Question:
6 days post op: high, left side pain like a side stitch?
Anyone had pain under left breast, stretching around to the back, kinda high up...feels like a side stitch that doesn't go away? Started earlier today, and it's still here. My pain medicine doesn't touch it, and it's really bothering me all the time -- when I breath, when I move, etc. UGH. I had lap RNY 6 days ago with no problems. Have felt good until now. Will likely call surgeon's office in the morning if it's still there. Is it normal healing? Have I overdone it and need to rest more? Is it a drain tube on a nerve? (I have G tube and JP tube.) Thanks. — FrancieP (posted on May 4, 2004)
May 4, 2004
I can't be sure what your problem is but I can tell you that when that
happend to me it was gas. It started my 4th day out and lasted for 2
weeks!!! It was all I could do to move and breath. For a long time
everytime I took a deep breath it hurt like heck. After about 2 weeks it
got less and less and now I only get attacks of it once in a while.
Usually when I eat something with maltitol in it.
— Tami S.
May 4, 2004
I had the same pain you described about a week post op also...Found out it
was very very common..BUT we are not Doctors..check with your surgeon. Best
ofluck
— Kathy S.
May 4, 2004
I had that same pain but I believe mine was gas but just to be on the safe
sid give your surgeon a call hope you feel better
— JENNIFER S.
May 4, 2004
I was told that that spot was where much of the work is done. It is not
uncommon to feel that discomfort. If you are uneasy, give your Dr. a call.
— Fixnmyself
May 4, 2004
Francie, it really is best to call your doctor. My friend woke up with a
sharp pain on her left side high up. She tried a heating pad and pain meds,
nothing worked. Finally she called her doctor and he had her come in
"just in case" to the emergency room. Turned out it was a blood
clot in her lung, thank goodness she went in. Don't want to scare you but
it is always best to call your surgeon with anything unusual.
— Joan R.
May 5, 2004
Francie...don't want to scare you, as this pain may be related to the
surgery where the air is pumped into the abdomen so the surgeons can see
what they're doing. But, and this is the scary part...it DEFINITELY could
be a clot in the lung which is very serious. I am an x-ray technologist
and have had many patients with this type pain who had blood clots in the
lung. PLEASE CALL YOUR SURGEON IMMEDIATELY TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE. I pray
your tests will be negative and be related to the surgery, but in the case
it's not, it's better to be safe than sorry. Don't ever feel that you
would be bothering your surgeon to ask a question. Keep us informed.
— Katherine F.
May 5, 2004
I too had the same problem, only mine was on my right side. I asked my
doctor and said it was normal because of what our body went through in
surgery. I could not lay on my right side and it would hurt if I tried to
take a deep breath. Ask your doctor though to make sure.
— Demetra
May 5, 2004
Update....I called my surgeon's office the next day, and the nurse said
it's because of the drain tubes in my body -- that one is pressing on a
nerve. She said it's common, and you can feel it up in to your shoulder,
too. (Don't have that.) I had my barium swallow test today, and am
leak-free, so they should take my JP tube out tomorrow when I go into the
surgeon's office. I'll ask about an x-ray, too. Thanks for your responses.
— FrancieP
May 5, 2004
I don't know the difference between a G tube and a JP tube, but I went home
with a drain and had to live with it for a week before I went back to the
surgeon to have it removed. And, while I don't know what your current pain
is resulting from, and I certainly hope it is just normal healing and
nothing serious, wait until the doctor pulls out the drain! It felt like
my entire insides came out with that tube, which was about six inches long
inside of me! It hurt like hell for several hours. You definitely need to
rest, even with a lap. I had open RNY on 5/21/03, have lost 80 lbs. and
for the most part I am doing OK, but recovery is tough and I found the
first three months to be really difficult even though I went back to work
after 5 weeks. Good luck to you.
— Sherrie K.
May 5, 2004
It may just be gas...or it may be that your tube needs to be drained.
Either pull the plug out of the bottom of the tube (over the sink!) or have
someone do it for you. If it drains and you feel better it was probably
that. Are you drinking enough water? I didn't when I first went home and
wound up back in the hospital for a week because I was so badly dehydrated!
Not fun...and I left the hospital weighing more then I did when I went
in!!! Of course it was water weight and fell off quickly, but it sure was
dumb on my part!!!
— Christine C.
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