Question for People who already had DS

[SouthernGent]

Hello everyone! I hope you all are doing well. I have a question as I approach the week and a half mark before my surgery. I know all people are different with pain tolerance but if I could get some opinions of what to expect from when I wake up through the first few days after surgery. I have heard some people say that you feel like you have swallowed a bunch of broken glass but I wanted to see if someone could "paint a picture" for me as to what to expect. I have had other surgeries so I know it isn't a walk in the park but if you guys could give me some of your experiences, I would be most appreciative. Thank you so very much in advance!

 

[KathrynK]

I had laporascopic so this might not apply to open surgery. is equivalent to other abdominal surgeries like gallbladder surgery in my experience. It was uncomfortable to move or shift my position in bed, but not the pain the slices through you and makes you want to cry out. I was grateful for IV pain killers and they didn't take them away until I was ready for them to. It is not a walk in the park, but it heals quickly and I was so focused on the future weight loss that I didn't dwell on it much. The worst memory was the hospital food. If you want me to eat broth can't you make it from scratch instead of putting a cube of bullion in hot water? I didn't have enough pain to make me want to stay!

 

[Clematis]

I've had kidney stones on several occasions -- the worst unrelenting pain I have ever had. I had two cesarian births -- the first after 36 hours of labor and 4 hours of pushing -- then having my guts carved open... and having to care for and nurse a newborn 24/7 while in pain and recovering. So I was apprehensive about the pain from a DS.

However I had almost no pain from the laparoscopic DS. I was on morphine for two days then remained in hospital for another 2 nights (that's how they do it in MX). When I left the hospital on day 4, I never took any pain medicine again, not even a tylenol. I had a little discomfort rolling over in bed -- not pain exactly, just aching. That was gone in a week, tops. The button from my jeans ground into one of the little incisions -- more annoying than painful. Most here have reported the same inconsequential pain level. (Never heard anyone say they felt like they swallowed broken glass.)

You'll be fine. And you won't have to take care of a newborn.

 

[Kristaz]

Mine was open and a revision so my guts were way scrambled. Internal I was sore felt like you've been kicked or in a pretty good car accident. Incisional pain wasn't bad other than pulling on it like moving stretching etc. I was off pain pills within a day or so getting home other than like tylonel. I had a feeding tube which sucked and caused the most pain.

 

[DianaCox]

I'm a pain wuss. I had Demerol in the hospital for 2 days, 1 day of Torodol, then was sent home with Vicodin. I choked on trying to take the Vicodin and didn't take anything after that - I was sore and tired but not in real pain so long as I was not moving around too much. I had lap plus hand-assist, and in addition to my DS I had my gall bladder out, my appendix (which was in an abnormal place and required two extra lap ports to find and remove), and an umbilical hernia repaired. So for me, it wasn't that bad.

Your throat may be sore from being intubated, but not like swallowing broken glass.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

My lovely surgeon kept me in the hospital loaded on morphine...

 

[duh_Mom]

Hey @SouthernGent we all experience pain differently and only you know what your pain threshold is so dont freak out about it too much. I do understand wanting to know. If you expect the worst then when it is not that bad it is all good.

I am a revision from lapband - had a lot of adhesions removed that damn lapband was actually grown to my liver. I was a laparoscopic approach. The first day I was up walking and seemed to be doing well - unfortunately had an unusual complication that required a second surgery. Pain was not really worse the second time around - one thing I did notice was that I needed to sleep in a recliner for a couple weeks and there was not way in hell I could lay on my side flat in bed. someone on this site suggested an abdominal binder which did help to be able to lay flat but took several weeks before I could sleep on my side. I have had gallbladder out per laparoscopic approach and and open hysterectomy. The incisional DS pain was worse than the gallbladder, but not as bad as the hysterectomy.

 

[Munchkin]

Mine was open and I wasn't really in pain, just uncomfortable. I hated the pain pump. Never enough meds to get to sleep, just enough to take the edge off. I would have much preferred a shot! Actually, the vicodin I got when I was at home was the best I had. I could relax and sleep! It wasn't as bad as what I was prepared for!

 

[DSRIGGS]

My virgin lap DS was pretty easy as far as gut pain. I was in the hospital for 4 days and then sent home with Norco. I don't think I took any of the NORCO. I did have gas pain from the lap surgery and that was in the shoulder but my gut was tender but not horribly sore like it was after this hernia repair I just had.

 

[Susan in Tennessee]

Hello everyone! I hope you all are doing well. I have a question as I approach the week and a half mark before my surgery. I know all people are different with pain tolerance but if I could get some opinions of what to expect from when I wake up through the first few days after surgery. I have heard some people say that you feel like you have swallowed a bunch of broken glass but I wanted to see if someone could "paint a picture" for me as to what to expect. I have had other surgeries so I know it isn't a walk in the park but if you guys could give me some of your experiences, I would be most appreciative. Thank you so very much in advance!

Hi, Southern gent, good to hear from you again. It's been a while. I was just like you, wondering what and how severe of pain to expect. Only surgeries I've had were tonsils removed and gallbladder removed several years ago. I had my DS the 10th and I'm happy to say the pain wasn't what I'd call bad at all, still isn't. I woke up and thought, well, this isn't too bad. I was on morphine though but asked them to stop it the next day because it made me so shakey I could barely walk. I needed to urinate shortly after waking and reached for the bed rail and tried to get up and that hurt some but more like the sorest sorest muscles you've ever had from doing a zillion sit-ups. After I got off the morphine I think I took 3 Supradols which is a sublingual non-narcotic pain med similar to Tylenol I think. It seemed like late afternoon I started feeling more sore and not as well so I'd ask for one. I have been able to sleep ok, on my back is the best, on side doesn't feel too great. I wish you an easy, low pain surgery. Oh, I had lots of scar tissue and adhesions and my surgery lasted five hours, so degree of pain must not be worsened by that...or you'd think I would have been in a world of hurt. The drain was the most uncomfortable spot so it felt better after it was removed on Monday afternoon, after Friday surgery.

 

[southernlady]

Of the surgeries I have had, open hysterectomy, tonsillectomy/UPPP for sleep apnea, back surgery (twice), jaw surgery (and then 2 more to remove the plates and screws), gall bladder and my DS, the easiest was the gallbladder, second easiest was the DS.

Everyone perceives pain differently. I seem to tolerate quite a bit before hitting the "I can't stand it any longer" stage. But one thing I do know is for the first few days after a surgery TAKE YOUR PAIN MEDS ON schedule. Don't wait til you hurt cause by then it's too late. If it says every 4 hours, it's every 4 hours. By about day 3-4, you can stretch it out a wee bit but when you start to feel like you might be starting to hurt, take one.

I was one who slept in my bed right after I got home. Others have to sleep in a recliner. I think part of mine was I knew how to log roll out of bed to avoid using my stomach muscles. Many people do not know that trick. I had to do that for my back surgeries so it was one trick in my arsenal.

 

[harrietvane]

I wasn't too bad pain-wise. I had some pain medication in hospital overnight (though the hot water bottles under my back were the best), and when I had the nurse in the hotel overnight too. I was much more challenged by wanting to throw up every time I tried to sip. I took an occasional painkiller for a few days, then just at night, then was onto Tylenol for a day or two before I didn't have any discomfort. I had no problem sleeping on my side right away.

 

[Charris]

Mines was so painful I wanted to die! But the pain meds he was giving me were inadequate. Also I was so filled with adhesions it took 3.5 hours just to clean them out before he could even start the revision. When the pharmacy calculated the pain meds I take on a daily basis and what Dr.K was giving me they told him it was the equivalent of a baby asprin. So after that he brought out the big guns and I was ok. I think whatever amount of pain it's worth it but it's not too bad because pain meds can control it.

 

[ampt]

Like someone said, it is different for everyone. The pain was manageable as long as you stay on top of the med schedule (EVERY FOUR HOURS the first handful of days, AT LEAST), but it was just the general feeling of tiredness, and being so damn uncomfortable that was just down right ANNOYING. I slept propped up on the couch or in a recliner for those first two weeks. You are soooooooooo (SO!) tired. The first couple of weeks are literally, sleep, sip, walk, repeat. You are in straight SURVIVAL MODE. After that, you are able to move more, know what foods your body can handle, etc.

 

[aaa]

I had it done lap. The pain was there but not screaming pain. I was able to push a button and give myself IV medication every few hours or so. I needed it for the first few days. Then I went to oral meds.

All of the orthopedic surgeries I've had were much more painful.