Just how sore will it be?

Hi Everyone,
I am due to have an A&P repair done at the same time as my TVH and I'm a bit worried as to how sore the repair work will be. A lot of ladies I have spoken to have said the TVH is manageable but that the repair was the most painful bit! Anyone got any natural remedies for making myself that bit more comfortable after surgery? I am having real trouble locating Staphysagria in the UK too! I have also been worried by the stories of several ladies who have had hysters only to suffer from "vaginal vault prolapse" a few years later - aaaaaaaargh! Is there anything that they now do during surgery to prevent this from happening I wonder??? Take care, Smiffy xxx

hi smiffy.... i can tell you of my own experience... feb 2003 had a tvh and bladder repair for prolapse.. march 2004 had rectocele repaired due to prolapse.... i was not sore either times... they manage your pain really well.... when i had my first op i had a spinal as well as a general so i awoke with no pain.. this time round i was in some pain when i came round but was given a morphine injection and felt much better.... for relief over the next few days i was given oral pain killers... they were brilliant... so... in my case i have been in no pain as such and certainly not sore.... my tummy hurts a little but i do not need to take anything for it .... i wish you well.. mary. xx

I also had repair work done with my tvh. Honestly, I can say it was all very tolerable. Mostly just a sore, heavy kind of feeling in my pelvic area.

The pain part was my biggest worry before my surgery so I was pleasantly surprised. Taking it easy after you get home is so important too. I didn't try to rush things, rested when I needed to and did all the good princess things.

So 3 1/2 months post op, I feel wonderful. You might think about getting a donut pillow to sit on for a while. Your bottom will be a little tender and this will be your best friend for several weeks.

Best wishes and sending you a big
Blessings,

I must say that "pain" is the thing I worry most about too .. I am scheduled for a bladder repair, hysterectomy (ovaries only) and A&P repair on May 4th. I've never had surgery before; so don't know quite what to expect. I don't have a very high pain tolerance and am wondering if I should tell my doctors that; perhaps they would manage my pain in a different way after surgery?
I just don't know!
I've put this surgery off because of the pain issue but my incontinence is getting to the point where I leak all the time and my doctor said my bladder is in danger of falling into my vagina, which doesn't sound like too much fun!
Thanks-
Kathy

arborkat -

Our minds make things seem much worse that what they truly end up being. In my case, the pre-op paperwork indicated that I had a high pain tolerance. In your pre-op make sure you tell them that you have a low pain tolerance and it will be on the chart. When the nurses asked me how bad the pain was on a scale of 1-10 and when I said a 6 or 8 they knew, because of my high pain tolerance, that I was in a significant amount of pain. Now, if I had said a 2 or 3 they probably would have given me different meds or different timing. If they know you have a low pain tolerance and you say your pain is a 5 they'll take it differently on you than on someone like me. Understand? I don't know if I'm making much sense......

Yes .. you made perfect sense, and thank you. My 85 y/o Mom just had a D&C a month or so ago and I remember them giving her a long piece of paper numbered from 1-10, with a frowny face at 1 and a smiley face at 10. She needed to tell them where she was at on the pain scale before she would need meds.
At this point .. I don't mind telling them I'm about a 2! I'd rather do that than try to be a Big Girl.
Thanks so much. I love this site; so much useful information!