How bad is the pain of open rny?!?!?
My surgery is coming up......8 more days!!! People ask me all the time if I am scared, and I really don't know how to answer their questions except for "all full of different emotions". I am only really worried about the pain I will be feeling while in recovery. I heard from another member that it feels exactly like a c-section. I didn't have a c-section both of my deliveries were normal vaginal delivery. I heard the pain is so bad people regret the surgery.
I know everyone is different, but can someone explain it a little more detailed? - so I will be prepared - if there is such thing as being prepared.....
Thanks
I know everyone is different, but can someone explain it a little more detailed? - so I will be prepared - if there is such thing as being prepared.....
Thanks 
I had a C-Section, four of them in fact! I also had labor
with the second and I hafta say that of the two I prefer a C-Section, HANDS DOWN!!!! I was in labor long enough to start the real hard contractions and told them "Call the doctor and cut this kid outta me!"
I also had my gall bladder out and while in a different location it was similar pain at the incision site. The main difference in the two surgeries for me was that I didn't have the post-delivery stinging/burning pain in my abdomen. Well, that and no doctor pressed on my tummy figuring if he pushed hard enough he might reach China.
So if it's like a C-Section then I'm an old pro and I have it made in the shade!
I know this might not help much but well that's my two cents!
Gayle
Queen of Yarn Balls
with the second and I hafta say that of the two I prefer a C-Section, HANDS DOWN!!!! I was in labor long enough to start the real hard contractions and told them "Call the doctor and cut this kid outta me!"
I also had my gall bladder out and while in a different location it was similar pain at the incision site. The main difference in the two surgeries for me was that I didn't have the post-delivery stinging/burning pain in my abdomen. Well, that and no doctor pressed on my tummy figuring if he pushed hard enough he might reach China.So if it's like a C-Section then I'm an old pro and I have it made in the shade!
I know this might not help much but well that's my two cents!
Gayle
Queen of Yarn Balls 
I had no problem. I had a post op epidural for pain control--worked great! When they took me off that, I took a few pain pills, and they worked fine. They sent me home with a bottle of them--I think I took 3 at home altogether.
Everyone is different. I think that there is a lot of variation between people so it is hard to know what to expect. I set my expectations for 2 weeks from hell and was pleasantly surprised.
I hope you are pleasantly surprised too!
Joy (3/1)
-18 lbs / 15 days
I had open and had virtually no pain from the incision at all. I had back pain, not related to the incision. But everyone is different, Everyone who called me said that I didnt even sound like I had, had surgery!! On a scale of 1-10 I would say my pain from the incision was about a 2 or 3. You will be fine!!
~Nicole
OPEN RNY 3-9-04
Down 26 pounds forever!!
Nicole I just wanna thank you for helping make this easier for me!!!!!!!! I also am worried about how bad the pain is gonna be and you saying it was a 2 or a 3 is just what I needed to hear!!!!!!! Thanks so much!!!! I have had 2 c sections so I sorta know how its gonna be liking having a baby which my new pouch is gonna be my baby LOL!!!!!!!!
Diane
I had Open 1 week ago. I was up and walking in in about 7 hours. I rarely used the morphine pump I had (really only used it to catch a few extra snoozes) and I was out of the hospital in 48 hours!
I think 75% of the battle is in your head. Just imagine the "pain" of doing sit-up. When they tell you to get up and walk... GET UP! and walk OFTEN. It's worth it. You'll do great!
Karla
Karla Oh, I don't think it's NEARLY a C-section. And the recovery is about a trillion times faster (this is a scientific measure 
). I did have trouble with a pain level the day after. I think it may have been because I had an accident a few weeks before surgery and had built up some tolerance to meds. Even at my worst, I never regretted the surgery. I did want Day 2 to be over and I had confidence my pain would drop steeply and be over, which it did.
At my worst, we persuaded a nurse to put the medication directly into my IV. I suspect there may be more cost to the hospital in that, but maybe I am just paranoid about why they argued with me. It worked like a charm. I think they maybe called it a "breakthrough dose." I needed it done approx. 3 times (that is, over a period of 12 hours) Hand administration of morphine did not work for me at the most intense of the pain. Most people I have talked to have loooooved that, so that is unusual. 50% of the patients on my ward never even use the hand administered drugs more than a couple of times. It worked wonders even if we did have to beat them up a bit to make it happen.
My hospital uses a 1-10 pain scale, where 10 is the worst. I went to 7, when the average patient is 2-4, with maybe a couple of hours of 5-6.
Get this, on Day 3, I was down to 1 just wham, presto.
The key to pain management is to have someone with you on Day 2 if you can at all to help with negotiation and to bring you stuff more quickly than the nurses can should you get in a situation. No hospital can really monitor their patients at the level you want if you're hurting. My husband stayed, they even had a collapsable arm chair, pillows, and blankets and he slept there. Though he normally doesn't handle those things all that well, he came through because we had discussed it beforehand.
I was sent home with liquid Lortab, as are all patients. 50% of those never pick it up at the pharmacy. I took it twice, just to ease the aches but could have easily done without. After that, it was making my head ache, so I got Adult Strength Liquid Tylenol and took that maybe two times over the next week. It can be a little hard to find, so get it in before you go to the hospital.
Gas from CO2 causes most of the pain, it is kind of like a backache. The sooner you get up and walk or sit upright, the more that works off the gas (prepare to fart and burp like a 9-year-old boy), which also gave me a kind of "bleh" feeling similar to mild flu.
This came nowhere CLOSE to having a baby, I promise you! Your best bet is to work on relaxing yourself and feeling confident. The more tense a person gets, the worse the pain. Take deep breaths and try not to let your mind spiral into a bunch of scenarios. Visualize yourself having a great outcome and feeling great. This may sound silly but it works so well that Stanford Hospital is now using it for all their cancer surgeries.
Gano
). I did have trouble with a pain level the day after. I think it may have been because I had an accident a few weeks before surgery and had built up some tolerance to meds. Even at my worst, I never regretted the surgery. I did want Day 2 to be over and I had confidence my pain would drop steeply and be over, which it did.
At my worst, we persuaded a nurse to put the medication directly into my IV. I suspect there may be more cost to the hospital in that, but maybe I am just paranoid about why they argued with me. It worked like a charm. I think they maybe called it a "breakthrough dose." I needed it done approx. 3 times (that is, over a period of 12 hours) Hand administration of morphine did not work for me at the most intense of the pain. Most people I have talked to have loooooved that, so that is unusual. 50% of the patients on my ward never even use the hand administered drugs more than a couple of times. It worked wonders even if we did have to beat them up a bit to make it happen.
My hospital uses a 1-10 pain scale, where 10 is the worst. I went to 7, when the average patient is 2-4, with maybe a couple of hours of 5-6.
Get this, on Day 3, I was down to 1 just wham, presto.
The key to pain management is to have someone with you on Day 2 if you can at all to help with negotiation and to bring you stuff more quickly than the nurses can should you get in a situation. No hospital can really monitor their patients at the level you want if you're hurting. My husband stayed, they even had a collapsable arm chair, pillows, and blankets and he slept there. Though he normally doesn't handle those things all that well, he came through because we had discussed it beforehand.
I was sent home with liquid Lortab, as are all patients. 50% of those never pick it up at the pharmacy. I took it twice, just to ease the aches but could have easily done without. After that, it was making my head ache, so I got Adult Strength Liquid Tylenol and took that maybe two times over the next week. It can be a little hard to find, so get it in before you go to the hospital.
Gas from CO2 causes most of the pain, it is kind of like a backache. The sooner you get up and walk or sit upright, the more that works off the gas (prepare to fart and burp like a 9-year-old boy), which also gave me a kind of "bleh" feeling similar to mild flu.
This came nowhere CLOSE to having a baby, I promise you! Your best bet is to work on relaxing yourself and feeling confident. The more tense a person gets, the worse the pain. Take deep breaths and try not to let your mind spiral into a bunch of scenarios. Visualize yourself having a great outcome and feeling great. This may sound silly but it works so well that Stanford Hospital is now using it for all their cancer surgeries.
Gano 
Okay - childbirth is worse. 
I only got to 5 cm before I had to have an emergency c-section and THAT was worse than this surgery was on me. the c-section was MUCH worse on me than this surgery and I preferred the c-section over labor pains.
I was gingerly in moving around but no pain. More of a tugging from staples. I didn't need the drugs so much even in the hospital, although sometimes the growling stomach would be a little sharp, but I got the meds often so I would sleep because I couldn't have anything by mouth until I got out of the hospital after 2 days. I got out of the hospital and my friend had my Rx filled for me. I still haven't opened it and it's been a week tomorrow.
Over this last week I went from sleeping on my back and taking it slow and easy in getting up, to being able to sleep on my left, then last night on my right. I didn't feel pain, but again, more tugging from staples.
I asked my doctor why I didn't feel pain, and he said because he doesn't cut into any nerves with this operation, and he only separates the muscle and does not cut it. C-section you get cut muscle. Now, some people do have pain with the incision, but I think they are in the minority from what I've been seeing. I have a theory that maybe those who have the pain did have a stray nerve that got in the way.
Anyway, I'm happy I went open. My lap gallbladder was worse than this was in the first 2-3 days.
Dina
I only got to 5 cm before I had to have an emergency c-section and THAT was worse than this surgery was on me. the c-section was MUCH worse on me than this surgery and I preferred the c-section over labor pains.
I was gingerly in moving around but no pain. More of a tugging from staples. I didn't need the drugs so much even in the hospital, although sometimes the growling stomach would be a little sharp, but I got the meds often so I would sleep because I couldn't have anything by mouth until I got out of the hospital after 2 days. I got out of the hospital and my friend had my Rx filled for me. I still haven't opened it and it's been a week tomorrow.
Over this last week I went from sleeping on my back and taking it slow and easy in getting up, to being able to sleep on my left, then last night on my right. I didn't feel pain, but again, more tugging from staples.
I asked my doctor why I didn't feel pain, and he said because he doesn't cut into any nerves with this operation, and he only separates the muscle and does not cut it. C-section you get cut muscle. Now, some people do have pain with the incision, but I think they are in the minority from what I've been seeing. I have a theory that maybe those who have the pain did have a stray nerve that got in the way.
Anyway, I'm happy I went open. My lap gallbladder was worse than this was in the first 2-3 days.
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