Pain management w/TAH vs. endo/adhesions

Hi all! Just found the site yesterday and have been on almost all night reading, taking notes, etc. Scheduled TAH w/BOS 6/28 and beginning to get very anxious about pain management.

Have been in pain for seven years with endo, cysts, adhesions and have been taking meds off and on this past year. How does the pain compare after surgery with the pain of adhesions? I took four oxycodeine yesterday and still can't stand up straight; constant pain in left side feels like sword inside. Have not asked dr. yet about how long before TAH will I have to stop meds...am afraid he'll say stop now and I can't....yet am worried about too many drugs in my system now....Help!

Thanks for the support...
Sandra

Hi Sandra Welcome to Hyster Sisters. I'm so happy you've found us.

I had a TVH for fibroids, so can't answer your specific questions, however I can tell you that I was amazed at how effective they were at managing my pain and how intent they were on making sure that their treatment WAS effective in managing my pain.

A friend who had a TAH for endo told me that the pain that she was having post-op was nothing compared to the pain she had pre-op. She said that it was because she knew the pre-op pain was a disease, whereas the post-op pain was simply her body healing.

Hang in there, you're almost at the door of the castle. We'll accompany you every step of the way on the road to the castle.

I expected to be in alot of pain after my hyst.. But it never went higher than a 3. Dr was shocked when i told him the endo was more painful than a hyst. I had a pain pump but didnt need to use it much, and toradol in the iv... Very litttle pain when i came home... Good luck Patty

Hi, I just logged on to ask this same question. My sister just told me about her TAH and that the pain was just excruciating, used the morphine and didn't take care of the pain, said it was worse than childbirth. She wanted me to know so I'll be prepared. I figure I'm going in and doing this regardless, so I just hope that they are as good as I have read about managing pain. Her surgery was maybe 5 years ago? Do you think that makes a difference? Or is it just that we all have different tolerance for pain and for some it is no big deal and for some it is intolerable. I just can't believe that they would leave you there writhing in pain. I've had quite some pain at times with my condition and think I have tolerated it pretty well, even though it is surely no fun. So, I too wonder about the before pain vs. the after pain.

I didn't have endo, but my pain from the TAH wasn't bad at all (except for a few hours when I was refusing any meds). We finally settled on 1/2 a percoset every 3 hours, and that was great. I only took a few darvocet at home, then switched to Aleve.

Whatever your pain level, be sure (ahead of time) that your doctor and everyone else involved knows about whatever you're used to taking, in case they have increased your tolerance for pain meds. A friend of mine (male) had surgery recently - he's used to being on oxytocin or oxycontin (?) every day to manage chronic pain. Well the boneheads involved in his post-surgical care thought he was lying (drug-seeking) when he complained that he was still in pain - they were giving him about enough morphine for a 5 year old, according to my sister, who is a nurse, and they wouldn't increase his meds. He had a very bad time for a few days. They finally got his doctors talking, and brought in a pain management specialist (and I'm sure my sister kicked the lot of them around the block for the way they were treating him), and they got his pain under control. He was fine after that. So make sure you've addressed that issue ahead of time, and everyone involved understands that you might need more help than others would. Make sure it's all noted in your chart. If you're doctor goes home without telling the nurses what you can have, they won't give it to you - so be sure they've been informed.