Home from plastics.

Many years ago I had plastics on my abdomen for non-wls reasons, and, it is rough the first few days. I know in recovery and CCU I was hoping to get better quick or something. Once you make it past that, I hope it will be smooth sailing for you.

I will keep swinging these lizards. I hope you get some relief soonest and the healing is better than you expect.

--g

you're in our thoughst there bean girl.  hope you heal quickly and the pain subsides faster.  swingin' it old school for ya.

You can do it!  I've heard PS pain sucks, but you'll get through it.  I second what others have said ... call your doc and get something stronger for the pain.  We're rooting for you!

Aww Hon!  I'm sorry you're in such pain!!  

I hope with time you'll be pleased with the results of your PS.

Keeping ya in my prayers! 

Love, Julie

Aww, bean, I'm sorry.  You just call that doc and demand something that will help.  Be a real pain in the arse.  Opps, poor choice of words, huh? 

Omg who is your surgeon?? He sounds like a total jerk! I know you have had sphincter of oddi issues (as do I) ...How did you find something you could take for pain? Prayers headed your way!

Marilyn in ohio

ds i*****

Dr. Hess

There is sooo much swelling, you just look like frankenstein the first month, it's normal.  But get a compression garment STAT!  It helps so much with swelling.  Don't overthink the results right now.  PS isn't perfect so never go into it expecting that.  And you can ask about the scars you don't like at your post op visit.  He may have done it for a reason so that you had a better result.

Keep bugging about pain meds.  I took percoset and muscle relaxers like candy for the first two weeks and I was still in a lot of pain.  I can't imagine anything less.

I ended up going to my local ER and working with them.  I explained the doses the PS was trying to tell me to take of the narcotics and the mix and how it made me very uncomfortable.  I asked if they could do a local or a nerve block- and they said no, but they DID say they could give me a Fentanyl patch at a low dose to get me by until Monday when I could be referred to a pain management Dr for further eval.  They also pulled a drain that hadnt put out anything in over 24 hours and appeared to be pressing on a sensitive area on the CT they did.  The CT found a few pockets of fluid- seroma, cyst, etc, which Im not thrilled about and hope my body will absorb on its own, and also some major pockets of swelling.  Nothing that needed immediate attention and my labs all looked great.  No evidence of infection, yet, even though Im running a fever.

Anyway- I got home from the ER at 2am with that Fentanyl patch on, laid down and didnt wake up until 2PM!  I slept, completely PAIN FREE and comfortable for 12 HOURS.  Ive now been up and moving for 40 minutes and I feel GREAT!  Yes, Im sore, and tight, and things pull here and there- but the PAIN is gone and I can function.  

Now tell me WHY- my surgeon, when I asked him about this twice preop, once the day of surgery, and then about a MILLION times postop, wouldnt agree to a a pain patch, and would rather continue to dump unsafe levels of STRONG narcotics in a bad combination down my throat?  Lets take a look at risk vs reward, shall we?  I think this is a perfect example....  Grumble.  Oh well, its in the past.  The pain is manageable and much better, I can now truly get around better and ditch the high level narcotics and all their lovely side effects and get on with healing.  Thank God.

So thats my update.  Things are looking up and going about as well as I could hope, I guess.  Thanks for the ideas, thoughts, prayers and lizards!

I had to come check on this post in hopes you were doing better. I'm glad you managed to bypass that jerk surgeon and get something useful. 

If you don't have one, get a compression garment STAT that covers all worked on areas, ESPECIALLY since you already know there are seromas forming. It is possible to have them drained via needle if they don't resolve, but your better off getting rid of them before that with compression and/or drains, and your results will be better as the compression helps the skin to re-adhere to the muscle, and will be firmer if no pockets are allowed to remain.

Now lay back down and gets lots of rest.