4 days Post Op and still in pain

I had my surgery 4 days ago and I'm still in pain. How long have others been in pain after surgery? It makes it difficult to want to do anything. I have pain meds but they make me sleepy.

everyone is different, but if you are in a lot of pain or have a fever you should call your doctor , sleepy is ok at first as long as you are drinking and walking around enough

Are you in pain or just uncomfortable?  If you are in pain, you need to call your doctor and let them know.  Remember that you had major surgery just a few short days ago and your body will need time to heal.  Keep moving though because it will help you heal.  Are you having gas pains?  If so, maybe try Gas X strips to help relief some of the pressure.  The first few days, it was uncomfortable to drink if I took too big of a swallow and so I needed to sip, sip, sip.

There is a fine line between moving around and over doing it.  I overdid it at 6-7 days out and I ended up at eh ER.  It was pain, like day 1-2 level, but fortunately nothing major.  It set me back though.  Like above, always err on the side of caution, especially if you have a fever.  But, I was in pain and taking my pain meds regularly at day 4.  Rest, sip, walk, rest, sip, walk.  By walking, it means maybe around the house for a minute or two.  Or if you are up to wandering around a store (day 5 I wandered Target successfully).

Day 6 uncomfortable + moving around - no pain med= PAIN  i didn't think I was over doing it at the time, now I feel lazy with how little I'm doing around the house, but it's necessary to heal.  Everyone is different.  Good luck!

Hang on it gets better.  For me the first 2 weeks were the worst then I started feeling better.  Week 4 to 5 I had the pain come back for a week and the doctor said it was normal.  I am now 7 weeks out and have been pain free for 2 weeks.  Lots of energy and feeling great.  It takes time but you will feel better soon!  Good luck!

I was in a good amount of pain for about a week. I didn't take the narcotic pain meds they sent home with me because of nausea, but I ended up on a schedule of liquid tylenol that helped tremendously. Do what you can, but make sure you rest. I found going for a walk once I was already up to use the bathroom was helpful to get gas and other things moving. But I wouldn't get up to just go for a walk. Luckily, I was on Spring Break so I was able to rest, but do what you feel comfortable with.

I'm almost three weeks out and still get occasional sharp pains, but I know that's from the increased movement and activity I've been doing to get back into school and the swing of things.

You can always call your doctor if you think things are worse than they should.

Keep drinking. Good luck!

That first week kicked my butt and then I felt significantly better day by day. You will turn a corner soon. For me, it was like I woke up one day and something shifted and I felt much better from then on. Hang in there! :) Deb

Hi Debbie, 

I am totally new to this forum as of today but I saw your post and I wanted to reply. I was operated on 13.3 this year (so 9 days ago) and had pain where the biggest incision is where the stomach was taken out up until 18.3.  They tried every pain killer possible on the drip and also a strong shot in the leg and it did not help.  I finally came to realize that if  the pain I had did not get any worse and I knew it would be slowly subsiding then I could tolerate it. They told me everyone is different. Someone visited me that had the Sleeve and she told me it took 3 weeks for her pain to go away completely. Like me if she held her side then it helped. I was released from the hospital (was operated on here in Germany) on 19.3 in the morning and the amazing thing is that even though I did not expect it, the pain went away almost completely that day from one day to the next. I also have not had one pain killer since then and am doing great.  I must also say I am someone who is very sensitive to pain.  Dont give up or worry.  If you are like me it could just go away from one day to the next.  I was told from someone in the hospital to walk walk walk and I think this really helped. It helped strengthen my back and I know my fatty stomach was hanging over and in the end I think this really helped.  Good luck to you.

Afterthought for clarification.  When I said walk walk walk I meant taking a few minute walks like every hour in the hospital ward. Nothing major but just getting up and moving a bit.  When I laid in bed there was no pain and that was the risk that I would not move at all except to get up and go to the bathroom or drink.  I really think the bit of walking help speed up my recovery.  If I am understanding correctly many of you were home after a few days.  I feel fortunate that here in Germany it is normal to stay 6 to 7 days and I could have stayed longer if I wanted. They will not release you until you can drink a liter of fluids no problem.