Upcoming hysterectomy FEB 26: Pain Management -Robotic Surgery

Hello, this is my first post. I'm scheduled for a robotic hysterectomy on Friday February 26th.
I'm a little hesitant to post this-
I'm in recovery , and my goal is to try to avoid narcotic pain relievers. My surgeon and I have a plan with some other medications. However, I'm very scared, and wonder if anyone else has had an hysterectomy experience without narcotic pain management.

Good for you for wanting to avoid narcotics.

As you may be aware, pain threshold varies from individual to individual and the amount of “work” performed during surgery, so it is hard to say what your pain will be like.

I was given prescription pain killers, but only took them for 3 days. My pain wasn’t too bad compared to other surgeries I had

I had a vaginal hysterectomy. I had an overnight hospital stay with a couple doses narcotics but once I got home I only needed Aleve, which worked to keep me pain free I could have alternated that with tylenol but I didn’t need to. Everyone is different in their pain experience but in my case, I just didn’t need more meds. You might want to talk about multiple non narcotics and what to do if you need more relief so a plan is in place. Waiting until middle of a night to figure it out isn’t fun, so planning is the key. Also, I was careful not to overdo my activities, and took my Aleve on a schedule at first rather than letting pain get ahead of me, both of which helped me. I hope you put together a plan best for you and your situation.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by GPMS Good for you for wanting to avoid narcotics. As you may be aware, pain threshold varies from individual to individual and the amount of “work” performed during surgery, so it is hard to say what your pain will be like. I was given prescription pain killers, but only took them for 3 days. My pain wasn’t too bad compared to other surgeries I had

Thank you, good to know!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by greyown I had a vaginal hysterectomy. I had an overnight hospital stay with a couple doses narcotics but once I got home I only needed Aleve, which worked to keep me pain free I could have alternated that with tylenol but I didn’t need to. Everyone is different in their pain experience but in my case, I just didn’t need more meds. You might want to talk about multiple non narcotics and what to do if you need more relief so a plan is in place. Waiting until middle of a night to figure it out isn’t fun, so planning is the key. Also, I was careful not to overdo my activities, and took my Aleve on a schedule at first rather than letting pain get ahead of me, both of which helped me. I hope you put together a plan best for you and your situation.

Im being sent home that day. We do have a plan for non narcotic approach, but Im still very nervous.

Im new on here so I hope I responded to my last 2 ladies appropriately.
I did it in the body of the post.
I want to thank you both for the replies.
I do have a plan with my surgeon- she has never had this request before, but thinks its manageable. Of course there could be more work done at the time of surgery- and she said I may need to be prepared for another plan, but she seems respectful of my request and wont give me anything without my permission.
I heard that in Germany, many women are not given narcotics for hysterectomy. I know every situation is different, and that comment could be based on limited cases.
Anyway, feels good to get some feedback.

I was prescribed Oxycodone after my LSH, but it made me throw up, and subsequent research indicated that because I have poor stomach motility, narcotics were contraindicated for me. I was also prescribed naproxen - the generic version of Aleve - and acetaminophen, and I found that I was okay alternating them; I also found that splitting the naproxen pills in half and taking half a pill twice as often helped to keep a more steady level in my body, as well as helping to minimize the negative effects on my stomach - not all pills can be split, so speak to your surgeon or pharmacist before you do this. According to a study recently published in the Journal Of The American Medical Association, naproxen can be just as effective at controlling pain without the risk of addiction, so if you want to avoid narcotics, that would be my top pick for you. Best wishes for a successful surgery and a smooth recovery!

Thank you so much Tiger_Eye. The doctor already prescribed me Toradol. I think its in the same family as naproxen.
I asked to go home with no narcotic script so it wont be an option for me. I hope im doing the right thing. I'm beginning to rethink this whole thing.
Thank you for sharing your experience.

I had a TAH and never did take any narcotics. I did have an epidural that was removed early the 1st morning post op, after that I just took tylenol while in the hospital (2 nights). I was sent home with a prescription for toradol but never needed them. I was fine on just one or two extra strength ibuprofen (400mg) a day for about a week then 1 a day for another 2-3 days. You will find pain levels all over the map on this and until your there you won't know what your level will be. But lots of women are fine without narcotics, especially if you follow doctors orders and take it easy.

Thank you Kel66. Since I am being send home that night, the epidural wont be an option my surgeon said. She thinks with gabapentin, and tordal in the hospital until released, tordal and Tylenol at home I should be ok.
Im just reading more and more on here that I wasn't aware of. Im starting to get a little freaked out.