Question:
W hat type of pain to expect ?

Hello, I am scheduled for July 28th and I am officially anxious. I have never had any type of procedure and the unknown is taking its toll on me. I thought I could handle all of this on my own but now I know I need some support and am looking to connect with people on this journey.....    — hopefulee77 (posted on July 15, 2009)

July 15, 2009
i don't know what type of surgery you are having. i had RNY and i was in severe pain when i awoke in the hospital. i was requesting pain meds as often as they could be provided. once i left the hospital i was in a lot of pain and took my pain meds as often as i was allowed. the good news is this only lasts about a week and then you have no pain. it is pretty much just a horrible painful feeling under your chest and through your abdomen. it is a gassy pain, not really sharp but very pressur-y. you will be OK though. i think it is best to let you know that you will feel pretty bad because i did NOT expect the amount of pain i was in and i was really surprised. good luck!
   — greenpunchbuggie

July 15, 2009
Same as the previous poster, I was in an enormous amount of pain as I awoke from the surgery. That was the most pain, and then subsequently, I was in more moderate pain. I always needed more pain medicine! I kept calling the nurse, every 4 hours or so. Sometimes more. As the days went by, the pain lessened. After 3 weeks, the pain was gone. I must say, there is some pain, I am not going to lie. But it is well worth it!
   — mariposah

July 15, 2009
I had RNY on 18th May. I had no pain at all, just some discomfort the morning after my op. By day three I was refusing pain meds as I didn't feel I needed them. I went home on day four and was fine, no pain at all. In hospital they said I must have a high pain threshold but actually I don't and like you was really worried beforehand about how much pain I would be in. I was pleasantly surprised that having had such a major op I was pretty much pain free. Good luck, you will be fine and remember that any pain you do have will only be short term. In the long term you will feel so much better when that weight starts dropping off.
   — nicolam666

July 15, 2009
First off, remain positive. You are doing the BEST thing you can do to improve your health. Be strong and proud of your courage. My experience was nearly painless. I had no real discomfort to speak of. My advice is to listen to your doctor and take time to recover, and above all else know that you are strong enough to handle anything that comes your way. Good luck!
   — kayweid

July 15, 2009
I had RNY eight days ago and I had very little pain. The pain I had felt like I had done too many sit-ups. The gas from surgery was worse than anything else. I've had NO pain at the incesions. Good luck to you!
   — medwards62

July 15, 2009
I slept most of the day of surgery. My dr gives you the morphine pump and I did pump the heck out of it the first day and also the second. After that, the hardest part was getting up and down. You use your stomach muscles for that and it does hurt like heck. The first week you will ask yourself why you did this to yourself. THen each day you will feel better. Only problem for me were the staples. could not wear panties as they hit right where most of the staples were. Take gowns to wear in hospital. Then once the staples are out, and you see weight just melting off, you will be so happy and you will feel great after the second week. Energy galore. Feeling the best you have felt in a long long time. I am three months out and have lost 55 pounds!
   — Kathy Thomas

July 15, 2009
I had my RNY in late March of this year. I awoke from surgery and pretty much had no pain. I was up and out of the bed within three hours and walking the halls by about five hours. My biggest "discomfort" was thirst, all I could have was crushed ice and I was only supposed to have tiny amounts of that. I think by the next morning I had gone through almost a quart of crushed ice. Luckily I had my upper GI xray study done by 8:00 a.m. and by 9 I was able to have my "liquid" diet tray. I was discharged 48 hours after my surgery and I think I took a total of four pain pills when I got home and that was more to make sure I didn't have any pain when I was going out during the first week. I returned to driving and my desk job seven days after surgery. I wish you all the best. Bob
   — rkurquhart

July 15, 2009
I was in NO pain what so ever. I took the morphine in the hospital, but I think it was the anesthesia (I liked hearing the ding! lol) But when I got home I did not use a single pain pill. I was up and walking the same night as surgery I had RNY open. I hope this helps and makes you feel better. Just know everyone is different. Good luck with you journey to a better you!
   — bostonkid33

July 15, 2009
I had my surgery RNY on July 7,2009 and I didnt have that much pain from the surgery. I was off the pain medication after day three. My most pain came from gas. It hit me all of sudden and it felt like I was having a heart attack. Make sure you walk to releive the gas that is the best way. Good luck!!!!!
   — DonnaRo

July 16, 2009
Hi Felicia...I had my lap RNY back on March 2nd, and I was in almost no pain at all (from the surgery - I suffer from severe lumbar spine pain, but thanks to the morphine pump, even THAT was eliminated for the first two days). I didn't have any problems getting up right away, nor walking (they made me do a lap of the floor within about 2 hours of getting to my room!). BUT, a few days after I got home, I pulled a muscle trying to turn over in bed, and that hurt quite a bit for a few days - but not enough for pain pills. If you have a recliner, or can borrow one, you might want to sleep in THAT for the first week or two, so you don't have the problem of trying to turn over or push yourself up from a laying down position. Also, you won't necessarily have staples. My surgeon closes his incisions with dissolvable stitches on the inside, and "skin glue" on the outside. That was REALLY nice.
   — Erica Alikchihoo

July 16, 2009
The pain will feel like you did 5,000 sit ups. But use your pain meds. They help you heal faster and easier. Take the pain med before your pain starts. Your abdomen will just feel like you excercised too much, did too many sit ups. That is the only way I can describe it. But that is for the RNY.
   — Kristy

July 16, 2009
Hi Felicia, Good luck on your upcoming surgery. I don't know which surgery you're having, but I had RnY bypass 4 weeks ago. I did wake up in recover with considerable pain. I told the nurse right away to increase my pain med (they put me on a morphine pump). 30 minutes later, I called her again and said it wasn't enough, so she gave me more. Everyone's pain threshold is different. Whatever you do, make sure you TELL the nurses right away if the pain med they give you is not enough. They will make sure you get to the point where you are comfortable. There is no need to feel pain, but they have no idea how much to give you if you don't speak up. Tell them if you still have pain after the first dose. Also, walking the halls as much as possible alleviated a lot of the pain and gas. Good luck on the 28th. You must be getting so excited! Marcia
   — marcia5000

July 16, 2009
Hello! Do Not Worry! I had Gas-Bypass and had very little pain at all! The pain pump and follow up meds took the edge off and I must say that it was an easy process! Good Luck and God Bless!
   — StlX

July 16, 2009
Hi Felicia, I had my surgery last Wednesday July 8th. I too was scared I never had surgery before. Make sure you ask for a sedative before surgery to keep you calm. Secondly I woke up from surgery tired feeling the first thing i said was take the socks off my feet. Then I said Pain meds I hurt the pain to me was like a massive hunger pain but worse. I have a high tolerance to pain but they gave me alot of meds ang got me comfy. they gave me the push button for pain meds once out of recovery and I needed it to keep me comfy. by the next morning i was off the push med buttom and on liquid tylenol 3 with codine in the hospital and the first day home i took it every 4 hours then it went to about 8 hours now a week out i have not had pain meds for 2 days. The pain is going to be based on what you can handle. if you hurt tell them you need meds just speak up. the most painful thing was burping and gas but once i let them both out i felt good. also walk after surgery as soon as you can get out of bed and be ready for back and neck aches from laying around. Really overall it is not as bad as some people make it out to be. But remeber my pain level 5 is another person's 10. everyone is different. Good luck on your surgery and your new life. as of today 9 days out of surgery i have lost 18 pounds.
   — leannekaba

July 16, 2009
Out of all the responses you've gotten I haven't seen this description of pain yet. This is what I felt upon waking from surgery: like I'd been beaten in the stomach with several baseball bats. My surgeon doesn't "do" pain pumps. He has switched to a Q-ball. I think it sucks. I had to have 2 morphine shots the night of surgery to get me comfortable. They were very small doses and only lasted me maybe 2 hrs. After the 2nd one though I broke out in raised, itching welts and knots all over my face and neck. Sooo...no more pain shots for me. That sucked. Luckily I had a bottle of liquid Lortab waiting on me at home (had to get filled prior to surgery per surgeon). Then to my surprise once I got home my pain level dropped dramatically and I never even took any. It was only soreness after that. I think having a memory foam mattress was instrumental too because I actually was able to sleep the whole night thru because I was comfortable in any position and no one was waking me up every 30 minutes to check me over. Use a pillow to hold against your tummy when getting up/down. And walk as much as you can. It helps a whole lot to move the trapped gas and prevents blood clots in your legs. Good luck to you and if you do wake up in a lot of pain, like the other posters have said, TELL THEM. Don't be afraid to ask as it is harder to get pain under control the longer you put off taking the meds for it. You don't have to prove anything to anyone so ask for whatever you need. HUGS - Pat
   — Arkin10

July 17, 2009
I had open RNY and my Dr. ordered a epadural for pain before surgery it was placed in my upper spine area and I never had any pain at all I never had nausea either.But good luck to you and keep thinking about your healthy life ahead.
   — sweetpee

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