Question:
which kind of pain management should i use???
i am having open rny on 1/5. i have been giving a choice between having an epidural, or morphine to control my pain after surgery while in the hospital. can someone please tell me there experiences with either. which one seemed to help the most. thanks. god bless all of you. — jackie L. (posted on December 28, 2008)
December 28, 2008
Hi Jackie...I had open RNY on Nov. 4th with the epidural, which in my
opinion was "great"...I have a friend who had laproscopic in Aug.
with the morphine pump, and also thought that was "great"...I
guess the only difference I found was that when they started to ween me off
to go home there was still a bit of "uncomfortable" pain when
they removed the epidural completely. But then I was given a prescription
to take home for the pain, which I only used for the first two days after I
got home. Once you get home and can move around a bit more, and get that
gas moving, it helps...a lot !!
Take Care and Good Luck to you !!
— debz_58
December 28, 2008
Pain wasnt a big issue for me. I only used the morphine the night of
surgery. My surgeon also gives toradol after surgey until I went home. I
only used pain meds at home for 4 days, usually at bedtime. My only issue
with epidural is the unneeded risk of infection and post spinal headaches.
The headaches can be pretty bag. Id ask the anesthisaologist the risk.
Personally Id skip the epidural.
— urbrat2
December 28, 2008
I had the epidural and hated it. They placed it in before they put me to
sleep and it was extremely painful. I really didn't think it managed my
pain very well and the point where it was placed was very tender for weeks
afterwards.
— mumorito
December 28, 2008
Hi.
I had my rny done on 12/11 but I had lapriscopic. I didn't have an epidural
i had Morphine to help me with the pain. But I did had Two c-sections. I
dont know if its good to compare the two, but I had epidurals for those.
the pain lasted for about 6 hours after the procedure. afterwards I was on
percocet and I was able to walk around the same day. The percocet helped
with the pain and I took those for about a week. I hope this helps.
— arease M.
December 28, 2008
I had my surgery in June and had extra due to a hernia. I ended up with
something called a "pain ball" -I don't really know what was in
it but it attached directly to the incision with 4 small pins that sent the
pain meds directly to the site of pain. It worked wonderfully. This
helped eliminate the side effects of epidural which can be extreme and also
the morphine issues. If our hospital has it I am sure others do. It worked
wonders
— ceecee127
December 28, 2008
Hi Jackie, it's really a matter of personal opinion. I just had open RNY
on 15 December and chose to have the epidural. It worked great for me. I
too could not decide, even the morning of surgery. I had previously had a
bad experience with an epidural headache. However, determined that my bad
experience was a fluke and still opted for the epidural. I'm really glad
that I did! Good luck! -Martina
— sublym05
December 28, 2008
Hi Jackie, congrats on your upcoming surgery, that's very exciting! I had
an epidural for a previous surgery and didn't like the catherization
procedure very much. It was hard for them to get the catheter in the right
place because of my weight. I wasn't offered the epidural route for my
bypass surgery, but if I had to choose, I would have gone with the
morphine. It worked great for me, and was just piggybacked onto the IV I
already had going. Using the morphine virtually eliminated pain and
discomfort and I was able to get up and start walking sooner than I would
have with an epidural.
— Jasmine130
December 28, 2008
I had Open RNY and had a morphine pump for a few days...I was allowed to
push it every 15 minutes...and I DID! I loved it...It took the edge off
the pain and just let me sleep with all those bright lights and constant
checks on my blood sugars, blood pressure and anaphalactic shock they
accidently put me into with my latex allergy...OOPS! I don't think I could
have made it without the morphine drip...The pain was horrible after Open
RNY...It helped with my arthritis knees too...I felt great! I dragged that
morphine pump all around my surgery wing! (walking) I'd get back into bed
and push it again...go to sleep..YAY! It was nice! I cried when they told
me I couldn't keep it! LOL Then they gave me crushed percocet or
oxycodone...I don't remember which...and applesauce...That was not bad
either! By the time I was done with my month of narcotics prescripts...I
had lost enough weight that I no longer had severe pain in my knees from
arthritis...But the open RNY is MUCH longer to heal than laproscopic
RNY...That's why they rarely do open anymore...It will be a good 6 months
before the pain is almost gone. WEAR YOUR BINDER LIKE IT IS YOUR SKIN! It
helps you in more ways than one! It keeps things tight and firm and helps
you laugh, cough, sneeze and pain control too...Plus it holds your
shrinking belly in from sagging and stretching and pulling on your scar.
It keeps the scar nice and thin. Wear it...I wore mine the first year! AT
ALL TIMES! Helpful hint...Get some nice soft cotton sleeveless mens Tee
shirts (AKA "Wife beater" tee shirts..lol) to wear under the
binder to keep it from itching and to keep the binder clean...And put
unscented maxi pads on the site to absorb the "stuff" that leaks
and oozes from the scar...The glue strips on the pads stick nicely in place
to the cotton teeshirts! You graduate to pantiliners! LOL Good luck!
— .Anita R.
December 29, 2008
I had an open rny with the morphine. I would say that there's no way I'd
go with an epidural. I've had them with my children so it's nothing
against the epidural itself. I was up walking less than 4 hours after my
open rny. You can't get up and walk with an epidural. Walking is one of
the major keys to recovering from any surgery. While it was painful, it
wasn't unbearable. I was at home taking care of myself in 2 days. I had
help with the kids, but I was bathing myself, going up and down stairs and
such. I think an epi would delay that kind of recovery.
— Launa N.
December 29, 2008
I'm sorry, but I cannot imagine having an epidural for surgery above the
waist. It's been a long time, but I worked in a hospital for years, and
all the epidurals I've ever seen were given for surgeries below the waist.
Maybe there is something new, but I'd opt to be out for the whole thing, I
don't want to know more than I have too....
— Erica Alikchihoo
December 29, 2008
I have not had WLS but have had other surgeries. My preference would be
for an epidural. Comparing an epidural to morphine is like comparing a
novacaine shot (what the dentist uses when they drill) to taking a tylenol
or advil. One is local and the other is systemic. The epidural acts on
the nerves and spinal cord at the level where it is placed, keeping pain
signals from reaching the brain. Morphine acts on the brain and changes
how the brain responds to pain signals once they are received. Pros and
cons: Morphine is more likely to cause itching, nausea, drowsiness, and
constipation. An epidural is more likely to cause motor problems (moving
around/walking) and can make it difficult to urinate. There is also a risk
of developing a certain type of (treatable) headache.
Another thing to think about... if you have an epidural and it isn't
controlling your pain, it isn't a big deal (because you will already have
an IV) to give you additional pain medication. But if you are on morphine
and it doesn't control your pain, it is very unlikely that they would put
in an epidural.
I hope this is helpful! Good luck to you.
— mrsidknee
December 30, 2008
hi Jackie, I had lap rny back in june and tho pain wasn't an issue for
long, I did use the morphine pump and got a horrible headache from it. I
guess some people are more sensitive to it than others. I quit using the
pump and they gave me liquid vicodin. I only took 2 doses of that. Pain
just wasn't an issue. Good luck! hugs, Kim
— gpcmist
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