Preparing to deal with Post-op Pain

[Chrysalis]

Whew.

 

I will be undergoing 'top surgery' (I hate that term as it sounds like a reference to circumcision) later this year. The exact date has yet to be set and is contingent upon my quitting smoking (I have) and reaching 16 weeks without either a cigarette or any substitute nicotine product.

I should point out that all of my life I have had zero tolerance for pain. In other words, according to family, friends, and even a few medical people, I am/was a 'sissy'. As well, I absolutely cannot take prescription narcotics properly. A prescription intended to last, perhaps several weeks would be gone in as many days. And when I finally returned to the world, I'd be strolling the waterline along the shore on Gilligan's Island!

In the meantime, I have been told by several people who speak from experience that the post surgical pain is horrible. I was told that doctors typically prescribe ibuprofen (which they said does little good) and nothing else. I asked about hot and cold compresses and neither of the ladies I spoke with seemed to have anything to say beyond shrugging and grumbing.

 

Suggestions, s'il vous plait?

 

[Jackie C.]

It may depend a lot on your physical health going in. While I personally can't comment (mine are shy... also tiny.) my grandmother had two complete mastectomies during her lifetime and would talk about them with little prompting.

 

Mostly that the pain was unbearable after her first. I find that irritating. We can come up with a new boner pill every quarter, but we can't make a mastectomy less agonizing? Thanks patriarchy. 

 

However, when she had her second the pain was considerably less. At that point she'd quit smoking for several years and had been going to the gym three times a week. I'd say hedge your bets and be in the best shape you can before you go under the knife. 

 

Best of luck!

 

Hugs!

[Chrysalis]

41 minutes ago, Jackie C. said:

It may depend a lot on your physical health going in. While I personally can't comment (mine are shy... also tiny.) my grandmother had two complete mastectomies during her lifetime and would talk about them with little prompting.

 

Mostly that the pain was unbearable after her first. I find that irritating. We can come up with a new boner pill every quarter, but we can't make a mastectomy less agonizing? Thanks patriarchy. 

 

However, when she had her second the pain was considerably less. At that point she'd quit smoking for several years and had been going to the gym three times a week. I'd say hedge your bets and be in the best shape you can before you go under the knife. 

 

Best of luck!

 

Hugs!

Bless your concerns and kind words and I'm glad that you enjoyed hearing Caravan Palace!

[Jani]

I've heard (from those from those with first hand knowledge) that it's not too bad and that ibuprofen works well for as long as needed.  Narcotics are not needed.   I am also afraid of pain and have done pretty well.  Please don't fret over it as it could make the pain seem worse than it actually is.  If this is what you want and have been working towards you'll do fine as desire has a strong pull on us. 

 

Cheers, Jani  

[Chrysalis]

10 hours ago, Jani said:

I've heard (from those from those with first hand knowledge) that it's not too bad and that ibuprofen works well for as long as needed.  Narcotics are not needed.   I am also afraid of pain and have done pretty well.  Please don't fret over it as it could make the pain seem worse than it actually is.  If this is what you want and have been working towards you'll do fine as desire has a strong pull on us. 

 

Cheers, Jani  

I began to long for this while still in college in my early twenties. . .next month I will turn 68. Soooo, it has been a while!

[TommieAnne]

First of all, I hope your surgery goes well and that you will feel all the better for it. Then comes the screed:

The better overall physical condition you can be in, the better your outcome will be as far as resistance to pain. It's preached by the armed forces to the point of insanity sometimes, but there is some truth to it.

A strong healthy body recovers from trauma faster.

That shouldn't mean suddenly quadruple your exercise regimen. But having regular physical activity that is balanced between strength, cardiovascular and endurance will make things easier. For myself, between knee surgeries I had over a year to get ready for the second one, which included both weight loss and muscle strength gain. Recovery from the first surgery was prolonged and difficult. The second surgery I was up and around faster, more aggressive with physical therapy and recovered in half the time of the first.

It's still going to hurt, but feeling healthy in your skin improves your frame of reference.

TA

[Lou10]

On February 23, 2020 at 9:24 PM, Chrysalis said:

Whew.

 

I will be undergoing 'top surgery' (I hate that term as it sounds like a reference to circumcision) later this year. The exact date has yet to be set and is contingent upon my quitting smoking (I have) and reaching 16 weeks without either a cigarette or any substitute nicotine product.

I should point out that all of my life I have had zero tolerance for pain. In other words, according to family, friends, and even a few medical people, I am/was a 'sissy'. As well, I absolutely cannot take prescription narcotics properly. A prescription intended to last, perhaps several weeks would be gone in as many days. And when I finally returned to the world, I'd be strolling the waterline along the shore on Gilligan's Island!

In the meantime, I have been told by several people who speak from experience that the post surgical pain is horrible. I was told that doctors typically prescribe ibuprofen (which they said does little good) and nothing else. I asked about hot and cold compresses and neither of the ladies I spoke with seemed to have anything to say beyond shrugging and grumbing.

 

Suggestions, s'il vous plait?

 

Hi

 

I'm in the UK so things may be a bit different. After my GRS once I'd got through the first couple of days with IV morphine and oramorph I found that a combination of paracetamol and ibuprofen worked okay. The good thing is, at least in the UK, I don't know about the US you can pick these up over the counter for very little cost. It's advisable to take ibuprofen with food though as they can aggravate your tummy a little bit. I wouldn't say it completely got rid of the pain but it reduces it a lot to a point of being comfortable. If your hospitals provide IV paracetamol it's worth a try, I have seen people with some significant injuries who's pain was managed well with that. I used to work as an EMT and this was a popular start combination for many people before considering moving on to stronger pain relief such as morphine.