For the Ladies...

[Luana]

Comparing pain from a child's perspective to an adult's, well, it's not anything even in the same realm of experience. Children are far more sensitive to any pain.

 

[Gail in Ca]

When I had my 2nd surgery, it was at Stanford Hospital. A resident was going to do my chest tube removal. I asked the doctor who oversaw this resident if he would do it, and not the Dr who he was explaining how to do it. He told me "NO". Unfortunately, the resident did it. I told him that I had had my only child natural, and this was worse!!! It was fear and pain all rolled into one. He responded that he doubted that it was that bad, HAH!!
Now, this last surgery, I was a bit apprehensive about this prodedure. Good for me, a physician's assistant who had done many chest tube removals, came to do it. I asked her about it, as I was nervous. She said she did a good job and not to worry. She was right, and they came out no problem, no pain, and I was very happy with her technique! And I had 4 to remove this last time, unlike the 3 I had with my 2nd surgery.
I'm not sure if children are more sensitive to pain than adults. My daughter has been through many painful things in her young life, (iritis, ulcerative colitis,shin fractures) & being knocked down countless times in soccer, and took it very bravely! She has even been able to swim in a very cold ocean with no wetsuit. I'm sure each child is different in taking pain just as each adult is different.

 

[alesia]

Well for me it brings back bad memories for sure about those tubes! And I have had 3 kids, but this is totally different. Its the worse pain I have ever felt in my life.

 

[Nancy jane]

Ok so most Agee there is pain with tube removal. My thinking is how long ? And would the drugs help ? Had 2 kids but as my mother told me " you won't remember a thing." She was right. And while labor was a bear ( I cleaned that up ). It was a memory very soon.

Is it the same with the tubes ? I hope. Thx. Nancy Jane doing her 30 day cout down. Dum de dum dum !

 

[bradvo]

Ok so most Agee there is pain with tube removal. My thinking is how long ? And would the drugs help ? Had 2 kids but as my mother told me " you won't remember a thing." She was right. And while labor was a bear ( I cleaned that up ). It was a memory very soon.

Is it the same with the tubes ? I hope. Thx. Nancy Jane doing her 30 day cout down. Dum de dum dum !

Part of managing pain is keeping the meds ahead, let them know before any tubes are removed you want meds at 30 to 45 minutes before they pull them.
All I can say is it was a non event. I could feel a little pulling feel and that was that, was glad to have them out of me.
Make sure to ask for meds.

 

[Boston Tiger]

Ok so most Agee there is pain with tube removal. My thinking is how long ? And would the drugs help ? Had 2 kids but as my mother told me " you won't remember a thing." She was right. And while labor was a bear ( I cleaned that up ). It was a memory very soon.

Is it the same with the tubes ? I hope. Thx. Nancy Jane doing her 30 day cout down. Dum de dum dum !

I wouldn't rank the tube removal among the most painful things I faced in the hospital. That first time I didn't listen to the ICU nurse and just plopped back down into the bed was far more painful. Maybe that's because I was ahead with the pain medicine before my tubes were pulled. I'd just rate the tube removal as the weirdest thing I felt in the hospital. By then I had learned to listen to what the doctors and nurses were saying. So when they told me to take a deep breath and exhale throughout the removal, I did just that.

 

[Marcia58]

Four babies (one by c-sect), two chest tubes. Tube removals were a "non-event". Having them in, however, HURT! Felt like they were stabbing my liver. I was still getting Dilaudid for tube pain when my incision no longer bothered me.

 

[Duffey]

OKAY, okay!!!!!

You know, I believe that it hurts! I'm not that insensitive! If he couldn't stand up straight with the tube in, then you better believe it hurt! I do. I have no idea how much. And he asked if he could keep it in rather than have it removed because of how much it hurt the previous time it came out (though he couldn't stand up straight).

No, he's not a wuss on that account... Anyone who has gone through heart surgery should wear a star of pride for what they went through (especially those who have done it several times).

It's the other things that make him "wuss-worthy"... And I put in this category items that everyone experiences - stubbed toes, broken nails, chapped/split lips...

I find that his extreme reactions to these minor things make his reaction to the more major things less believable. On a scale of 1-10, I would put his reaction of the tube being pulled at a 27, and the hang nail at 25. This is why I call him a wuss...

But as you say, people feel pain differently. I just can't understand it with this kid.

I would not try to "understand" it. I would accept it, be thankful I wasn't the one experiencing it, be supportive, and move on.

 

[Marcia58]

I had to learn to control it to the level of an Apache warrior...an even harder time dealing with other's extreme reactions....

Something to remember is that pain response is a spectrum, and that controlling pain like an Apache warrior is no less an extreme than screaming at a hangnail. And both reactions make the medical staff's job harder.

 

[AJB]

How does the pain in having your chest tube removed compare to child birth?

Skyler has asked me for years about what it feels like to have a baby… His grandmother connected the two ideas. Now I’m asking for evidence. Is there even a comparison?

I have had two open heart surgeries and have had three children all natural with no drugs at all! I do have a high pain tolerance and I hate to take any type of drugs that are not absolutly nessecary and I must say the pain of the chest tubes was the worst pain I have ever felt!!!! They hurt well they were in and pulling them out was even more painfull even on all the pain med's.The first surgery I had two and on my second I had Three after the tubes came out I still had a lot of pain,very sore.It has been 18 months sense my last surgery and I remember the pain like it was yesterday. I would have six more babies drug free if it ment no more chest tubes! I know everyone is different but I can not imagine the pain a child would feel with chest tubes, if he said they hurt that bad trust him they did!

 

[sarahsunshine]

I believe you (and him)!