Coughing or Sneezing = PAIN

I had surgery on Tuesday. I have no real issues other than when I have to cough or sneeze it pulls on Richard Parker ( my sleeves name ) it burns so bad I could just cry . My throat has been a bit sratchy and I can't get a good cough out due to the pain .


Other than pain meds is there anything I can do to help Richard Parker not hurt so bad ?

Christine

Richard Parker....very posh name!!

I suspect its more likely to be your muscles pulling than Richard himself. You might just have a really tight stitch in there where you were sewn back up. I pulled my tummy muscle on my left side about a week after surgery (bent over too quickly to pick something up). It was sore for about 10 days, but found that putting my hand over my left port are and putting a little pressure on it as I moved took most if not all the pain away.

Thanks Suzy !

I had to sneeze and after I cried it hurt so bad , I'm 45 and feel like my tolerance to pain is pretty good , but for the love of Tiny baby Richard Parker it hurt !


Richard Parker was the name of the tiger from the movie Life of Pi - I thought it would be a pretty fitting name , it was that or Cybil


Christine

Trust me, there will be times when Cybil is a more appropriate name! I was lying in bed last night and my tummy was having a very loud argument with its alter ego! I took a drink of water and that just made her worse. Mine was definitely called Miss Noisypants last night....lol

Definitely try the pressure thing when you need to sneeze or bend over etc. It made a huge difference for me until the muscle healed again.

I love it that you called your sleeve Richard Parker. Just saw life of Pi and that is an amazing name for your sleeve!!! Hold a pillow against your belly when you cough. It may help. I am 3.5 months out and still feel like I am going to get an umbillical hernia or something when I cough. It is the cut muscle layer in your abdominal wall I think that is painful, not the actual Stomach...aka RP. You are awesome!!!

Definitely a pillow held tightly against the port site that is most painful.  My husband made my life hysterically when I was fresh post-op, and I immediately screamed and cried and that made it worse because he kept trying to make me laugh and I was trying so hard not to because it hurt...after I tried to knife him he held a pillow against me so I could laugh.  It was like magic!!

Oh yes... I did this on day 6 and I thought I would die... The pillow thing works.

I honestly wore a pair of tights and had a couch throw pillow down the front of my pants (covering the whole of my stomach) just incase I sneezed for the whole next day.

*gentle hugs*