Will I be able to handle the first 2 wks?

I'm not a great pain person and I don't know if I can do this. Never had surgery before, never really had bad pain. Read the first two wks are awful..I feel like canceling this whole thing...I don't want terrible blinding pain.

My pain was managed well in the hospital. When you come home just make sure you have good pain medicine and take it AS DIRECTED. Don't let it run out for a few days. I did it several times just to see if I could do without the medicine. (I don't like it.) then I figured out that I have always had a problem with my medicine and didn't realize it, so I went 24 hours without it (this was the day they were taking my stitches out.) you will be fine. It is scary to go through surgery. This is by not the most painful surgery I've had and it beats the heck out of continuing to deal with my faulty parts. Good luck and focus on getting things done around your house until surgery. I painted our house up until the night before surgery so I could look at pretty walls while I laid in bed! It also distracted me.

Thank you...I'm sooo scared

The pain isn't terrible. It is managed very well in the hospital. Make sure you discuss your concerns with your doctor before your surgery. Ask what you will be prescribed for managing pain at home and whether s/he will refill the prescription if necessary.

I found that if I took my pain meds every 6 hours around the clock then the pain never got too bad. Make sure you have Gas X and stool softeners to take post op and that will help with your discomfort as well. The first week I slept at lot and was mostly in bed. I did no cooking or cleaning at all. Each week gets a little better.

The waiting and the worrying is the hardest part. You can do this.

Thank you very much!

Most people don't experience severe pain - more aching and tenderness. They will manage your pain well in the hospital immediately after the surgery, so you are not going to wake up in pain. Once you are off the IV you will get oral meds. I found that shortly after taking pain meds (oxycodone), the drug would make me feel a bit woozy and unsteady on my feet. I was given two at a time in the hospital. After I got home, I tried taking one at a time, and it was perfectly effective and I didn't have the unsteadiness that the double dose gave me. When you get home just take the pain meds as prescribed. Then, if all is going well, you will know when you are feeling good enough to go a little longer or to reduce the dose. I was off pain meds completely by the end of the first week, and I don't remember pain being a big issue at all.

Having surgery is scary. Know that the doctors and nurses will take very good care of you. They will watch over you and they will see you through this.

Regarding pain, everyone is different. The pain is controllable with pain meds. For my TAH BSO, I was on both narcotics and 600 mg Motrin (alternated), then when I got home 3 1/2 days later I was on just the Motrin. Just take your pain meds on time. If they do not work tell your doctor and they can try something else. There are many options.

This is much to process. We are here for you, and understand what you are going through.

Hi nutmeg! I was really worried about the pain too, but I honestly have to say that I was NEVER in any pain. Discomfort, yes. Soreness, yes. Achiness, yes. But nothing that was too bad at all - I've had migraines that were far worse, heck, I've had headaches that were worse. Like the others mentioned, stay on top of your meds - I kept my meds by my bedside with a note saying the time I could take my next dose so when I woke up in the night I would know what I could take. And if it does happen that the meds aren't controlling your discomfort/pain, it's just a quick call to your doctor to get something that helps. You'll be through it and on the mend soon! Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Thank you for answering!

Hi Nutmeg!
I was never at any point in blinding pain. I stopped taking the heavy pain pills the second day home from the hospital and have been fine with OTC since. Don't freak yourself out, the worrying is far more brutal than the reality. Good Luck!