Scared but excited

I have endo/adeno and PCOS. I have finally made the decision to have a TAH/BSO. I am afraid of the pain afterwards. I am scheduled for surgery in June. I don't have a high tolerence for pain and I am so afraid of looking like a baby in the recovery room. After my lap I needed 2 shots of demeral (1 IM and 1 IV + a percocet) all with 1 1/2 hours. The nurses made me feel like I was 2 years old. They said that most people are ready to leave by then and I wasn't even ready to get up. I felt stupid. Someone please tell me about the pain afterwards. I love this site and have gotten so much info. You women are just wonderful and understanding. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

HI,
Well here's my take on it......... I too am a huge baby, and I friggen dare anyone to try to make me feel badly for being in pain.

(can you tell the attitude already brewing.. lol)

Just remember you will never see these people again....... who cares what they think!

My thinking is........... I'm in pain, you cater to me PERIOD! And they better do it fast!

I have learned to embrace my individual "snowflakeness".. (lol for lack of a better word.. lol)

Do not ever let anyone make you feel you dont deserve to be pain free!
Of course start off nice, then get ugle if you have to...

take care
xo DonnaFay
A HUGE BABY~ with low low tolerance for pain!

I'd be honest with your doctor and let them know you had a bad experience the last time, and want better pain control this next time.

After my last lap, I had to travel 3 hours away for surgery. I was given Vicodin for pain, and it didn't help. When I got home, the day after surgery, the pain was really out of control. My local doctor helped me with stronger pain medication for the first three days after I got home, then I was able to back down to vicodins again, and by that time, they were helping the pain.

If you don't ask, you won't know what type of help the doctor can give you. Because I have to travel 3 hours away from home again for this surgery in May, I told my doctor what happened and asked for stronger pain meds for the first three days, and the doctor said that would be okay.

Only you know and can express your pain. Hospital staff seem to be getting better about asking about pain, and trying to help patients control their pain before it gets too bad.

Don't feel bad, or feel like a baby -- it's your body! And after surgery you deserve to get proper pain control. Just my opinion.

I'm not a 'baby' about pain, my problem is I wait too long to ask for something because 'it's not that bad'. The nurses at the hospital were adament about getting meds into me BEFORE it got bad at all. They now ask you to scale pain from 1 to 10, one being the lowest, and they tell you not to be afraid to ask for something.

Pain raises your blood pressure and distracts your body from healing. That's one reason they keep taking your blood pressure in the hospital; it's an indicator of pain you're not telling them about.

Feel free to ask for any meds you need. If they use a morphine drip on you in the operating room, they'll probably leave it attached for the first day after surgery, and it has a pump you can operate yourself to get a dose when you want for the pain. Personally, I didn't like it, it made me dizzy when I stood up. (Yes, they make you stand up the first day now.)

Don't be afraid of standing or walking soon after surgery, they need you to be mobile before they send you home. If they seem to be pushing you, it's only because it's best for you to move as much as you can, as soon as you can, to prevent pneumonia and circulatory problems in your legs. You can do it. You really will feel better when you move more.

Hi Rosie,

The two things I was most scared about before my op were:-

a) Expiring on the operating table
b) Making a fool of myself by crying if the pain was too bad

Having gotten over the first worry (Lol!), there was a period the first night when the pain really did feel bad and I felt like crying. I just closed my eyes and did some breathing exercises to calm me down. To my surprise, not only did they really calm me down but greatly eased the pain too. I also found that holding my tummy, together with a little light self-massage, really helped as well.

My advice to you, if you still have some time to go before your op, is to learn some simple breathing techniques. Take a class if you can, or there are some good web sites which can help. I have included a couple of links below. The first one, for something called belly breathing, is pretty much what I was doing in hospital. (You may feel afraid of touching your wound at first, but can use the area around it)

It probably sounds cranky to say that breathing exercises can help with pain, but they honestly can. At the very least, they will help you keep control of your emotions and stop you from panicking. I consider that they are far and away the most useful thing I have ever been taught (whilst doing a yoga course several years ago!)

Here are the links anyway:-

http://www.authentic-breathing.com/belly_breathing.htm
http://www.holisticonline.com/Yoga/h...reath_home.htm

Good Luck!

I am starting to feel better about the pain. I had a c-section and I remeber how much it hurt to move. I will talk to the doctor before surgery to ask about my options. My c-section was an emergency and I was so scared about the baby dying that I didn't think about anything else. I just want to be so prepared for this surgery. I will be visiting this site frequently before hand to get your expierences as well. I really think it help to talk to people who have been there. Thanks a lot!!

Rose

Hi Rose,

I too am afraid of the pain thing. I've got to be one of the biggest babies around, and I make no bones about it!!! Just like everyone else has said, let your doctor know!!! I'm sure your aren't the first one to be concerned about the pain, and I know you won't be the last!!! They, the anesthesiologist or your doctor can give you something before the surgery to help calm your nerves, if you think that will help some. I think that is what I am most worried about!!!

Hang in there!

Hi Rosie:
I too am a very big baby. After reading many posts, I decided to get the epidural and keep it in for at least 24 hours for pain control. My gyn agreed. He assured me that the needle is fine like a strand of hair and I won't even know it's there. I'm also getting something to relax with by IV. There are ways to manage pain. No one needs to suffer in this day and age. Please don't be intimidated. I'm sure the nurses have seen much worse then what they will see with the 2 of us. LOL.
Good luck,
Regina LIW