SHoulder pain after lap/nissen, STILL, help?

I am curious, It's been one week and one day since my lap/nissen with hiatal hernia. It's been a nightmare but that's another story. The pain in my left shoulder is KILLING me. Me and the doc. has assumed that the pain was still gas pain, but should have been long gone by now. I can't help but wonder what the heck this pain is from. I have NEVER EVER had a pain in my shoulder in my life, I can hardly lift my shoulder since surgery. My right side is perfect. It feels like a dager is being twisted when I cough or sneeze, but just sitting there, it a dull, nagging pain about a 2, when I cough, pain jumps up to an 8 for about 2 seconds.  ANy advice or comments are certainly welcomed and thank you.

I had the esophyx procedure done for GERD and had shoulder pain for 2 weeks post op.  My Dr. said that irritation of the diaphragm during surgery was the cause of shoulder pain. What I did, which helped me, was to lie on the floor on top of a tennis ball, making sure to put the tennis ball where my shoulder hurt.  I pressed gently on this area, thereby relieving the muscle tension caused by the pain.  I experienced dramatic relief. I didnt ask my Dr. for "permission" to do this.

Oooops, made a boo-boo, I didn't give myself the cortisone shots the orthopedic doctor did on my shoulder bone.  I should re-read my post before I sent it...Barbara....

Karen:  I was just like you, no pain at all before the surgery.  Then after the surgery I noticed lots of pain and it was all on my left side.  I really thought that perhaps they had damaged me.  I waited out the pain but it never got better.  I never had any neck pain at all nor did I have pain if I sneezed, coughed like you mention.  I just had this dull excruciating pain that wouldn't go away (and I can't say enough how excruciating it truly was) as I couldn't hardly even raise my left arm.  Is there any way you could get it checked out?  Since you are 9 days post op, you should have a follow up visit with your surgeon.  The orthopedic doctor said it was a coincidence which I think is weird so close to my surgery.  The cortisone shots did help but I still am not 100% better, maybe 60% because it still hurts sometime but not like it used to and I can lift my arm now.  One thing I almost forgot to mention that I had lots of brain fog after my surgery and it lasted quite a long time.  Have you experienced any brainfog?  You did mention that you had a hard time, a nightmare....let us know and perhaps we can compare notes but we have to remember that everyone is different and heals differently.  I am sure you have read the previous posts and I did compare lots of notes with HappilyWrapped, as we are only 1 week apart on our surgeries.  It really helped me alot since we are very similar in ages.  I do remember at 9 days post op I was very weak from lack of nourishment.   

The road to recovery from this surgery can be very bumpy and it isn't easy.  Unfortunately, it takes time and one needs to be patient which isn't easy.  I did have a hiatal hernia repair as mine was about the size of a quarter.  Luckily, I didn't have the Barrett's esophagus you mentioned.  I am getting better but like I always say it has been very slow for me.  I will be totally honest and if you have read my earlier posts I always mention that it has been hard for me to get better because I have a 14 year old daughter who is rude, disrespectful, and to put it bluntly quite obnoxious.  I love her dearly but she is difficult to deal with as I am trying to heal from my surgery ordeal.  For example, today I was just fine and my chest pain was to a bare minimum then I was hit by a tornado (my daughter).  She was upset because she wasn't able to go to a carnival with her little friends because she was being punished for smart mouthing me and using foul language on me.  I did stick to my guns and didn't let her go and she hammered me relentlessly but I didn't cave it and she did not go.  But it sure did cost me.  Having to deal with her shenanigans gave me so much chest pain, I felt as if I had taken 10 steps back.  Her father took over and relieved the situation but she is at an age when they are very selfish.  She even gets mad when I get the chest pain and says "you should be better by now" or "it's taking too long to get better."  The episode happened about 3 hours ago and I am barely starting to feel better.  In other words, if you have lots of stress in your life getting over this surgery can be rough.  I just hope that when I go back to my teaching job in August, I will be able to handle those teenagers.  I don't mean to air out my dirty laundry but the point I am trying to make is that it is hard to recover when one has so much stress.  I truly think that all of this stress has slowed my recovery.  Let me know if I can answer any of your questions.  Barbara...

Karen:  I am so glad to hear you are getting some relief with your shoulder pain.  Since you don't think it was the gas they pumped, it may have just be a coincidence.  Let us know how you are doing...Good luck...Barbara...

I am 1 week post op. My problem was a cough. The surgery went well, no pain. I have found that if I eat more than 1 cup at a time I feel bloated and my back aches. The ache is not bad, but if I only eat 1 cup every 2 - 3 hours I have no problem. I had my surgery on a Thursday and was back at work on Tuesday. I could have been on Monday but didn't want to push it. My Dr. told me to start on soft foods the day after surgery. I have found that oatmeal fills me up best, I just make sure it is not real thick. My Dr. also told me I could drive starting Monday. So far so good. Just be patient and eat small amounts.

I started you a thread of your own.  Look for the topic

Sharp shoulder pain by New Member chalwe 

Thanks

Kitt

Post Edited By Moderator (stkitt) : 8/29/2009 8:16:23 AM (GMT-6)

I have had some left shoulder pain, some neck pain and some in the central chest area. They told me I could have scar tissue .
But I had a repeat lap nissen because the first one slipped. Any comments?

Hi Librarybunny,

Welcome to the Healing Well Wrapped Club! I know how bad the shoulder pain can be.  The night nurse at the hospital clued me in on the importance of walking post op, and I soon found that the more I walked, the less my shoulder hurt, and visa versa. Give walking a try.  The more you can walk, the better (within reason, of course).

The shoulder pain is from a combination of residual gas (they pump you full of air so they can see what they're doing in there during surgery) and irritation to the diaphragm.  Give the walking a try.  If you're like most people, it'll help.  That pain fades over time, but really, it can nag you for quite a while at a much lower pain level.  Walk, walk, walk...you'll be glad you did.

Swallowing is dicey for quite a while, and at 6 days out, you're at the worst part of the healing process.  My surgeon warned me that during the first two weeks my wrap would become increasingly swollen, and my swallowing would get worse before it got better.  Peak swelling hits anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks, then gradually recedes and things begin to improve.

If you're having trouble, try backing off on your eating...either go back to liquids, or be absolutely sure you're chew, chew, chewing your food until it's a complete liquid/creamy consistency. 

Here's a link to my early recovery journal.  It might give you some information that is helpful:

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=2183443

I suggest you start a new thread on the main page.  Introduce yourself, and you can even copy and paste your post below.  People will be able to find your questions more easily.  Be sure to write a topic title...maybe Post Nissen Questions would be a good one.  Whatever you'd like to call it.  Here's the link to the main page: GERD - Heartburn

Hang in there!  It gets better...

Happy healing!

Denise