Pain

Dear Friends, I had a open rny on July 13th. My surgery took 3 1/2 hrs. because my liver was so enlarged, from diabetes. I have a 6in scar. There were several complications, lungs collasped at bases, NG tube sucking out blood for several days & etc. Now my question, I am still in a lot of pain from my incision, & I feel like I'm recovering slowly. I'm not taking any pain meds, because I was starting to feel depressed, & want to be clear headed & etc. Has anyone experianced this, pain this long? Thank you, Joy

Of course youre still in pain. U had quite an ordeal. U need to make a choice Pain, or clear headedness. Id rather be depressed and pampering myself then in pain. Ask your doctor if there is another medicine that may work better for u. I hope you feel better soon. May god be with you through your trying times. This too shall pass. Love and mushiness, Bobbie

I say go for the pain meds. otherwise, your recovery will take longer. Trust me, I know this first hand... ~Cyndi

Joy, What pain medication are you taking? There are lots of good RX pain relievers out there and you may just need to switch. BUT...you stiil need to be taking them...you need your rest in order to heal. Chronic pain in itself is depressing, so don't be too strong and try to tough it out. You need to baby yourself right now and heal. Feel better soon!! Happy thoughts, Va Was/Am/Wannabe 232/163/130 -69 pounds -68 inches

Joy, I'm one of those rare individuals that had extreme complications. I was in the hospital for my first 4 and ½ weeks. I had intense pain for the first two months. Go for the pain meds so you can get some rest. Walk when you can, sip tha****er (in little tiny sips) constantly, and get some rest. We're praying for your recovery. Dx

Joy, Everybody's different. You had a lot going on. I'm two weeks ahead of you and did not have the complications you did. Most of my pain has been gone in the past week or so. Last week I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. This week it's much better. How are you sleeping? I took the pain meds especially to sleep. Most of the sleep I got in the first 2-3 weeks happened in a recliner. I'm a side sleeper and was uncomfortable sleeping on either side. My incision is only 4 inches and is healing well on the outside, but yesterday it felt like it was opening inside. Today it's fine. Tomorrow or next week you'll probably feel completely different. Hang in there. Can you cut the pain pills in half? As a doctor once told me, pain causes swelling and swelling causes pain. Stopping the pain may make you recover faster.

Thank You Dear Friends, I have Percocet. I will take it if I need it, thanks for reminding me how important pain management is. Surprisingly I am sleeping pretty good. I started wondering if my pain was normal at this point. Your responses are so helpful, I appreciate you taking the time to answer... I think I will go Baby myself, you said I should ..Thanks, Joy