just curious

[jax]

when i left the hospital last sunday they had told me that i needed to started wheaning myself off the pain meds that they prescribed. i have been able to for the most part not take them during the day but at night i get so sore that nothing but the pain meds are going to allow me to sleep. as it is i am still waking up 2 or 3 times a night and that is everynight. even if i am on the recliner my sternum and across my shoulders get extremely sore. I know i have read where alot of you were able to get off the pain meds rather quickly but in my honest opinion if i take tylenol at night i'm going to be up all night in pain. as it is even on my pain meds if try to roll over on to my right side which is always the way i sleep my shoulder is hurting so bad it makes me want to cry. it feels like my shoulder keeps popping out of place and it needs to pop back in. How am i supposed to reduce my pain meds when i hurt that badly?

 

[Marny]

They told me the same thing. I take mortin. When I first got home I would still take pain meds every 4 hours. Then the next week i would go to 5-6 hours. Then the next week i would cut my dose in half and then the next week i would cut that dose in half. Now I don't take anything except mortin. Hope this helps you. I am glad that you made it through the surgery. Hope the pain gets under control.

 

[Freddie]

Oh jax, really sorry to hear your in so much pain. Not will it help any, but I was only given Extra Strength Tylenol for pain. After about 10 days at home I asked my doc for a mild sleeping pill which did help.

Personally I wouldn't worry about weaning yourself off the pain meds yet. If you need to use them.....use them. Recovery can be difficult, but you shouldn't be in pain. In time it will get better.

Talk to your doctor about this and see what they say.

 

[Eva]

Each one of us is different. Others do great on tylenol or even without any pain killers. Not me, not for you either! Tylenol gave me energy and was not good enough for me at night. During the day, like you, I spaced the doses out, but I kept taking the pain killers (plus a sleeping pill) for a lonnnnnnnng while. My GP did not mind it nor worried...he actually did not want me to have pain or interrupted sleep ... I needed to sleep better to heal better and pain imposes tension on the body.

Take them as long as you feel you need them. You, yourself, will one day feel you do not need them anymore and your body will tell you when to stop. This is temporary situation, not like you are getting addicted to it.

 

[ChouDoufu]

they said to wean yourself off, not go cold turkey. it'll take time for the
pain to go away. if you're only taking them at night so you can sleep,
i wouldn't worry about getting addicted. at one week out, don't worry.

 

[Lynlw]

I wouldn't worry about the meds right now, it is still early, BUT I THINK maybe you shouldn't be sleeping on your side yet, I can't remember how long,(and of course every docs give slightly different advice) but for a certain time Justin was always told to sleep on his back and not his side or stomache because of the sternum

ps I can't remeber if you had your sternum open or they went thru your side, if they didn't use your sternum, than that not sleeping on your side is probably different.

 

[jax]

hmmm that is interesting. they never mentioned anything while i was in the hospital about not sleeping on my side. in fact while i was still in icu waiting for them to put in my pacemaker i was sleeping on my side. will have to give it a try sleeping on my back although i have never been comfortable sleeping that way maybe it will help a little.

 

[Eva]

hmmm that is interesting. they never mentioned anything while i was in the hospital about not sleeping on my side. in fact while i was still in icu waiting for them to put in my pacemaker i was sleeping on my side. will have to give it a try sleeping on my back although i have never been comfortable sleeping that way maybe it will help a little.

Jax, as LynW said there are different instructions by different hospitals/surgeons. I was surprised that at the hospital, the firt night after surgery, they made me sleep on my side (which I did not mind AT ALL, as I am a side sleeper). They put several pillows behind my back in order not to roll back and be flat on my back!!! I was sleeping sideways at an agle... could not roll backwards, nor forward. When I tried to sleep on my back at home, I felt my sternum was opening wide!! That was just me! My husband kept stacking pillows behind me during the night when I wanted to change sides the first few nights at home.

 

[ponytaila1a]

JAX....other than in ICU when they gave me the "pain clicker" I did not ever get on the drugs. They just were too strong for me.....but in my pre-testing conferences everyone RN's, PA's, Anethes, surgeon....all emphasized that they did not want me to be in pain. They said "the healing goes so much faster without the stress of the pain on your body." They kept saying "we will control your pain". I did not need the meds...but as everyone has said...we all are different. I believe your docs would want you on the meds rather than in pain. I would check with them.

 

[kfay]

Jax, I think alot of people find it very uncomfortable, if not painful, to sleep on their sides or stomachs for a while. Luckily, I didn't have hardly any pain in my sternum (my back was a different story) and was able to sleep on my sides and stomach as soon as they pulled my chest tubes. If you need to take a pain pill to get comfortable, then do it. If you are getting throughout the day without any, great. As for sleeping through the night, I don't think there is much you can do about that. I think alot of us had issues for a while getting a decents night sleep. I was good for about 3-4 hours at a time, then I'd have to get up and go to the sofa for a while. That's what naps are for!

Kim

 

[ALCapshaw2]

MANY of our members reported sleeping in a recliner for several weeks post-op. Some Hospitals / Surgeons even recommend that as a way to avoid sleeping on your side (which can Really Irritate your sternum until it becomes more solid at 4 weeks or so).

 

[TakeStock]

Jax, I would have needed pain medicine too to sleep on my side, but I found sleeping in a recliner to be relatively painfree and I was off the pain meds fairly quickly as a result. It wasn't until about 4 wks, I think, when I could sleep in a bed comfortably.

 

[Cris N]

I don't think I was able to sleep on my side for at least 4-5 weeks. Way too uncomfortable. Sleeping on my back was much better. Even when I started sleeping on my side I had pillows behind me giving my extra support. About the pain meds... if you need them to get good sleep, then by all means, take them. You need the sleep for healing. It will get better. When the time comes, and you can do it, cardiac rehab would probably be a really good idea - helps you get your strength back. You might also inquire about massage. A number of folks here have done that with great success.

I had great trouble with a rib - felt (and sounded) like it was popping. I did finally see a chiropractor (around 8 weeks I think). He was very good about doing some adjustments with me just sitting up - no way could I have laid down on the table

Hope you find some relief soon.

 

[laurad37]

I am 7 weeks post op and I still take pain meds... My doctor is very good and pain management. If you hurt, please take them. My doctor got mad at me for trying to wean myself off of them too soon (4 weeks post op). My back and shoulders are still sore along with the top half of my sternum.

 

[DebbyA]

Hi Jax,
Sorry you're having so much pain. It sounds like your shoulder got an extra strain from the surgical positioning.

I got off pain meds early, not because I'm so tough, but because there wasn't much pain. If you need them, take them.

Sleeping was another thing, though, and I took sleeping pills (Ambien) for several months. You really need the rest.

I found one of those Back Buddy pads you heat in the microwave very helpful for back pain. For some reason, my lower back started to hurt around bedtime every night. My mother recommended a pain relieving cream whose active ingredient is trolamine salicylate and it helped some. Both available at drugstores. I think in early days the upper back was made worse by the kind of protective hunching and clutching that pillow too hard, so it may help to try to relax, stretch, and flex your shoulders.

It will get better, but maybe not as fast as you'd like.

 

[JoeG]

Jax

I think you should take the pain meds as long as YOU need them, dont feel like you have to get off of them. Obviously we all know they are habit forming and keep you a little loopy. However, if for YOUR recovery YOU need them I think it is whatever makes your recovery tollerable. Good luck.

 

[towerman]

Very sorry to hear. Probably a recliner would be help. I was just lucky or I don't have any pain receptors left after they removed the drain tubes. Hopefully your docs will give you some guidance.

 

[KristyW]

Massage?

Massage?

Jax,

The surgeons place you in a very awkward position while they're working on you. That's where your shoulder pain is coming from. Would it be possible to get a massage to help that area? Same thing with your neck and back if they're bothering you.

I agree with the others that you should take the meds. Our bodies heal much faster when we're not in pain.

As for the cream with the salicylate...well check with your pharmacist. I don't remember whether you have a mechanical or tissue valve, but if you're on Coumadin/warfarin, anything containing salicylates (same ingredient family as aspirin) should be checked with a professional.

 

[netmiff]

if you need the pain meds, take them!

I slept sitting up for a couple of weeks post-OHS, but it was short sleep, maybe 3-4 hours at a stretch - and that's not like me, I could sleep 24/7 normally lol NO way could I lay on my side fora few weeks, and I justcan't get comfortable on my back.

 

[Megan]

hey jax- great ?. i was just wonderingthe same thing. im still taking tylenol with codeine but trying to space it out duirng the day. but im still in a fair amount of pain when i do this in my sternum and back. and i still am sleeping with alot of pillows on my back and the painmeds and a xanax at night to help me sleep. last night i slept6-7 hours straight for first time but boy was i sore at 5 am and i needed to take more pain meds at 9 am still. today i finally also got my inr up and a new drug today- digoxin to slow my heart which is beating very fast. going to bed right now. will check in tomorrow.