Did anyone have trouble BREATHING?

I am day 22 (or so-I have lost count) of my TAH, life is back to normal, back to work, no pain and feeling perfectly fine. Most days I forget I even had the surgery. BUT-I have been wanteing to post this question.
Th night of my surgery, when I was back in my room and still kind of loopy, I was on a demerol drip (I itch from morphone) and a few times I truely felt like I couldn't breath- I sat up, gasping for air, and panicking....one mean nurse was staning next to me and as I was gasping, she didn't take me seriously at all! Then another nurse came in and I think I must have had my eyeballs poppping out by that time because she ran and got someone and they put O2 on me and then put some ativan in my IV to relax me. This happened a couple of times, then I was ok.
I read that a side effect from certain IV pain killers and/or general anesthesia can be difficulty breathing. Has anyone else had this happen?

How scary! I actually had my oxygen in until the day after surgery, so I didn't have any problems.

I was on 02 till the next day because I had low respiration by the time I got back into my room from the surgery. I remember the nurse telling me not to hit the pump anymore and my poor dh was sitting beside me and watching my respirations. He said that I'd breath and then stop for a few seconds and then start again. The nurse said it was because of the morphine pump.

Scary feeling isn't it but you sound like you are doing great well now NewWoman44, I'm very envious of you. You are such an inspiration cause we went in on the same day and I'm not at all ready to go back to work. I'm doing well but couldn't imagine going back

Yes, I had those little tiny oxygen tubes stuck in my nose after surgery- but this was something totally different- I truely sat bolt upright gasping for breath and I felt like no one believed me that I couldn't breath. The one nurse who finally ran out of the room to get help told me later that she could "see the look in my eyes" that I truely couldn't breath.
That was my only negitive experience from the whole thing.
I have no idea why this was so easy for me. I had a TAH except for the overies (maybe thats why?), a 7 inch incision and 19 staples. I was ready to hit the mall on day 7 and back to work on day 10 or so. Now its like day 23 or something and I have gotten completely back to my normal life. I just can't wait till my post op next Friday- maybe I can permission to take a hot bath or go into my hot tub or work out on my machine or possibly have sex!!! LOL- although I have kind of gotten used to this no sex thing.......uh oh!

Sorry that happened, i had problems breathing dr said it was normal and that to help my breathing and lungs and pnemonina from setting in i had to sit propped up and do some big deep breaths with a cough a few times a day. hope you feel beter and so sorry you had that
hugs
Lisa

I understand what you said, but this was not that type of trouble breathing. This was a "breathing tube has spasmed shut" type of breathing emergency- almost like I was being choked. It was a terrifying experience. The ativan stopped it though.

Hi NewWoman

I had a really bad asthma attack when they pulled the tube right after surgery. I woke up trying to get a breath but unable to. It was very frightening. I ended up on breathing treatments and on O2 for the next 2 days to keep it from happening again.

I'm so glad you are doing well now.

Please be careful. You still have a lot of internal healing going on inside, and if you overdo you may actually cause a set-back. Please don't do anything before your Dr releases you, and most women aren't released for normal activity until 6-8 weeks post op. Just for the record, my worst week was week 5 because I felt so good after week 4 that I tried to do normal activity

I hope you continue to heal well,

s,
Kay

I am not lifting. I am not taking baths or having sex or working out. Honestly, I checked my list of post-op instructions and there is nothing else that it says I can't do.
I feel perfectly normal and I mean perfectly. I feel exactly like I did before the surgery- except a bit thinner around the middle.:-)
So I am listening to my body and my body is telling me "you go girl!"
:-)