What pain control did you have after your surgery?

I had a TAH/BSO along with my cervix.My incision is about 12 inches and I had 24 staples.I had the pca pump with morphine when I woke up from surgery. It took along time to get ahead of the pain. That was frustrating, for me and my best friend who was watching me in pain.
They sent me home with 20 percecet, said I could take it every 4-6 hours, and I did. I needed it to get thru the nights. Then when I had 2 left, I panicked. So, I called and talked to the nurse and my Dr called in 10 vicodin.I'm lucky I got that. My post op appointment isn't until next Friday and I don't know what I am going to do.Now I only have 2 left again.I hope I make it thru the weekend.

In the hospital 1st day (Monday) I had morphine in the pump which made me nauseated. Then they gave me Phenergan (I think) for the nausea, which made me groggy. Late Tues. they changed the pump to I think Demerol, which was better but I still didn't feel like eating. I finally decided Tuesday night I just wouldn't push that button unless I was really hurting. By Wed I could eat a bit and Thursday was much better, and they sent me home Thursday night 9 pm. Because I was running a temperature (probably a lot related to that stupid fall and cut lip and broken tooth that happened the Sat. B4) so they gave me a prescription for Cephalexin for the fever and I have Estradial for HRT. THey gave me a prescription for Percocet but the nurse said no sense filling that if I wasn't hurting bad enough for it, so I haven't filled it yet. The nearest pharmacy is 6 blocks away and open 24 hours so if I need to I can send my husband for it. Just having a few twinges, more like when you've been working in the garden and get up and go "oh, my knees" but nothing so far that's been awful. I've been going from the bathroom to the computer to the bathroom to the kitchen to the bathroom to the living room to the bathroom . . . Not brave enough to venture off the front porch by myself. My DH and I thought I'd be out Wed night so he took Thursday off and did do some laundry, but today he really needed to go to work. He did run me up to my regular doctor to have the stitches in my lip taken out, otherwise I've stayed inside. The nurse said I could take Tylenol or ibuprofen which i have handy but so far haven't needed.

BTW, NSAID stands for Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug.
Don't ask me what exactly that means, but I type it enough during transcription!

I’m 3 days post up and all I got ones I got to my room was 3 Demerol shots in the hip as needed and 1-2 vicodin 500mg every 4 hours and motrin 800mg 3x a day but that’s not for pain, it’s for inflammation and they even told me that at the hospital. I’m now trying to cut out the vicodin all together and am only taking one every 4 hours verses the 2 I was taking. It helps me to walk ones I fell a little discomfort and I have been doing great and hope by tomorrow I can stop taking the vicodin all together.

Connie

Ewwww..I don't even want to think of all the drugs I was given. Came out of surgery on PCA morphine, which after about 6 hours, the nurse realized wasn't dispensing the meds at all (oooowwwwwiiieeee). then we tried Morphine IV...got a BAD reaction...blisters on my back, and constant vomiting. They tried phenergan, which didn't help, and then went to demoral...same thing ( we were on day 2 by now ), changed phenergan to zofran..which helped a bit, but the Demerol was making the room spin.SO we tried Toradol...absoultly NO help in pain management. and went to Duladid...tolorated slightly, but the vomiting continued into day 3.
I would get my shot, sleep for 2 hours, and cry for the next 2 till I could get another shot. I even found myself rocking on my hands and knees like I did in labor to help the pain...it was AWFULL!
Day 4 Dr comes in and says...your reacting to EVERYHING, so I am taking you off IV meds.....I wanted to jump out of the bed ( as if I could! LOL )and strangle him. But the big surprise was about 6 hours after being off IV meds, and on Darvocet, and motrin..I felt like a million bucks....I now wonder if it was how STRONG the drugs were...not that they were not working.
I have had PCA morphine before, and was in a lovely drug dream for 3 days....wonder why I react now, when it was so pleasant then??? Hmmm all I know is I better never need another surgery, or serious hospitalization...my poor armband had like 6 drugs NOT to give me!

I can't take Morphine due to the fact I'm allergic to it. After my hyster, before I even left the OR, I was asking (and I don't remember this at all .. going by what doc told me) when I could have my Toradol. To me, Toradol is like the drug of all drugs! Kills the pain, but without all the side effects of narcotics. Wish I could use it now for my PTC, but can't. Doesn't come in pill form anywhere around where I live. Ultram is also good, but patients with PTC can't take it.

Anways, in recovery I was on Toradol every 6 hours (they hung a small bag of it) and Demerol shots ever 4 hours. The day after TVH, I was taken off the Demerol, switched to Percocet 5 mg 2 tabs every 4 hours and kept the Toradol for the next 12 hours (two more doses). When they stopped the Toradol, it was Percocet and Motrin 800 mg every 12 hours for me. Went home with 35 Percocet 5mg & 90 Motrin 800 mg. Went thru the Percocet and had to get a refill of another 30. Stayed on Motrin till I was a month post op and felt good then. By about 5-6 weeks post op, my back was killing me (from the muscles taking back over) and was in agony. Doc was mean Would not give me anything but Motrin for that. I was upset with her for doing that to me, but understood her reasons. I ran hot water on my back 3-4 times a day, used a heating pad and sucked up the pain. I look back now and am glad my recovery went the way it did.


Amy

Four days post-op TAH... Had PCA with morphine derivative until IV removed (about 32 hrs post op)... Dr said that Teradol was in my IV but nurses said no... they were hanging straight IV liquids plus antibiotic. Didn't use much of the PCA because not much pain. Given Teradol orally after IV removed but didn't notice much effect.
Home 45 hrs post-op (my choice) now with ibuprofen 600MG and hydrocodone 500mg ( 1-2 as needed ) but I'm sticking to ibuprofen because I remember C-section and how awful it was to have no bowel function for five days (felt bloated, stuffed up) and I know the narcotics slow bowel function. Anyway... ibuprofen takes the edge off and I can function.
Getting lots of relief from taking lots of walks... 4-5 times a day for 15-30 minutes. Its like magic. Pardon my graphic description but very easy and not painful to pass gas while walking Plus my back doesn't ache, plus bowel function began 3 days post-op... can't say enough about walking. Clears the lungs of congestion, don't need to cough (don't want to cough!) and I always feel better afterwards. Sorry for such a long post. Hope the rest of my recovery continues as smoothly as the first four days!

I had a TAH/BSO - general anesthesia during operation and after surgery I was given morphine injections thru my IV as needed. The nurses were really great in coming in and letting me know when it was getting close to time for another dose and if I needed it or not; so I wouldn't be laying there in pain waiting. After my IV came out they gave them to me in my hip and on my 2nd night given two 650mg darvocets every 4-6 hours and was also given the same as a presciption to use at home. My surgery was on a Monday morning and I was released Wednesday at noon.

I had a LAVH/BSO with only 1 night at the castle. They started me on the demorol pump through the IV but I kept sleeping through giving myself the dose and would wimper in pain so they started giving me injections. I was sent home the next day with a mild pain killer (even though I'm so immune to most pain killers due to the amount of pain i was in pre-op.)

My doctor is of the "the pain is all in your head" vocation and won't prescribe me anything. Take an anti-inflamitory like the anaprox I was on pre-op. Really does nothing for me but I did have some lovely tylenol 3's from a different doc.

I've had 3 post-op trips to the castle due to bleeding with demorol giving all times until the doc made his rounds and keeps taking it away.

At 3 weeks post op by the end of the day I'm in tears from pain. Mornings and nights are worse. (After a long day and then after a long night of trying to sleep in a comfy position)

I believe in not stopping all pain all the time, otherwise how would you know if you are over doing it, but I don't believe we should be in pain for no reason so that we can't sleep. So my quest continues. (I'm looking for a new dr, since my emotional breakdowns, pain, and fears of the endo returning are me being hysterical)

I guess I'm one of the few who didn't take morphine. Had a spinal no sedation with naproxene suppositories every 4 hours for the first day and nothing after. My pain threshold is very high.

Cherry-lea,

That is just NOT fair! If you need pain killers then you should be given medication! Wonder how many surgeries your doctor has had without pain relief....my bet...NONE! Ugh!

Please do find a new doctor and quick! It breaks my heart to know that you are suffering. I have a strong pain threshold but this surgery did me in. I am 2 weeks tomorrow and FINALLY starting to feel like myself again and not need the meds anymore. I truly hope that you get what you need and that the endo doesn't return.




Cindy