Question:
How would you rate your pain right after surgery with a lap RNY from 1-10?
I know everyone is different but I was just wondering. 1 being minimal pain 10 being maximum pain. Also was it managed with the pain meds and how much better did it get with that? Thanks! — Allison T. (posted on March 19, 2002)
March 18, 2002
1. I never had pain, just soreness for a few days.
— lessofme170
March 18, 2002
Woke up in recovery, OUCH, but pain went away fast! I was SO HAPPY to be
alive I truly didnt care! Day of surgery back in room a one, mostly
discomfort. Day 2 a 2. Only when getting up, sitting or laying or walking
it was near zero. Incidently I am a WHIMP. Good question for me it was
easy. Once I got home it was discomfort ONLY. Get MOVING, the MORE YOU WALK
THE BETTER YOU FEEL, less chance of blood clots too!
— bob-haller
March 18, 2002
I am having most of my soreness since I got home. Actually, I think it is
from getting in and out of bed and straining. The worst part is on the left
side where the drain is. Once I am up and moving, I'm ok......and sitting
in the recliner,etc. The most discomfort I had post op was horrible
headaches. Wear your abdominal binder.......it helps!
— Bonnie H.
March 18, 2002
The first time they got me up to walk I would say the pain was a 7 but when
I was in bed I was very comfortable. The pain meds worked great on day 1.
I stopped all pain meds by day 2 and went home on day 3. I will suggest
that you ask for some pain meds before you get in the car for the ride
home. I was off all pain meds then and wished I had asked for some for the
ride home. I felt every little bump in the road!!
— Elizabeth C.
March 18, 2002
Four of us in our family have had lap RNY, and I am the only one who
experienced intense discomfort (rating 6-7) immediately after
surgery.....the rest of them rated their pain as a 3-4 during the first
day. I had some deep pain which radiated to my mid-back area during the
first several hours after leaving the Recovery Room. My surgeon explained
that that happens to a few patients because the surgeon is working so
"deep" in some areas. The other members of my family didn't
experience this at all, only complained of incisional discomfort. An
injection of Demerol relieved the back pain that I had, and it never
recurred after that initial injection. For the rest of that day, I would
also have rated my pain a 3. By the next morning, my IV was removed, I was
up walking every 2 hours in the hall, my pain medications were changed to
Percocet tablets, and I would have rated my pain as a 2 on movement
only....no pain at rest. That was also true on the 2nd post-op day when I
was discharged, and when I got home I only took the Percocet at night to be
able to get comfortable in my flat, non-hospital bed :-). I didn't need
any pain meds for sleep after the 5th post-op night, and returned to
full-time work 8 days post-op. My other family members had the same
experience, so I don't think that I have a necessarily high pain threshold.
Best wishes to you!
— Diana T.
March 18, 2002
Hi Alison! I am 6 days post-op (Lap RNY 3/13/02) and I don't think my pain
was ever above a 6. The worst pain was when I had to lie on my side for
the X-ray and then they left me there for about 15 minutes while they joked
around in a back room! You can bet your bottom dollar I yelled at them!
That was the most pain I experienced, but it also lead to the biggest
relief in the hospital: no leaks and I got my NG tube out! After that,
and since I've been home, the pain hasn't been bad at all. I would say
discomfort is a better word. I had more pain with my gallbladder surgery 6
years ago, and the attacks I had leading up to that surgery were completely
off the charts, so maybe I have a high threshold for pain. My doctor told
me to take my pain meds (liquid Vicodin) until it's gone, which should be
in the next day or so, although I don't take them as often as they are
prescribed, which is every 3 hours. I take it 3 times a day is all and am
feeling better every day! Ya-hooo!!
— LaRayne H.
March 18, 2002
I had surgery (Lap RNY) 2/21/02... I'd rate my post-op pain a 6... This did
not even COMPARE to the open hysterectomy I had years ago!!! Two days later
when I went home I'd give it a 4... a week post-op a 2... two weeks out and
I felt fine :). I'm 4 wks tomorrow, and feeling 110%, and 31# lighter.
Hope this helps!
— Michelle B.
March 18, 2002
I think overall I would rate the pain coming out of the anasthesia as a 5
for me. BUT that was almost all back pain from lying on my back for hours.
Not a pretty picture when you have a big butt! =) The pain from the
operation itself was not that bad. I think maybe a 2. I slept thru it to be
honest. When I went home I felt like I had gone a couple rounds with a
prize fighter. I WAS really grouchy, tho and I don't know if it was the
type of anasthesia they used or what but BOY for a couple of days I was
really hard to take! LOL I took pain meds for a few days after I got home
but didn't feel like they helped much so I stopped them. Incidentally I
didn't have too much trouble getting up and down from chairs, bed, and
toilet which surprised me cuz I had lots of trouble with that from my
c-section.
— ctyst
March 19, 2002
When I woke up from surgery... I rate the pain I felt as a 1.5! Now I felt
like I had been hit by a semi truck and dragged a few blocks but that wasnt
painful it was more of an impactlike overall crappy feeling, not a pinpoint
painful feeling. It is amazing how many of us use the truck analogy... and
you will understand it when you awake from your surgery. Not really
painful... and only until they gave me a shot. Only needed a couple of
shots because I didnt like the spacey feeling.
— SusanMaria
March 19, 2002
I'll be 6 wks post op this coming Friday, and I'd rate my pain as a 1. The
"hit by a truck" feeling others spoke of is true, but pain wise,
piece of cake. My anesthesia and pain meds were causing extreme nausea,
which was WAY worse than the pain. Once they switched my pain med, no
problem. I never took the prescribed pain med after I got out of the
hospital. Like you said, everyone's different though. Good luck!
— GGinMA
November 1, 2002
Hi everyone. I guess I am truly blessed because the only thing that was
bad for me was waking up in Recovery sick as a dog - they gave me something
that zapped me out and from there I did wonderfully. I had some stiffness
and soreness when getting up and down. I thought I would have to sleep in
a recliner when I got home just because I was afraid of the pain getting in
bed and actually trying to lie on my side or getting in and out without
help BUT I had no problem at all. The only dicomfort I've had is gas in my
abdomin from not watering down my fruit juices - DUH!!! LOL Anyway, I am
only 2 weeks post-op and I can honestly say that this was no worse than my
C-Section and a whole lot easier than my gall bladder suregery which was
done the old fashioned way - cut me open from my breast plate to my belly
button....HELLO!! That hurt!!! I wish everyone could breeze through the
surgery part as well as I did. Deb
— [Deactivated Member]
November 1, 2002
I thought I was pretty pain-tolerant, but this surgery kicked my butt.
About 6 hours after I came out of surgery (and as the anesthetic was really
wearing off), my pain was at a 12....it was then that the doctors believed
me when I told them that I don't respond to morphine, and they switched my
pain med. After finally getting the pain med I needed, I would say my pain
was about a 4-5 for the first few days. As others have said, it was the
gas pain that was the worst part. But now, ten days later, the gas pain is
gone...and I have the WORST pain about an inch to the right of my largest
incision -- doc says this is the worst pain I'll have. When its flaring up
(it comes and goes) it can be anywhere from a 6-10, but when its not
flaring up (like right at this moment), I feel perfect. I'm still on
darvocet, and that helps. For comparison's sake -- I had lap gall bladder
removal four months ago and had zero pain. But...on the upside...that
which does not kill us makes us stronger, and lord, I'm going to be strong
and skinny. :)
— Tamara K.
November 1, 2002
I'd say a 1. The only pain I had at all was a phantom pain around my left
shoulder which was from the gas they fill you up with. I felt bloated and
uncomfortable but never felt any pain throughout my recovery.
— Melissa F.
July 9, 2003
Lots of pain. I didn't expect any. I just thought I'd be on morphine. No
the drugs mad me nauseous so I remained in pain for 18 hrs or so. Not
pleasant.
— Donna W.
July 9, 2003
Pain was 0, not even one day of pain, thank God. I did have an allergic
reaction to the morphine which caused internal hives. I've not taken any
pain medication in the 4.5 months I've been post-op. Can count the times
I've vomited on one hand so I feel extremely lucky. Did feel like I'd been
hit by a truck the first week though and was also on an emotional roller
coaster that first week too. Even nightmares. After that, I was back to
normal and back to the gym on the treadmill 3 weeks post-op. Good luck on
your journey.
— Deanna C.
July 9, 2003
I'd rate it somewhere between 2-3. That first day, I explained to my family
that it felt like I'd been punched in the stomach, or had done 1000
crunches...sore, but easily managable. By the second day, I requested
that the morphine drip be shut off, only allowing me to administer it if I
felt I needed it. After I was transfered out of ICU into a regular surgical
room, the nurse checked my morphine and asked me if I knew how to use it,
since none had been used. I was sent home with Percocet, or one of those
drugs, but I never even took one pill. I slept in my own bed from the
first night home. The only real discomfort I had was from the drainage
tube left in me, as it was pressing up against my diaphram. Once that was
out, I was totally pain/discomfort free. I'm scheduled for a
abdominoplasy, and I'm trying to pysch myself up for the pain, as I've
heard it's much, much worse.
— Cyndie K.
December 10, 2003
The nurse in the recovery room asked me to rate my pain from 1 to 10 and I
told her 15. I was so glad for the morphine. I had my gallbladder out in
the 70's and I don't remember the pain being this bad. But everyone
tolerates pain at different levels.
— Theresa B.
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