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Pain. So much pain.

Suzie

Suzie

Member
So, I had surgery on Monday. I stayed in rhe hospital for an extra day because I just couldn't move. They sent me home yesterday, and I'm just dying. It's Friday, and I'm not even close to being able to stand up straight. I feel like my insides are trying to push through me, into my lap. I have to use my lamaze breathing all the time. I have a VERY high pain tolerance level, and I just don't know what to do here. It took me 45 minutes to go to the bathroom and take my pain meds this morning, for goodness sakes! Was anyone else hit like this???

-Suzie
 
Everyone reacts to surgery differently. I don't think anything you described sounds unusual. Just keep doing what you are supposed to and it should get better and easier.
 
Suzie, this is a Friday and I think you need to call your Center and speak with someone about that pain before the weekend. Are you on a liquid pain med? Are you passing gas yet? Are you getting enough liquids or have a fever? Let them know.
 
Suzie-I agree that you need to contact your surgeon's office to let them know what is going on. Another thing you can do to help with the pain is to either ask someone at your surgeon's office to prescribe a truss or to just have someone go pick one up for you at a medical supply store. A truss is a wide band that wraps around your abdomen. It's adjustable in length and has velcro closures. It will reduce the pressure and therefore aleviate some of the pain you are having. I used one after my surgery for almost 2 weeks and it made a big difference in my pain level.
 
My doctor saw me on Thursday before he discharged me, and didn't seem to think much about the pain. Yes, I have been passing gas, so at least that's good. Unfortunately, my pharmacy doesn't carry the liquid pain meds that they gave me in the hospital, so I have to settle for crushing up percosets, and mixing them with Jell-o or pudding. Yeuch. I have my post-op on Monday morning, so we will see what he has to say then.
 
Suzie-You can always go back to the hospital pharmacy to get your prescription for the liquid pain meds. They may even set up an account for you so they can mail it to your house to save you a trip.
 
Hi Suzie. I am sorry to hear you are in so much pain and on top of that no liquid pain meds, it is hard enough to get anything down the first week let alone a bitter crushed up pill, I do hope you start feeling better soon. Tom
 
Hi, Suzie,

I hope you feel better and better, sooner and sooner. This doesn't sound like the fun part!
 
Hi there Suzie, I am sooooo very sorry to hear your in so much pain...I know what your talking about though, believe me! And if your pain doesn't get any better within a day or so please please go to your local ER because it could be something major!! I had RNY gastric bypass surgery in Puerto Vallarta, MX on June 11, 2012 and my experience was a COMPLETE NIGHTMARE!!! And yes, I said Mexico...I have no insurance and I could not afford it here so I found a medical tourism company run by the U.S.A. that did surgeries in Mexico for much much cheaper. I did my homework and research for almost 1 yr before I went through with it but...things didn't turn out that good for me. I ended up having a leak from the immediate surgery and basically they had to do my surgery twice in the same day, the following day I had to have a laporatomy surgery to fix a 2nd leak...they cut my stomach open 4-5 inches to fix it. Thought everything was fine, started my liquid diet and 2 days later I woke up and thought I was having a heart attack and felt the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life...thought I was going to die!!! Found out I had yet another leak but I could not have another surgery so I had to have a feeding tube...I went in to have the feeding tube placed in at 9:30 pm that night and the next morning at 5:30 my fiance and I had to leave from MX to Phoenix,AZ airport...had 2 hr layover and then flew home which is GA for us...I honestly almost did not survive it, I had to be rushed to the hospital as soon as I got home in which they found I have major infections overtaking my body and I had 8 abscess's in my abdomen, I was hospitalized for 19 days...I am very very very lucky to be living, Dr. and nurses in the hospital told me that they couldn't believe I was awake and alive when I arrived there. It has been honestly complete miserable hell for me...when someone has that much pain as you describe you need to be checked ASAP!!! I believe that most of my complications were caused by having it in MX but there are so many ppl who have complications arise here too!!! Please don't hesitate to call your Dr.or go to the ER because you never know, and I don't in anyway want to scare you but it's better to be safe than sorry!!! Good luck to you!!!
 
KBaker, so sorry you had to go through all that. You didn't say how you are feeling now. Are the complications gone?
 
Suzie said:
So, I had surgery on Monday. I stayed in rhe hospital for an extra day because I just couldn't move. They sent me home yesterday, and I'm just dying. It's Friday, and I'm not even close to being able to stand up straight. I feel like my insides are trying to push through me, into my lap. I have to use my lamaze breathing all the time. I have a VERY high pain tolerance level, and I just don't know what to do here. It took me 45 minutes to go to the bathroom and take my pain meds this morning, for goodness sakes! Was anyone else hit like this???

-Suzie
Click to expand...

Suzie, I wasn't thinking complications when I replied. Your comment sounded to me like post-op was more painful than you expected. I have been in that situation with surgery before where they tell me how I'm going to feel, and I feel much worse---nothing is wrong, the pain was just more intense than I expected. So please take everyone else's advice and head on down to the ER if you think you should!
 
Everyone, wow, thank you for so much great advice and good vibes! Kbaker, you really help to put things into perspective. I'm so very sorry that you had to go through such a traumatic experience. I imagine I'd have PTSD after that! My first post was yesterday morning, and I think I'm a little better now. I still can't stand upright, and it took everything I had to take a 5 minute shower today. I have a friend who had the surgery in June. She said that she was walking 3 miles a day at the end of her first week. I really expected to be able to walk beyond my kitchen on day 5, before needing to sit down. Pat, I did go back to the hospital, and they were the ones who gave me the percoset prescription, so I'm stuck with that. Every sip of water, protein shake, whatever... makes me cramp up. Just not fun. I will talk to my doc at my post-op on Monday. It seems like I'm just slower at healing than most people.
 
Karenina...it was a long recovery but I am no longer having the complications from leaks or anything like that but I am having to continue with wound care from where they opened the top and bottom of my incision from the laporatomy surgery. I can now eat anything I can tolerate but that's not much...because of the complications and extra surgeries they actually had to cut A bit more off of my pouch so mine is smaller than normal. The wound care is very painful from where I have to have it cleaned and dressed everyday and i've had setbacks from the wounds healing up good one day and then opening and tunneling back open the next day...I am currently having to deal with vitamin deficiencys, I am weak all the time and can't walk for long periods of time or long distances BUT I have lost about 70 pds so that is the positive side to my story!!! I was so worried when I came back to the States that they didn't do and perform the surgery correctly but I have been checked out and everything is put together right and working good so I think i'm on the right track now...YAY!!!! Thank you for asking :)
 
Hello to kbaker and Suzie,

Kbaker...thank you for sharing your experience with all of us. No one should have to go through what you have gone through. I hope that there is some positive that you are experiencing now. Yes...you are alive, major plus. I can only imagine what it was like. Please take care and keep us updated on "YOU". Hugs

Suzie...It is Monday and I hope that you have had some comfort in your visit for post op. Boy, I too can only imagine the discomfort you are experiencing. I have learned something again from Pat99 about the Truss support band. Thank you Pat99. Also I did not know that you could go back to hospital pharmacy for a script once you were released from hospital. Another good tip to those of us who have not had the surgery yet. Please take care Suzie and share with us you journey into a healtier lifestyle. Although it might not seem that way to you now. Hugs to you.

Each post that is made has something that is important to one of us. Thank you to all who post. It is a great help to me.
 
I should clarify that most hospitals have more than 1 pharmacy. One is for in-patients and the other is for the public. You will only be able to use the public pharmacy once you are discharged. The thing with using the hospital pharmacy is they usually carry the specialty items that some chain pharmacies have to backorder. It's just more convenient when you don't have to wait or go without something because of a return trip.
 
Again, thank you all, who have helped me with this question. I think I just needed to know I wasn't alone. At my post-op today, we confirmed that I'm healing slower than most, but there are no problems to speak of. I wasn't trying to scare anyone who hasn't had surgery yet, but I needed the advice. Yes, it is worth it. And I've been cleared to eat soft/ pureed foods. Yay!!!!!
 
Suzie-just wanted to check in and see how you were doing. I truly hope things are going well and you are on the mend.

Time 4 me
 
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