pain like that - I would NEVER have thunked! I am actually hating eating at the moment - it feels like a chore rather than pleasure (which is why I got to the size I did I guess). Now for me there is just no pleasure in it! I know as I get used to my new way of life this will be better but for now - NOT A FAN

Yes, some old habits have to be broken, and replaced with new ones.

Pain and discomfort can be the biggest teacher ....

I hate pain, so I do what I need to do to avoid it.

Good luck with slowing down, smaller bites etc

One day it will become a habit for you.

Best Wishes    :)

Glad it is not a leak, Todds!

Good luck with everything!

For me, if I eat too fast and/or not chew well, I get reflux.

To eat slowly, I try to eat regularly so I don't get too hungry,and I use small bowl or bread plate, use a teaspoon and a tiny fork.
I also learnt to put the utensil down between bites, and my bites are tiny now.

Food gets cold by the time I finish it, however I'd rather have that than pain.
Also, the instructions for me are : 20-30 mins to finish a meal ....
The best I can do so far is 15 mins, sometimes 20 mins ....

Best wishes     :)

So can you believe it - I woke up yesterday morning to get ready to go to the doctor and said pain was gone????? I still went to the Doctor and explained what I had been going through - He was not thrilled. I did mention that it is worse after  having eaten, so he said he thinks I may be swallowing air (causing pain) when I eat as it is worse after a meal. He did give me an Xray form incase the pain comes back. He said if it was a leak I would have a temperature and be really unwell. He felt around my tummy and said everything felt fine and there was no tenderness. I do feel better for going (although I had pain after lunch and after dinner last night). I will slow down my eating and see if that helps. If not I will go for the Xray

Hi Todd,
that sounds weird, I am not an expert but from what I read so far my first thought was: maybe leak?
I am really surprised that your surgeon is treating such a bad pains so lightly, especially that there is vomiting as well!

Have they done barium swallow test to see whether there is no obstruction and no leak?
I would be demanding that!

I read about patients developing leak many weeks after the op.

I hope it is not a leak.

Please fight for tests, do not let doctor dismiss you. My surgeon told me that if there is a leak and I will not get help immediately but few days later - it will all look like a bomb went off in the abdomen.

Please keep posting
good luck
agus

Hey Todd,
Sorry you feel you are getting the run around!
Sounds like possibility of a leak?? Hope you have been seen now and something is being done or more investigations performed at least to rule out leak.
Let us know & good luck!
Linda

I wonder if amy of you have any thoughts/experience OTHER than Gas pain. I had my surgery 5 weeks ago today. I had the terrible gas pain across my back for the first 3 weeks. That has since gone. About three weeks ago I started getting a really sharp intense pain in my left shoulder. I have noticed that I wake up with it (sore but not intense) and i get it REALLY BADLY after I have eaten anything or had something to drink. It is SO painful and let me tell you I have a very high pain threshold - I only used my PCA three times in hospital (more for sleep than pain as that stuff knocked me out) 
 
I was admitted back to hospital in my 3rd week as I started vomiting and was dehydrated so I told the surgeon when he admitted me that I had this really intense pain in my shoulder - he kind of dismissed me saying we will keep an eye on it. 

A day after getting out of hospital I started vomiting again so went to see my doctor and mentioned the shoulder pain. He said Shoulder pain is usually deferred pain which NORMALLY comes from the Diaphragm. (Also to mention when I had the op I experienced EXTREME pain in the drain site when I tried to walk - lying down was no problem at all. I did mention it to the surgeon when I was in hospital after just having had the surgery and he said "Oh the Drain shouldn't cause you pain?" - Yeah well it did - and every now and then I still get a sharp pain there but not as bad or as often as in the first two weeks.)    

Has anyone had this? I don't believe it is gas but what else could it be? 

(I do have a doctors appointment tomorrow as I am sick of sitting at the surgeons office for up to two hours WITH AN APPOINTMENT and not getting to see him because he is so overbooked - I feel like now that I have had the op I am not his problem anymore.)