Shoulder, back and neck pain

[CRM-Mom]

Hi,
I am 10 days post op and I believe from right after surgery I have had more shoulder, upper back and neck pain than incision pain. At first in the hospital I had muscle spasms in my right shoulder and upper arm. Now I have more neck, shoulder and upper back pain across the board. My husband is great at gentle massage for the neck, back and shoulders. I am wondering if this was the case with others? My surgeon's office said that the surgery would have definitely aggravated any shoulder pain I would have had pre-surgery and probably messed it up worse than before.

Just wondering.
Barb (CRM-mom)

 

[Ross]

Oh yes, I think everyone of us did. Massage is the only thing that helped mine. You were spread open like a slit lobster on the table. That's bound to pull and stretch things much further then they've ever been, so that's the reason for the pain.

 

[ctyguy]

I concur with Ross. Sleeping on my back was just brutal and I had more discomfort in my back and shoulders than anywhere else. My wifes magic fingers is all that helped.

 

[Cooker]

My incision never once hurt.....My right shoulder and neck hurt and were sore for months.

 

[marie]

Oh yes lots of shoulder pain and for probably six weeks. I never took much pain medicine but when I took it it was my shoulder that was hurting. It was my left shoulder. My daughter in law did massage on it. I used heat and cold. One day it was gone just like that. Good luck.
It was very painful

 

[WayneGM]

I had lots of neck, shoulder, and back aches and pains post-op. Your body went through quite a trauma, and they really twisted you around as if you were Gumby.

 

[CRM-Mom]

I am glad to know this is common. I figured it was from being all pulled apart and twisted around during surgery. Thanks for the confirmation.

 

[sknydave]

I found my neck and shoulders hurt more from having to sleep at weird angles in order to alleviate the chest pain.

 

[Bina]

Yes, lots of right shoulder and rib cage pain. NO incision pain.
I slept on my back to keep everything flat and straight.

 

[aussigal]

Totally common...its what I remember the most about post-op pain...Hot packs were my best friend and gentle massages like muscle-rubs, dont want to go cracking those bones or anything yet. I think by about 4-6 weeks it was pretty much gone

 

[Jim47]

I am 10 weeks post op and I still wake up with back and shoulder pain. It usually goes away with some stretching.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

My S.O. would run a "Vibrating Disk Massager" up and down the affected muscle(s) with verbal guidance.

MASSAGE was Much FASTER and BETTER at relieving muscle spasms and pain than any pain pill.

'AL Capshaw'

 

[CThrock]

I had some pain but it sort of worked it self out the more I walked.
But after my second surgery and it was'nt even a OHS I went to a massager and that was heaven, seem to be the only thing that helped with the pain.

 

[mrwjd]

In hospital in the first days I had twice or three times very sharp pain (not ache) on my upper back; heat took it right away. I didn't like to take meds for the sharp pains because they could be resolved in a short time, and after a day or two I had it mostly just in the evening, so twinges wouldn't wake me.

A shooting pain in the left shoulder, like Marie describes, is frequently referred pain from something in or around the heart. Until the pericardial sac and the heart make peace again after the surgery, you may get this when it gets dry and the sac doesn't move freely over the heart, or there's edema, or general irritation. Since it isn't in the area of the heart, it took me a little asking and reading to understand this.

If there is edema, your doctor might have you take something like ibuprophin, which reduces the edema and, incidentally, helps the pain.

 

[sknydave]

Isn't ibuprofen a no-no when taking warfarin?

 

[mrwjd]

Isn't ibuprofen a no-no when taking warfarin?

Hmmm--I suppose so. Almost everything is. In the interest of not having to remember all the no-nos, I opted for a tissue valve.

 

[mrwjd]

Totally common...its what I remember the most about post-op pain...Hot packs were my best friend and gentle massages like muscle-rubs, dont want to go cracking those bones or anything yet. I think by about 4-6 weeks it was pretty much gone

aussigal, hello--

You indicate that two of your kids have bicuspid valves. It's early days for us, but my adult kids know they have to be examined (my youngest is adopted, lucky girl--but she'll have some other nasty gene). When you were thinking of getting your kids tested, did you happen to run across any data on the probability of passing it on to a kid? How about the likelihood of someone with BCV requiring surgery in his lifetime?

 

[ken36]

I've got more little aches and pains than my wifes pincushion. Luckily, no one seems to think much of them. Yesterday, my first day at Rehab, I had my fingers crossed when the nurse listened to my heart, she didn't even look at me. I just don't get no respect.

 

[strudell]

I'm 14 days post-op and my right shoulder is what hurts the most. My surgeon said it was from the operation and the beds in the hospital didn't help either.

I typically have the pain most when I first wake in the morning. I prop myself up in bed to sleep which isn't the most comfortable for my back, but its easier for me to sleep.

After I take my daily small walks, the pain goes away for the time being.