Question:
I am interested in hearing from anyone post op that had never had surgery before

I am wondering how the pain affected you and what type of surgery you had. I am going for my first consultation on June 29th (Thursday). I have never had a surgery before and I hear some people say the pain was aweful and some say the pain wasn't that bad. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks    — enjo4 (posted on June 27, 2000)

June 27, 2000
I had surgery when I was 3 weeks old, but since I don't remember that, I feel I can answer your question. The first thing to remember is that everyone will have a different experience. I think a lot depends on how on the ball your pain care team is and how much discomfort you can tolerate. Like you, I never had surgery as an adult, so I had no idea what to expect. For me personally, the most pain I experienced was in recovery. I thought I was dreaming I was in pain and calling for a nurse, and then I realized it was no dream. I won't lie - it did hurt. But it was not so horrible that I was crying or couldn't handle it. And soon it was gone. I would suggest that you discuss with your surgeon and anesthesiologist what they do. Some use an epidural, some don't. I had an open RNY and did not have an epidural, nor did I ask for one. Getting up and about in the hospital was interesting. I just took it very slow. I think getting in and out of bed was the toughest, along with bending down to use the toilet. But again, it wasn't bad. And besides, I had no marathons to run, so it didn't matter. :) At home, I was tender for about 2-3 weeks, and afterwards (now 7 weeks post op), I feel no pain or discomfort whatsoever. Hope this helps. Good luck!
   — Paula G.

June 27, 2000
I had open RNY on 2/8/00 and from reading the postings on this site was prepared for a great deal of pain. I don't remember anything about the recovery room at all. I do remember when I woke up back in my bed that I was very surprised to find I had no pain at all. There was absolutely no pain, no discomfort at all. The only time I felt anything at all was when I coughed (I held a pillow tightly against my incision) and that was only a tiny bit of tenderness. The doctor had to remind me to use the morphine and I told him that I didn't have any pain. He told me to use it anyway so I wouldn't develop pain. After two days the morphine gave me a headache and I stopped using it altogether. Still no pain and believe me, I do not have any pain tolerance at all. A stubbed toe or a paper cut put me into tears. I realize I was very lucky and am very grateful for the painless procedure I had.
   — Connie G.

June 27, 2000
I had surgery on April 21st. the only day I used my pain meds was right after surgery. It wasnt painful, but I wanted it to stay that way.. The only discomfort was trying to get comfortable in the hospital beds.
   — laucol

June 27, 2000
Hi, I had the RNY on 2-4-00. This was my first major surgery. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. I am really happy I had the surgery. I have loss 70 lbs and feel great. Still have a was to go to my goal but I will get there soon. The pain was not as bad for me. I had morphine and did fine. I was comfortable throughout my stay in the hospital. I was sore when I got home but it was worth every bit of it. Good luck.
   — Lee Ann B.

June 27, 2000
I had my open RNY surgery 19 days ago and I had never had any type of surgery before. I had never even had a cut serious enough to need stitches. So needless to say I was terrified of the pain. I had a morophine pump and I didn't have any pain at all, only discomfort but nothing worse than my monthly cramps but they aren't even bad enough to take even a Tylenol for. I don't remember any of the recovery room, I just woke up in my room thinking, Hey this isn't bad at all. Hope everything goes great for you!
   — Leslie D.

June 27, 2000
Everyone experiences pain differently. This was my first major surgery and, overall, my pain was very tolerable. I expected to hurt quite a bit but the pain management people at the hospital are very good at what they do and kept it under pretty good control. At home I managed with Darvocet at night and tylenol during the day. Chances are you will do fine. Anyway, pain passes pretty quickly. Good luck to you!
   — rinnchris

June 27, 2000
I had lap RNY on 6/9/00 and had never had surgery before. I have to admit that I was surprised at the pain. I thought I would be sore. I'm not sure why I thought it wouldn't be painful. My doctor patiently explained that he "poked six holes in my abdomen, cut my stomach half in two and rearranged my intestines, and you didn't think you would have pain?" lol In any case, the pain was manageable. I was given shots of demoral but stopped taking those on Saturday morning (surgery was Friday morning) So, you can see that with lap RNY, the pain is manageable and it subsides fairly quickly. I'm 3 weeks post op now and not even sore. The demoral pretty much knocks you out so you are not even aware of the pain.
   — Tracie M.

June 27, 2000
I had open RNY on 3-28-00 and that was my first operation. The closest thing I had to a surgical procedure before that was a muscle biopsy. No childbirth either. I was really worried about feeling alot of pain (I have a low pain tolerance) but it really wasn't as bad as I expected. I had a morphine pump for the first 3 days in the hospital (the first couple of days I hit the button constantly because I didn't want to feel anything). I had the most pain when I was getting into or out of bed. The rest of the time it was more of a soreness. A hint about the bed...put the bed all the way up when you get in or out and kind of roll on and off the bed. My stomach muscles hurt alot more than anything else. The day I left the hospital I was started on oral Vicodin and was sent home with a prescription for that also. I took it two or three times a day for the first few days and after that I only took it at night because lying in bed was uncomfortable for a couple of weeks. I was able to sleep in bed my first night home but I had to lie on my side. When you're in the hospital don't be afraid to tell the staff if your pain meds aren't working or if you need something else. I've only heard of a couple of people on this site having unbearable pain but hundreds who said their pain was manageable or even minimal.
   — Kellie L.

June 27, 2000
The pain is bad but you have pain medication that will relieve that. I had a morphine pump and just as soon as I started hurting I pushed it and got pain relief within a few minutes. It was not a sharp pain but more of a soreness which was really bad but the pain medication does help.
   — Barbara K.

June 27, 2000
Hi. When I had the surgery 10/5/99 it was my first time to have any kind of surgery. The experience was not fun. However, it is handleable. I am not able to remember many of the days after surgery because I had complications and not enough oxygen in my system to retain memory. However, my sister and mother were with me on a daily basis. They tell me that I had no real concern or trouble about the pain. I am told I would not even acknowledge I had a pain buddy with morphine on demand. I never pushed the button. Sometimes my sister figured I had to be in pain and pushed it for me. For me, the worst part of the situation was not the surgery itself, but being in a hospital knowing full well the staff were having to move and take care of me and I was huge. I was also very gross looking to myself at 419 pounds and I was acutely embarassed. I got over it. I am told I was very conscientious about helping staff move me. The experience and the difficulties were worth it. I will pay that cost again any time for the privilege of weighing 227 pounds now and wearing a size 16- and still losing. LOL Beth.
   — Elizabeth H.

June 27, 2000
I have never had surgery. Before surgery I told myself that I would be able to handle the pain and that it would not be so bad. When I actually had the surgery I found that it was not so bad as I had thought. It was not until about two weeks later that the pain (without pain meds) that the pain bothered me(I lifted something I should not have). All in all it has been as I imagined it.
   — twenc

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