Immediate Post Surgery Pain

I've had two surgeries and had a very different pain experience upon waking for each. The first was planned at Mt Sinai, when I woke up I was in intense pain. I mean 11 out of 10 . Things are hazy, but I remember them having trouble bring down the pain and trying some stronger drugs. Once it was controlled, I never had anything like that again. For the rest of the stay, they used a self administered morphine pump.

For my 2nd surgery, which was an emergency at my local hospital, I woke up in no pain at all. I think I woke up many hours after the operation for some reason, and I never had any intense pain like the 1st experience. For that stay, they used Dilaudid (nurse injected), which I found very powerful (and very nice - except the withdrawal when I returned home).

I may or may not have another surgery ahead and I've been thinking about that pain - and I really would rather not have that again.

What do you think the difference was? And what was your experience upon waking? Is there anything I can ask my surgeon in advance?

-Joe

When I woke from my surgery I don't remember having any pain at all. I was on IV Demerol and Gravol for the first week, then was given regular Tylenol if I needed it (which I didn't). I don't know why I didn't have pain, but I'm glad I didn't! I had open surgery, so was expecting to be pain!!! I guess everyone's different....sorry this hasn't been more helpful!

I had an Epidural that wads supposed to remove the feeling form my mid section down to my thighs. It was put in before I went under and came out of place during surgery. So I believe I know exactly what you mean when you say 11 out of 10. They woke me and I started to sit into a tightly cured ball in BLINDING pain! They realized what had happened within seconds and riped the line out and reinserted it into my spinal column on the other side.

It sounds similar and might be the same kind of thing that happened to both of us.

I remember waking up from my surgery hazy and screaming in pain. the damn nurse was saying you have to wait a little because I'm handling another patient. I could kill him then if i wasn't still under the effect of anasthesia. After I don't know how much, he gave me IV morphine and i was in peace again

i've had 6 abdo open surgeries in the past, and every time i was in extreme pain when first waking, and for the next few times i woke too... i think i tend to sleep/wake a lot when i've had anaesthetic, but unfortunately i'm not one of those who forget those moments... i remember coming round in the post-op room one time, and silently mouthing to the nurse "it hurts" - and i remember that particular pain clearly.... i guess i'd give it 50 on a scale of 1 to 10.

i've mostly been given morphine post-surgery, which has been pretty good for me, a couple of times it was on a PCAS system, other times, injection.. and i've then gone on to voltarol injections and weaned down the pain relief as i healed.

i think the best thing you could do, if you do need further surgery, is talk about this with both the surgeon and the anaesthetist.. ask them to look at your previous operation notes and see what they gave you last time, as that was your better experience.

Thanks everybody. It sure looks like I will be having another surgery, so I will definately inquire within. That pain was scary. I also remember them not caring too much, but my recollection may have been off. Or they are just accostomed to people in that condition in the post-op room.

Hi CDDad, I havent welcomed you yet, just been busy. I have had two surgeries, and the first was not near as bad but I was alot younger and it was laproscopically done and was not overweight. The second was elective but turned emergency as my intestines were totally blocked and I was heavily infected. The put me on the epidural (which helps everyone but me) and I told them I was in pain and they said 'but you have an epidural you shouldnt be'! Well,,,, omg they pushed me over to my side to take the needle out and I screamed and I mean I screamed!! Idiots, should of given me something for pain before moving me!

After that the morphine pump was working. I hate drugs but I hated pain more. So sorry you are going thru this again. Most people want Laproscopic, you can ask but most times when you have had the regular surgery then dont do laproscopic. I was at a colon surgeon and he told me not likely could I have laproscopic done again. I didnt catch your surgery date yet?? Hope it all goes well, let us know what your surgeon says!

Thanks Jettalady,
The doc wanted me to come in to NYC to discuss the results. He said to bring my spouse because it gets emotional. I know he's talking about a ileostomy, and I've tried to prepare myself the best I could. (For me that's reseaching the heck out of it on google). Maybe I'll still cry like a baby, who knows. I'm trying to accept what I must, but it's hard.

The great folks on here with ostimies are really help me accept this. So thanks to them!

Hi Joe,
I had my surgeries done at mount sanai a few years ago. The second one I was in terrible pain and thank god I had my mother there as an advocate to get a pain management team to control the pain. My mother tried to explain to them... look if she is whispering she is in pain she needs something stronger. When I tried to get their attention at mt sanai they said ....yeah yeah dont worry you have been through a lot while petting my head. If I were able to move at that point or talk louder than a whisper it would not have been anything nice after hearing that.
The first surgery there seemed ok. Then the second within the week was a nightmare then the 3rd was to reverse what she did 5 weeks later. I felt like after the 3rd surgery she looked at me like a new pair of prada shoes. I complained on my visit after the 3rd surgery I feel stabbing pain and something is not right. I should have learned not to trust her but said ok I dont want to deal with more. She told me oh your just healing its normal to feel that. Then 4 weeks after they got me stable with my out of no where internal abcess at the surgery site and they transfered me back to mount sanai. The surgeon walked in and I screamed at her get out your not touching me. No one else would take my case and she said I would have to have another surgery. I refused and it healed on its own with meds and a 2.5 week hospital stay. I have had a lot of other stays at the local hospital and never experienced anything like that. I am possibly going to have to go for another surgery but I am not going near mount sanai for numerous reasons. Some people have great experiences but each time I did not.
I would suggest before you get the surgery to go to a few more doctors just to make sure for other opinions. I hope everything does work out for you And if you do need the surgery I hope that you have some relief after and feel well.

I was in the worst pain of my life after my surgery. I've never had a baby before but I know without a doubt that having a baby would be a cake walk compared to a pain that makes you vomit and pass out.

I'm pretty sure that the doctors and nurses are used to people being in that much pain and try to get to them as soon as they can when they can. But this one med student came in to check and see how I was healing and wasn't careful enough. I came this | | close to punching her in the face if she hadn't let go when she did. They liked to come in and open the bandage to look at the scare and she was poking at it. :mad2:

These stories of post surgery pain are amazing and sad. You would think they would be able to control it better. But so many of us have had similar experiences.

I am scheduled for my 3rd surgery on April 15th. The surgeon said he would use an epidural, so I happy about that. (as long as it does not slip out like Kenny's). He said it would stay in for about 3 days. Unless I heard wrong.

Can you walk with an epidural? I would imagine so since they want you walking right away.

I know my wife sure liked it two years ago during labor. She was in intense pain - they sent me out, did the epidural, and 5 min later she was back to her old self.

Yeah I was SO glad they used epidural after my surgery, it didn't slip out or anything luckily, the only thing that sucked was the 12 hrs after they took it out when they tried to get the pain under control, but after that it was fine.
I didn't find I could walk around whilst I had it in simply because it really lowered my blood pressure so I would faint and be sick if I moved too much even from the short distance of the commode to the bed. But I think that's just down to everyone's different.
I genuinely hope everything goes according to plan on the 15th

I also had an experience of a ton of pain as soon as I woke up. I remember being in the recovery room and on injection based pain meds, Dilaudid if I remember right, and telling the nurse that it wasn't doing enough.

Fortunately, the staff in the recovery room was very attentive. They immediately got the anesthesiologist back to the room, who ordered a new IV drug that had Ketamine in it. So within 20 minutes my pain was under control. I think its hard for them to gauge immediate post-op pain right because everyone reacts differently to pain meds.

You may want to ask about Ketamine if you're going into surgery and are worried about the immediate post op pain. Its pretty heavy duty though, I was in la la land for the first day or so until they could bring me back to Dilaudid.


Alex

Dilaudid

Joe, the best way to manage your pain is by being in charge and discussing with Dr Marion before the surgery. Also dont worry about being addicted to the Dilaudid. It is 10 times stronger than Morphine and does not have the side effects.
Speak with you pain management team before the surgery and to Bauer.
Have you considered laproscopic surgery? (surgery team #5 at Mt Sinai)
Mt. Sinai has the most experience and you picked a good surgeon
Good luck
You can IM if you want more details about the surgery team

Hi when I had my large bowel removed I don't remember being in pain after waking up from anaesthetic it's was more like the next day I was in absolute agony I had a morphine pump that worked wonders. Hope I have that again I'm scheduled for my rectum and anus removal on may 2nd scared of everything purely coz I was in so much pain last time took three and a half months to go. Hope it's not the same again....

i had the most horrific pain when i woke up form my small bowel resection! it was laproscopic but thre was an incision point at my navel to remove the part of the bowel. i just remember feeling like there was something sticking out of my navel, I remember saying to the nurse that it felt like there was a huge sharp stick in it lol they gave me more meds and it didnt help, i remember them saying- i this doesnt work i dont know what will. i didnt have an epiduaral and was on self induced morphine for the few days after, ireally didnt find morphine useful and i got told off for using it too much! as if i would be using it if i didnt need it. I remember crying so much in pain the might after they told me that, because i was trying to use less. the next day a different pain management person came and she was wonderful, she told me to use it as much as i needed, she got them to give me iv paracetemol and told them all off i wanted to hug her, but all i could do was cry!
the nurse also told me that if i didnt go to the bathroom soon they would have to put a tube down there and pump it out! i think they wanted me off the morphine and were blaming it for my slow bowel movement post - surgery

This is still fresh for me. My surgery was jan 8. After surgery I woke up in horrible pain crying and begging for medicine. I was still in recovery and my family hadn't even been called back. Next thing I knew I woke up and my husband was sitting next to me and they had hooked up the pain pump. All I can think is that I must have woke right after the surgery. It was a horrible experience that I pray I never have to do again. Upside is I was off major pain meds after first week. Nausea was my main problem the week in the hospital. And I have been through other surgeries and 2 csections. This was the hardest for me.