As discussed before, when they do a laparoscopic surgery on you, they will inflate your abdomen a bit with carbon dioxide (CO2) in order to give them more space to work in. I am not sure of the details of how they get most of this CO2 out after they are done, but I am under the impression that they do. In either case, there is always some residual CO2 left in your body.
The good news is that your body can absorb CO2 gas over time and get rid of it. The bad news is that this can take some time (sounds like everyone processes at a different rate) and until it's gone, you may feel some discomfort or pain.
From what I have gathered, the gas will rise. If you are primarily sitting or standing (which people tend to do), the gas will want to travel upwards toward your chest, and even find it's way to your shoulders or neck area. This can be alarming as you may feel pain in your chest, shoulder(s) or neck that may worry you. Without knowing about the CO2, you might think it's something else.
The way to test is to re-position your body. If you are standing/sitting and the gas is rising, you may want to lie on your side or on your back, perhaps even elevate your feet and butt a little. This can get it moving down and potentially out of a discomfort area.
If you are laying down the gas may descend towards your intestines or hang around near your incision area, which can be uncomfortable. This happened a bit to me and I would be attempting to sleep and get these nasty little stitches. I found getting up helped, or rolling to my side. Or even kneeling down and putting my head towards the floor. Anything to get it to shift out of a painful spot.
The CO2 pains subsided for me after 3-5 days and got easier with each passing day. For others it can take longer though.
I am 25 years old. I'm on my 3rd day of recovery. I had my gall bladder removed for 2 reasons.
ReplyDeleteThe 1st reason was because of the painful gall bladder attacks. Prior to the surgery, I had a HIDA scan and reports said my gall bladder ejection fraction was only 26% (i believe the normal range is 35%- 75%). I started suffering from gall bladder attacks since 2009. The pain became more serious in 2012 so i visited my doc.
the 2nd reason was b/c i had 3 polyps in the inside of my gall bladder. They were all < 10mm but the doctor said they'd eventually grow > 10mm by the time i'm in my 30's. Any polyp that is >10mm has a very small chance turning into malignant cancer.
Okay now that i finished my introduction...
I must say the gas pain was excruciating for me. I remember waking up from the anesthesia to immense neck/shoulder pain. I took painkillers soley to reduce this pain.
The 1st and 2nd day was awful for me. The radiating shoulder pain completely trumped my incision pain. My only peace was lying down so the gas descended into my lower chest cavity. I couldn't stay upright for too long. When i awoke into the 2nd day, the pain almost had me tears. A lot of the stuff you mentioned helps out. Elevating the hips is another tip to reduce the gas pain across your body. The idea is to level your body so the gas can spread out more evenly.
3rd day.
i feel like the gas pain is finally subsiding. It's now at 2/3 the intensity as before. I stopped taking the pain meds. The shoulder pain has become tolerable now. I'm going to guess it'll take 5-6 days for my CO2 pain to be completely gone.
Thanks for your blog. It's a good read.
I'm 16 and I'm getting my gallbladder out due to my first HIDA Scan showing my gallbladder ejection fraction being at 5%. After months of medication to try and repair it, a second HIDA Scan showed the results got worse and subsequently the ejection fraction became a shocking 3%. I liked that phrase you used earlier in your post "gallbladder attacks". I never really had a word ( or phrase) to describe the pain. These attacks were happening to me for over a year and a half with me going to the emergency room countless times for stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, chills. Once I was referred to a GI Specialist, they finally suggested I have my gallbladder removed. I'm very nervous as I have never had surgery and I'm not sure what to expect in terms of pain, recovery etc. This blog has really helped to ease some anxiety. And thanks for the tips on pain management :)
DeleteI just had my gallbladder removed this morning. I cried in the operating room while they were getting me ready because I was so nervous. I don't remember a thing. When I woke up I had a sore throat because they give you a soft breathing tube to monitor your breathing. My stomach hurt a little when I woke up but not much. They will give you a norco after surgery as long as you get something in your belly. I only got one cracker down when I took the norco which made me throw up. That was very painful. Try to eat at least 3 to 4 of the crackers they bring you before you take the norco. I got Zofran for nausea right before I left which put me to sleep for a few hours. I woke up and ate a little and took the next norco. Since I ate a good amount I didn't feel nauseous. However I did wake up about a half hour ago with severe pain in my right shoulder. I put a pillow under my hips and no pillow under my head and it stopped hurting after about ten minutes. Other than that you will do great. I hope this helps.
Delete"I put a pillow under my hips and no pillow under my head and it stopped hurting after about ten minutes" - this is because gas rises, and elevating your mid-section got the gas to move from your shoulder(s) to downward. The pain we feel in the neck/shoulders and upper chest is often the gas accumulating after surgery. For me, kneeling and putting my head down on the bed with my tush up in the air helped in a similar manner.
DeleteThank you for taking the time to write this blog. Today is my third day after surgery & your blog is helping me deal with healing. The Co2 repositioning trick really helps me. That is one thing my doctor didnt tell me how to handle. Thank you again!
ReplyDeleteI my body did not absorb the CO2 gas even after 5 days... I read a article about how to get your body to absorb CO2 and in desperation did a Epson salt soak and drank water with lime juice.... I started releasing the gas right after the soak... I'm talking I was moving nothing.. It took all night but the next morning I was completely gas free... I'm telling you Epson salt bath or what every part of your body you can soak in Epson salt feet, soak towels and drape them over you... It works!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this suggestion. I am on Day 1 of postop recovery. I really am going to try this by soaking my feet and placing a towel on my neck. I am unable to sleep so far with the gas pains I am having. I think the pain pill I took is wiring me up too though. I took half earlier and the other half about an hour or so ago. They don't help really, so I'm giving those up I think.
DeleteThanks for the Epson salt suggestion. I'm 7 days post op and suffering with back pain and going up to my neck. Going to give this a try.
DeleteI'm 15 day postop, I think the horrible CO2 is gone. I still have a dull ache in the middle of my back. Doc said this would get better over time. Did anyone else experience this?
ReplyDeleteHad GB removed 19 days ago. After just 10 days I felt a lot better then made the mistake of having rich food-a curry and starting to lift things. That night I had excruciating pain and had to go back to hospital 3 days later for scans and blood which proved ok but am scheduled for another ultrasound in a few days -24- days after surgery just to check. Meanwhile the pain is very slowly subsiding and at night I go to bed at about 11 but at 4am frequently have an annoying stitch in my side so I wonder if CO2 can take this long to get out. I would like to know how long this ca go on. I have also posted on the website called PATIENT under my name kevinhj
DeleteSorry to hear about this! The sudden severe pain doesn't sound normal so you were right to go to doc. Maybe the lifting caused something to slightly tear. Have to be super careful. Hopefully now that it's a week later things are getting better?
DeleteI just had surgery and the CO2 pains in my neck and jaw are aweful. I'm going to try to Epsom salt and soak my feet and drape towels on my neck. Laying flat help until this morning day 2, now it's just aweful. The sad part is they handed me the Rx when I left but no discharge papers. Woke up today today to a voice mail saying I forgot them. Thank you for the advice.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to have found this blog. My 24 year-old daughter is scheduled for GB surgery this week, and a lot of this info is important things that we haven't seen anywhere else. Better to have some idea what to expect ahead of time. Thank you!
ReplyDelete48 hours post op GB removal and still can not lay down due to excruciating back pain probably from CO 2. Anyone else not able to lay down flat after surgery? Have been sleeping in Lazyboy recliner. May try the Epsom salt soak idea on towels.
ReplyDeleteNearly 3 weeks post surgery and in excruciating pain. I also have IBS and don't know if it's a combination of that pain and surgery pain, or just terrible IBS. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteHey Stevie - sorry to hear about the pain man.
DeleteWhere is your pain? Is it around the gallbladder specifically? Is in moving around and in the shoulders, neck, back? Stomach and intestines?
If it's in the upper torso area and moves at times and aches, it could be the gas - but if you are 3 plus weeks in i don't think that is it.
If it's in the area of your GB, I would check with your doctor ASAP. Always the best bet to talk to a pro. Surgeons may tend to downplay things - your doc or gastro might be a better resource.
As for IBS. I have recently had a few episodes, but did not have it really years ago when my surgery was done. But I find that stress and anxiety can cause a flare up for me that caused aches and pains through all of my intestines, especially the right lower side. Whole clean foods can help here as well as alkaline foods. Also, remember that after lapro the gallbladder is gone so there is a slow drip of bile into the intestines. This can cause diarrhea and probably irritation as well. I find small healthy and non irritating meals to keep food moving through the intestines helps to offset the potential cramping caused by the bile on empty guts.
Hope this helps. Best of luck
Just looking for suggestions on how to make my shoulders and the back of neck to stop hurting one day after surgery thanks there we're some helpful tips
ReplyDeleteday 4 post surgery still haven't gone to the bathroom for number 2. I'm starting to worry
ReplyDeleteIf you are taking painkillers I would think this is somewhat normal as they cause constipation. So do most of the foods that are recommended in early recovery due to lack of fiber. Check with the doc, too. They may be able to give you something to assist.
DeleteOh thank you so much for this!!! I'm 1 day post op. The C02 is so painful. I had no idea it went into your back a shoulders. My left shoulder hurts so bad I secretly swore that they dropped me while I was out.
ReplyDeleteLots of good info. Sucks tho I can't wait for this to subside. I also tend to cough up a lot of mucus due to my asthma, that has been very painful as well.
I developed the gas pains about five days after surgery. Tried the lying down thing but found it was so excruciatingly painful that I had to sit up again. The pains were so bad that I had to call the emergency services, and the A&E Doctor agreed with my diagnosis of trapped gas. He could only recommend pain killers though. Today it has been better, and I'm passing a lot of gas by belching. But I still can't lie down, and that was difficult as I had a drain removal today after my gallbladder had been nicked by the surgeon. The pain of gas is 100 times worse than the surgical pain. I just didn't know what to do with myself yesterday, and hence called the paramedics. Better today, but still can't lie down so sleeping sitting up!
ReplyDeleteI had emergency surgery for my gall bladder about a year and half ago, and the first thing I said after waking up from the anesthesia was how bad my right shoulder was hurting. They explained it was trapped gas and said that it tends to get trapped in shoulders and chest plate. Nothing took the pain away, but it did subside during my 3 stay in the hospital. But once the gas pain was gone, I spent another 2 weeks trying to handle the surgical pain. But it was all worth it because the "attacks" leading up to the 2 ER visits was one of the worst pains ever.
ReplyDeleteOMG... I'm so glad I found this blog! Had my gallbladder removed yesterday and had excruciating pain in the back of my neck that went up the back of my head and down into my upper shoulder area. Nurse gave me pain med which did nothing to relieve the pain. She indicated she had no idea why I should be in such pain. I've dealt with neck pain and migraines for many years and I had always used ice packs to alleviate it. When I ask for the ice pack the nurse looked at me as if I was crazy. She even consulted with another nurse who called the doctor!! I told the nurse if she didn't hurry with the ice pack I would end up with a horrible migraine. She finally brought it I guess after the doctor said it was ok. I ended up with three ice packs, one for my neck, one for the back of my head and the third for my upper shoulders. Applying the ice was a tremendous help, way better than any pain medication. After an hour or less the pain was almost gone. I have noticed today I'm feeling some discomfort in those areas again so I'm reapplying the ice. Why on earth would those nurses not know that the pain was due to the co2. I have had many surgeries where gas was used in the past and never had pain like that. Not sure if the ice just numbs the pain or exactly how it works but it does work. Anyone suffering from co2 pain in those areas apply ice packs you will be amazed at how much it how much better you will feel or at least make it bearable. Take care all!
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