afraid of pain level post surgery

I am 7 days post op today. While in preop they offeredme an epidural of morphine before putting me out for the surgery. Theysaid it helps with thepain as well as making for an easier recovery. I did it. Whilein thehospital I only needed pain mess 4 timesin two days. I am taking only 1 pain med at night. Everybody pain tolerance is different. Stay ahead of your pain and you should be ok. Also drink plenty of water, take small walks andremember the stool softeners. Praying for you.

I agree, a good nurse advocate is invaluable in helping to keep your pain managed. My second night post op I was off PCA and my nurse was not much help . The next shift I had a wonderful nurse who, by really listening to me, helped the drs get the oral meds right. Don't be a hero, stay on top of the pain and you'll do fine.

hi lizzy,
i've had TAH and LSO. i don't really remember the pain because i had that morphine on drip button which i get to press every 5 mins. i remember hanging on to the button for dear life the night after the op. i had a very good anaesthesist who time to explain to me what would happen. right after the surgery i would be injected in my lower spine so that when the GA wears off i won't have a sudden pain spike. he warned that i may have numb bum but i seriously don't remember. he told me to keep pressing that button for the morphine release until i don't feel the pain any more. he also advised to keep pressing it at regular intervals of maybe 15 mins instead of 5 mins to keep pain at bay and prevent the build up of pain. trick is to NOT let the pain build up. i asked the night nurse what happens when i fall asleep and can't press the button. they apparently increase the amount of paracetamol in the IV so that i get constant pain relief none the less. i'm in perth, australia and the nurses were very attentive. responding to the call buzzer within 10mins or less.
for pain management, talk to the anaesthesist specialist and not the surgeon

I had a C-Section and LSH by DaVinci on Monday. They are very different but in sorts the same as well. You are sore, just like you are with the C-Section but I think what the difference is that you are sore in the muscle area and the outside more with the C-Section. The baby is supposed to come out so it's not bad inside. The Hyster was different that my incision wasn't really that sore at all. Only one of them and that one was bruised and is almost better now. What is sore is all the insides. Althought it is very sore, it is not excruciating. Just take your meds for the first few days or week and you start feeling less sore on the inside every day.

hey lizzie,
there is pain, but its not unbearable. had my tah on jan. 11 had a morphine pump for less than a day. keep on pain meds and you'll be ok. it's scary but you get by. make sure you have help at home. just starting week 3 postop and feeling pretty good.
i just keep thinking about not having to ever deal with those rotten periods again and it help alot.
good luck!

Sorry that you are having such a hard time, but you sure have gotten some great advice here!

One thing I would add is that if anyone ever has a nurse who does not respond to their requests, every floor has a nurse manager. Ask to speak to the nurse manager if you are not happy with the care you are receiving. At the hospital where I stayed, we didn't have call buttons; we had phones and each shift would come in and write down their number to call; the nurse manager was the #1 number on the board. If you have a problem, DO NOT HESITATE to call the nurse manager, she will want to know if there is a problem!

Having said that, the nurses are usually awesome and really want to help, sometimes they are just really busy (and the nurse manager needs to know that too, it could help their case, for instance, if they are asking for additional staffing to tell the suits that people are complaining)...

Anyway... just let your nursing staff know if you are in pain, or if you have gas (sometimes the pain from the gas is worse than the pain from the hyst) or anything else; they are to help you and are (almost always) glad to do so.

One tip I saw recently to keep the nurses around is to have a jar of M&M's available just for them, keep it in your room and tell them to help themselves... I thought that was pretty neat. Also, when the dr. came in to see me, I really praised the nurses to him and their faces really lit up... sometimes people forget to tell them when they are doing a good job (and if they get a positive response from you, they will usually hang out with you more, which is a good thing)...

Hang in there! You'll do great! See ya on the post-op side!

I had a hyst (horizontal abdominal incision) in late October and have had 3 c-sections. The pain from this surgery was no worse than the sections. Pain control is similar - PCA pump followed by oral pain meds. The biggest difference this time was the fatigue - it took me quite a bit longer to regain my energy. Ths is a more extensive procedure and requires a longer time to heal. Be sure to take it easy - when you are tired, rest. When you feel discomfort, use your pain relief, whether prescription or OTC. Stay ahead of it and you will find it can be easily managed. And don't try to be superwoman - you have one chance to heal correctly so take your time to do it right.

Good luck and keep asking questions!