Pain post op question

I suffer from pretty severe anxiety, especially when it comes to my health.  Every heart twinge makes me wonder if it is the beginning of a heart attack.  If I know pain is normal, or what is causing it, I am okay.  I have a high threshold for pain, but I have had some past experiences that now cause this anxiety.  I hope this makes some sense.

How do you know what pain is normal after surgery and which can be from a leak, blockage or some other problem?

I see many people have had very different reactions after surgery, from not much pain at all, to extreme pain for weeks or months.  In both extremes nothing was severely wrong, just different reactions to healing.

Any help you can offer about your unique experiences will help me.

Thanks much!

So sorry your dealing with this but if it doesnt feel right to you call your sugeon ,It doesnt hurt to ask,Hope you feel better!

I haven't had surgery yet, just trying to prepare myself for what is normal.

From the little I know about it, there is nothing that is normal.   I hurt like hell when I woke up.    I was actually thrashing about and clawing at my stomach as I woke up in the recovery room.    I hurt like hell the first day in the hospital, then it started to get better.  On the 3rd day after surgery, I hurt like hell in the hospital due to a bowel blockage, which kept me in the hosptal for another 2 days..   That was resolved 4 days after the surgery, and I have not had any problems since.  When I had the bowel blockage, there was NO doubt in my mind that something was wrong.   As the doctor said after he looked at the X-Ray, you had a very interesting bowel extension.

I would guess my pain in the hospital was probably more than most, and my pain once I got out of the hospital is much less than most.  

I would say that if you have concerns about any pain, ask your doctor, they are used to the wide range of pain associated with the surgery.   When the nurse called my doctor about my bowel blockage, he knew right away what was causing the nausea and severe pain.  

I don't know why, but I did not expect the intense pain immediately after surgery.   I think it is probably because it is over so quickly, that most post ops in the support groups are so blown away with the success of the operation, that it is never mention the pain immediately after surgery.

I agree that 'normal' is so relative:  immediately post-op for me I kept telling everyone "this is easy - I'm in no pain at all.  If this is what it's like, this is gonna be a breeze!"  My doctor, however, looked at my family and said "she doesn't know what's she't talking about - she's gonna hurt tomorrow".

I will say this - nothing, for me, was unbearable.  All of my pain was very, very manageable.

I completely understand.  I've suffered from anxiety pre-op as well and could convince myself of a heart-attack.  I lost my **** thinking about being intubated on the operating table.....so I hear you. 

I would highly suggest seeing a hypno-therapist.  Not the kind like you see in a vegas act, but a certified one that can help you meditate your way to calm.  I did this for a horrible fear I had with spiders and it really worked.  They don't 'put you to sleep' - that's a myth.  You're conscious but in a state of deep relaxation that allows you to focus on their words.  You might be able to find some tapes to play while you're sleeping too.  Being able to talk to the subconscious mind is pretty miraculous. 

Also, consider talking to a regular therapist about this and looking into meditation.  Meditation helped me so much during my time in the hospital.  I'd have a sharp pain from digestion and be able to close my eyes and breath through it.

What you seem to be saying is 'how do I trust my body and how do I trust that I know what my body is saying'.....those are big issues.....ones that would behoove you to get through as much as you can before surgery.

My rule of thumb with pain post-op has been, if it goes away in an hour or less then I don't worry about it.  If it comes back over and over again and I cant explain it - then I ask about it. 

Reality is MOSt pains post-op have an explanation and work themselves out and get a little better each day.  But unfortunately, other than telling you to learn to trust yourself - no one can really tell you how to know when pain is something to worry about and isn't - unfortunately I think it has to be on the job training.

For the record:  I haven't had one panic attack since surgery.  Not one.  And had no trouble at all knowing when pain was something to worry about or not. 

Good luck!

I agree with the above post entirely.


"Breathing through pain" was a concept I never got until about 3 years ago.  One of the twins was in for his 3rd open heart surgery and one of his ICU nurses gave him a method for handling the pain.  He told Gabe to envision a feather above his face and blow gently to keep it afloat every time he had pain.  This got Gabe through extubation, removal of a catheter (big deal to a growing boy) and removal of his chest tubes.  When he went in last year for the next surgery, he remembered and handled the pain like a master.


Prayers for calm rising for you

What a great post!   Very good advice.

Dennie

As I sit here thinking back, I can't actually remember the pain!  So that's good news for you, it wasn't traumatic!

I know that I was in pain, but the morphine pump thingy and the epidural both made it manageable.  I expected to feel like I wa**** by a mack truck - so I went in thinking and knowing that!!  The worst thing that I experienced was waking up still intubated, waiting for them to decide to take out the tube, and the taking out of my intubation tube.  I was intubated overnight b/c of my sleep apnea.

I agree that you will know what is normal for you and what isn't.  And if you are feeling anxious about it, don't hesitate to call your surgeon, ever!!  That's what they are there for and they are used to dealing with anxious/nervous post -ops!