Surgery and pain

[MethodAir]

Well Cooker - I was extremely fit prior to surgery - I keep saying I was weight lifting (not girlie weights) and walked six miles the day before surgery. I had no cardiac symtpoms either. I would have had active muscle to cut through ! Also being so fit prior to surgery it took a while to get back to that level !

But you know something very thought provoking here. On another thread re the choice between mechanical and tissue valves, some who had mechanical valves are saying they wouldn't want to go through this surgery again, and their surgeons described the surgery as "brutal" ! And on this thread some people said they were taking Tylenol just a few days post surgery. Tylenol is paracetamol ! So on the one hand we have peope saying the surgery is so brutal they don't want it again while others saying pain so mild that all they need is paracetamol (an over the counter stuff for minor aches and headaches) !

They are referring to Tylenol 3 (with codeine), not the over the counter version. They often do this as it is perceived to have less addiction risk as morphine or oxys. But it can have very adverse effects on the liver, which is why they switched in my case. Should have been on an opiate from the start had more attention been paid to the lab readings.

While the pain from the sternotomy varies, the high level of discomfort and acute debilitation from the procedure seems to be universal. It's a lot of wear and tear, not the kind of thing one should be subjecting their body to if at all possible.

 

[Zoltania]

At the risk of upsetting some people - I think pain following surgery depends on several factors and not on whether a person is "tough" or "weak" - whatever tough or weak means, how do you measure it ? The toughest person in the world can get a lot of pain and the weakest person can get less pain. A lot of the pain a person gets post surgery depends on what went on in surgery and what pain medications are given following surgery. All of us had different surgeons, different protocols etc.

Anne, you're quite right. I was being flip with my comment about "toughness" and, on second thought, it wasn't appropriate. Thanks for pointing this out. All of us here are tough, even if we don't necessarily feel like it.

Claudia Z.

 

[gregjohnsondsm]

Paleogirl. You mention on other topics some say they don't want to go through this again. I was one of those I think. But the reason is not the pain. Don't get me wrong it was rough and I had no clicker. But the reasons I wouldn't want to go through this again are: 1 pump head and the possible mental side effects of H-L bypass and anesthesia. 2. Risks of infection and permanent damage from it. 3. Death and all the side effects from that.
I had rotator cuff repair and the pain from that surgery was far worse initially than the OHS. I was screaming when I woke up.

 

[neil]

don't think anybody would want to go through it again unless they had to same as nobody wants to go through with it all the first time,but some find the process not as bad as others, thats life I guess,

 

[yotphix]

The pain of the sternotomy wasn't the nicest thing ever, but it was far from the most painful things I've ever felt. Surgery on my eyelid was significantly worse, for example, though it didn't last nearly as long! The tattoo I got next to the sternotomy scar was also more painful than the cut itself. the chest pain was more of an ache than anything else.

 

[Superbob]

I was advised beforehand to take the pain meds offered by the nurses before you feel pain -- don't wait for the pain to set in. I did -- they were dispensing percocet -- and I never felt any significant pain. Some discomfort, sure, but no bad pain.

 

[carolinemc]

I had some discomfort in the sternum after surgery. Did pain meds for a few days, then had to take Tylenoyl(I use the extra strength), and did well after that. Just remember you have to wait a bit before you can pick up heave things. And talk walks, even if it is in the house. You take it easy and do what the doctor told you. You will be fine soon enough. Hugs for today.

 

[Burto A.]

My pain was never above an eight and mostly was around 5-6. The hardest part was getting up from lying down and vice versa.
When I got home from the hospital I had to sleep in a recliner chair because lying flat or propped up with pillows was pulling a lot on my incisions. I always said, the most painful part of the day was the end.
After a couple weeks I weened my self off my pain meds and took Tylenol mostly during the day and my Norcos at night before bed.

 

[contarius]

I'm surprised that it wasn't too bad for many people, but I guess I'm new here and haven't talked to a lot of other OHS patients. I just kinda assumed that it was super painful for everyone. I consider myself pretty good at ignoring pain, and both my surgeries were rough. I guess the first came with complications, but the second didn't have any serious complications and hurt more than the first. The nurses said second surgeries always hurt more and take longer. More scar tissue to cut through, I guess.

 

[Lawdog]

Solid 7. I am 40, and I will be 3-weeks post-op, tomorrow. Good news, however, is that they keep you pretty comfortable with pain medicine. Because I am on the younger side, they told me that people, especially men, younger than 45 actually experience more pain. I also ran a fever in the hospital, which did not help.

Good luck!

 

[almost_hectic]

Solid 7. I am 40, and I will be 3-weeks post-op, tomorrow. Good news, however, is that they keep you pretty comfortable with pain medicine. Because I am on the younger side, they told me that people, especially men, younger than 45 actually experience more pain. I also ran a fever in the hospital, which did not help.

Good luck!

I'll attest to that. Just in the past day or two my condition has vastly improved, as I'm in the same boat 3 weeks out. Still can't be completely comfortable without pain meds, but it's getting easier ever day.

 

[Paleowoman]

Because I am on the younger side, they told me that people, especially men, younger than 45 actually experience more pain.!

No kidding ! Is this why men get man flu ;-) (see link below)

I also ran a fever in the hospital, which did not help.

I ran a fever too, nursing staff kept telling me it was "normal" to run a fever post surgery. Eventually, after five days of fever, they decided to take my fever more seriously and did some checks and dsicovered I had a urinary tract infection - then they did blood tests for endocarditis and echocardiogram etc

Ah if only I had been a man and young: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbmbMSrsZVQ

 

[pellicle]

No kidding ! Is this why men get man flu ;-) (see link below)

Deserved a preview window
[ link ]

 

[bradvo]

Hell yes it hurts and the bus or truck analogy to me was right on, but then again, it suppose to hurt. Pain mgmt. is key as others expressed.

I'm now on my 3rd week recovery from shoulder rotator cuff surgery, hurt like hell too. Its also going to be a longer recovery then my open heart.

Bout all I can say about the difference is the open heart scared me more, both surgeries are meant to give me a better quality of life tho right.

Don't freak yourself out about the pain, focus on being optimistic , believe me it helps a bunch .

 

[themalteser]

All - thank you for your input! Much appreciated. What kind of pain do you feel? Sharp, dull, achy? Do you feel your heart (palpitations?) and how did you reassure yourself that everything is Okay ? i.e pain is not coming from the heart, or the pumpkin head is not a stroke etc. ?

 

[AZ Don]

For me I would say the pain was maybe a 5. Once I was home I only took ibuprofen for the pain. I had a major knee surgery where I woke up to a machine that flexed my knee automatically to promote cartilage growth - that was a 10. The reference to being hit by a bus is that it is more than just pain. Even the first two days I was comfortable enough lying still, but the prospect of getting up to sit in a chair (1st day?) or walking (2nd day) seemed impossible, yet I did them. I was pretty tired the first few days after surgery so didn't have the energy for things like I normally would. When lying still the pain was dull to non-existent. Moving, coughing, or especially sneezing can cause sharp pains. Taking out the wires and tubes was also sharp but over very fast and did not hurt after.

Re. how to reassure yourself that everything is ok. Pain is to be expected. I would say that if something unexpected comes up that is something to ask the Dr. about. Most can probably wait until an appt. Things that are more urgent are fever and afib. Afib by itself is not so bad, just that it increases risk of clot/stroke so good to get it stopped quickly.

 

[ALLBETTERNOW!]

pain was bearable. They have good drugs to manage it, just stay ahead of it.

 

[LondonAndy]

I have said to friends that pain was remarkably low - I guess 2 to 4, and perhaps a factor is what you physically do - I was cautious about doing anything that might cause the sides of my chest to move where they had opened me up! My hospital arranged an excellent session prior to surgery explaining what to expect, which helped, and pain management was excellent. I think this included morphine on an IV drip whilst in intensive care post-op, and once I was moved down to the next level of care I could request it if needed (and did a few times). Memory is a bit vague about details, and once discharged it was a combination of paracetamol and dihydrocodeine, with me left to reduce dosage as I felt able to do so. After a month or so at home I would reduce the dihydrocodeine and see how I felt, initially then taking a dose later, but soon was only on paracetamol.

 

[almost_hectic]

I'm going on 4 weeks now since surgery. My amount of pain is ver tolerable, however it's still there. I'm constantly reminded of it if I try to move suddenly or use my arms for just about anything. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. But this pain is the kind that plays on your mind, is it supposed to hurt still, is something not right, did I over do something? All the questions that race through your mind. Truthfully I think I'm fine but the questions come any way. I'm still a little further along each day, but it's such a SLOW process. It's quite frustrating. I feel up to doing much more and I've increased my walking every day and my BP and pulse has been improving greatly, I want to do more but instead I take it easy because of my pain level. I can take pain meds but prefer not to be on them round the clock.