Question:
How long after surgery should i still need pain meds?
— sonyaracene (posted on November 5, 2007)
November 5, 2007
It all depends....each person is different. I didn't need any after the
surgery, however I had my pain liquid med filled a few days before my
surgery. I used it more for falling asleep than anything as I couldn't lay
down, I had to sit up and sleep. Good luck and God bless.
— crystalsno
November 5, 2007
I agree with Jolynn, everyone is different. I used liquid pain meds for
the first week after surgery a couple of times a day. I slept in our
recliner for the first month and after a while my back and hips started
hurting and the pain meds helped with that. Nee P
— Nee P
November 5, 2007
Talk to your doc. They want you to be comfortable and they will be
generous with the meds.. I didn't need any after leaving the hospital.
The pain was only intense when I did a situp like motion.
— mrwolnik
November 5, 2007
Sonya,
Ditto to the first two responses. Prior to surgery date I was instructed
to purchase the liquid Tylenol to be used during the day time as needed and
the prescription liquid pain medication was to be used at night only if I
needed assistance to help me sleep. I only took that a couple of times
--it made me weird. It was as if I was awake and yet sleep. Of course you
will experience stiffness due to the incisions from the surgery; however, I
didn't experience too much pain where I had to take meds every 4 hours.
Everyone's pain level is different and therefore you medicine intake will
be different.
— the7thdean
November 5, 2007
Immediately after surgery, I was in a great deal of pain and we had trouble
controlling it but once we got it under control I was able to take the pain
meds every four hours and once I got home, I think I took them just once.
I probably shouldn't've even filled the prescription for the pain meds but
I thought it was better to be safe than sorry. Getting comfortable to
sleep was the worst problem I had, but recliners or adjustable beds help
immensely. Sue
— sue_secore
November 5, 2007
Everyone is different. I am two weeks post op and had to use it last
night. I have been having a little trouble with vomiting and it causes
real bad left sided pain where the old stomach is stapled. Some people
don't need it at all. I didn't have any problem sleeping in the bed where
a lot of people have to sleep in reclincers.
— t_roxus
November 5, 2007
I'm 6 days post op from RNY, I used the pain medicine the day of surgery
and then after that the nurse kept coming in asking me if I wanted some...I
didn't need it. I came home and had my prescription filled and I've used
it a couple of times but just to help me sleep as I can't sleep in bed, I'm
in a recliner and that sometimes gets uncomfortable so I used the medicine
to help me fall asleep. Everyone is different so listen to your body and
your doctor.
— PAWLLA L.
November 5, 2007
everyone responds to pain and to meds in different ways -- i had open rny
and i took 2 percs when i was home after surgery -- just to get to bed and
go to sleep the first 2 nights home -- but that was just for me -- good
luck to you on your journey
— RCassety
November 5, 2007
I used them for about a week.
— John C.
November 5, 2007
The need for pain mediciations after surgery will depend on the type of
surgery and your pain thresh hold. I had a pretty substantial surgery and
was on pain meds for a couple of weeks. So, it really depends on each
person.
— EmtEeyore
November 5, 2007
Hi Sonya, thanks for asking. You don't give much information about what
surgery you had or how long you are out. I checked your profile and you
say rny, but with your bmi I assume you had an open surgery? I was looking
for your age, but didn't find it either. So, with this limited info, let
me say something sort of general. As you know, everyone is different. You
may need pain meds for 2 to 4 weeks after surgery with an open rny. If you
had a lap procedure, I would think it would be 1 to 2 weeks. I had an rny,
lap, and took pain meds for about 1 week after I got home, so it was about
10 days of pain meds. They can cause constipation, and I didn't like that,
so I cut back. I had discomfort, not pain, so I was good with the change.
Some people have quite a bit of pain, but if you go over 4 weeks, you need
to see your surgeon and see if there is a real cause for this, and if not,
pain can be a real emotional issue. It emotionally hurts when we don't get
the food we want anymore. Sometimes that comes out as other physical pain.
This is a real battle ground, be ready for the changes. Take care.
Patricia P.
— Patricia P
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