2 day post op-shoulders and arms are killing me

Hi,
I had my daVinci hysterectomy on Wednesday-8am - 2pm, but had an issue with swelling and blood pressure so they would not remove the breathing tube and put me into ICU. Finally at 9:30 or so Wednesday evening they removed the breathing tube. At that time I told them my shoulders hurt but was told it would calm down.
Now it is Friday and I can still barely use my arms/shoulders. I even need assistance in the bathroom taking care after I use the toilet--has anyone else ever experienced this?

This probably from the gas they use to inflate your abdomen for surgery. Try to pass gas. It will help but if it continues callyour doctor. You can also try gas-x.


Good Luck

My doctor told me that I would experience this as well but I didn't, I'd had a laproscopic surgery several years back where I did. Mylanta helps to relieve some of the gas and helps you to go to the bathroom easily. Gas X is a godsend and then they are right it will pass in about a week. Do you have high blood pressure? If so you should continue to take your meds. Place an added pillow under your knees and one under your head so that you are not just bogged down in the bed allowing the gas just to settle. Feel better. I'm post-op four weeks and I am just starting to feel better.

Oh, I so experienced this! I had a total lap hyst on a Wednesday, and Friday night was the worst for me. My shoulders, and actually my entire upper torso, ached and hurt. It was hard to take a deep breath, impossible to find a comfortable position, hurt to move or to walk and hurt to lay down! That was the most miserable time of my recovery all together.
Warm blankets and warm packs across my upper chest and shoulders helped me feel more comfortable. My favorite was actually a microwavable neck pillow filled with rice or flax seeds- the heat and weight combined really seemed to help. I took the highest dose of my pain meds, got every pillow in the house arranged around me to help me sleep nearly sitting up (less painful than lying down), added the heat pack across my chest, and finally fell asleep for about 12 hours! Once I woke up the next day (in exactly the same position! ), the shoulder pain was more like discomfort and improved quickly after that with lots of walking alternated with resting.

I hope the same will be true for you- hopefully it will resolve soon. Try some warm blankets/heating pad to help with the pain, and do try to move around as much as you can tomorrow- that helps get things moving. Good luck and let us know how you're doing!

Hi,
Had my first post surgery appointment today. Doctor told me that not everyone experiences the pain in their shoulders. Sometimes it is more of a "referral pain" because the nerves of your diaphram run closely to nerves to your shoulders.
I have been taking the Gas-x and today it was better than yesterday.

Also was told today the pain I was experiencing prior to surgery came from Adenomyosis--which isn't the same as endometriosis — a condition in which the uterine lining becomes implanted outside the uterus — although women with adenomyosis often also have endometriosis. The cause of adenomyosis remains unknown, but the disease typically disappears after menopause. For women who experience severe discomfort from adenomyosis, there are treatments that can help, but hysterectomy is the only cure.

So the doctor feels we made the best decision for me with the hysterectomy. He also said everything else looked good at this point and hopefully I was on my way to a full and speedy recovery.

Thanks,

Friendlybbw