Phantom Pain?????????

I am a little over 2 weeks post op. I had a TAH/BSO on 4-17-03 and sfor the past 5-7 days I have been having pain where my right ovary use to be. Before my surgery my right oveary hurt all the time. Is it possible to have phantom pain like phantom limb syndrome? I feel stupid asking but I was just curious if anyone else had or has this same problem. My DH thinks I am crazy because I had everything removed. My surgery was due to endometriosis. I am not taking HRT but I am using the black cohash. I am not having insomnia but I am having nightmares almost every night. Sometimes I also get real emotional. I feel like crying for stupid reasons and at the worse time. I guess it is due to lack of hormones and because I can't do anything yet. No driving for 2 more weeks. I just feel so worthless not being able to do things w/o getting tired. Thanks for listening.
ema

Hi ema, sorry you're having the pain thing. I don't know about phantom lost-ovary pain, but if you are only 2 weeks post-op then the pain may to do with the fact you've had the surgery - you will have stitches remember, and it's very early days. I didn't have endo, so maybe this gives slightly different post-op symptoms? I know I was very emotional after my surgery, not nightmares though. Lots of insomnia. I think you should not be too hard on yourself about feeling helpless, you have a long recovery period ahead of you. If you are still worried about the pain and the nightmares, I would talk to your doctor - if only to allay your fears. Having all that anxiety won't be helping you to sleep!
big hugs

I don't know about phantom pain... most likely this soon after surgery your body is still adjusting to everything being moved around. I know that it took my bowels and everything to rearrange in the pelvic & abdominal area for about 4 - 6 wks after my LAVH. Even at 8 wks post LAVH, my bowels were still a little touchy (constipation problems).

Using stool softeners, eating high fiber and keeping the poop nice and fluffy helped me.

Also re: HRT - I had Endo too. But I went on HRT right away. My HRT includes bioidentical progesterone (in addn to bioidentical Tri-estrogen) to keep endo from breaking through again and bleeding. Don't know if your MD is open to prescribing bioidentical estrogen and progesterone - but I have had good success with my HRT.

Good luck - hope you feel better soon!

Dear Ema,
Just wanted to let you know that I have what I would call "phantom pains" too. I had a huge fibroid on my left side and that is where I still largely have pain. I am almost 5 weeks post-op after a TAH. The pain isn't enough to make me want to take anything for it though. It is just "noticeable".
I also am more emotional than before my surgery and I still have my ovaries. Maybe we just need to mourn a little. Good luck to you and please don't beat yourself up for not being able to do what you think you should be doing. Time for your DH to step up and take care of all that for a while.

God Bless,
Anniemae

Dear Ema,

It's me again. Sorry, but I remembered what you said about your nightmares. I sleep very well, where it seems like a lot of our sisters suffer from insomnia. However, I have several weird dreams at night. I wouldn't call them nightmares, just bizarre and out of place. I didn't used to have that problem. I am going to start trying to go to sleep listening to some contemporary Christian music and see if that helps.

God Bless,
Anniemae

Hi Ema, it's me Debbie!
You know what, I have that same pain on my right side that you described. I kind of wondered if it was from the tugging and pulling my doctor had to do to get my ovary out over there? Who knows...
And I had started having real problems sleeping and had some pretty wild dreams, not really nightmares. Maybe it is the percocet? I think you had told me you were still taking it? I was on vicodin and it began to make me feel wired and I could not relax and was having terrible trouble with vivid dreams. I am now just taking advil or motrin and I am finally sleeping better.
Oh and I completely understand what you said about your dh. Mine thinks because I can walk a little and sit upright that I am doing so great - I think he kind of forgets all that I've been through. While I am feeling better, I am not by any long stretch feeling "great"!

I'll e-mail you later this week to check on you!
Take care!
Deb

ME TOO EMA!!! I EVEN FEEL THE RIGHT ONE TOO WHAT IS UP WITH THIS??? TODAY I KNOW I OVER DID IT AND I FELT MY RIGHT GHOST OVARY THROBBING IM 3 WEEKS POST OP TOMORROW

Hi there,

Just a thought, but I had my right ovary and tube removed too. I also had pain there afterward. My pain was from my bladder being poked, prodded, and moved around. It wasn't bladder spasms because I also had those too. It was a definately different.
Maybe check with your dr. to see if you are having bladder problems?

Blessings,
Sherri

Ema,
I had a discussion with my surgeon about phantom pain (although my pain turned out to be a urinary tract infection). She said it's really possible that those "pain pathways" have been with you for so long that your brain still thinks it is receiving them. So I hope you don't think you're crazy like I thought maybe I was. But if you're truly worried about the pain, keep talking to your dr.
As for nightmares, the pain meds (percocet) definitely gave me some scary ones. In fact, that was my motivation to "step down" to non narcotics. I'd rather feel a few "twinges" than wake with my heart racing several times a night! So I sympathize and hope all the "phantoms" soon leave you in peace!

I thought I was going nuts until I read your phantom pain. I had my right ovary and tube out 10 weeks ago and it still bothers me! Not as much as the ovary did but a dull ach/tingle. Glad to know I'm not the only one out there.