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The worst part about my surgery

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Posted 2/6/2010 7:58 PM (GMT 0)
OK -- there's an interesting thread discussing pain after robotic surgery.

I will repeat: it was not pain-FREE for me. I had no pain when staying in one position. But moving from one position to another (prone or sitting or standing) was difficult. But I also just ended up taking 3 regular strength tylenols. I refused anything stronger because I did NOT want to have constipation, which for me would be worse than anything else.

BUT THE WORST PART BY FAR WAS:

Laying down in one position. I had an IV and catheter on my left side and an infusion bag on my right side (I had volunteered for a study). My back is not good to begin with and it was aching like mad. I could barely move to try and change the pressure points. It was really torture for me. My wife did her best. She would move this/that/whatever but I just could not get comfortable for more than a few minutes. The only saving grace was this was for about 6 hours. But the night was miserable too as I only got maybe 2 hours of sleep what with the discomfort and interruptions. Thank goodness I got to move around a bit as time went on, took a few walks, and got discharged the next day.

Mel

Posted 2/6/2010 11:08 PM (GMT 0)
Worst part for me was removal of the JP drain. No one told me that was coming!
Paul
Posted 2/6/2010 11:22 PM (GMT 0)
The worse part of me with the JP drain, is that I did know it was coming, from previous surgeries, and boy did it hurt bad at the time and afterward. It was no fun.
Posted 2/6/2010 11:56 PM (GMT 0)
 

 JP drain as well.....my girlfriend(ER Nurse) removed it at home while I laid on my couch...... didn't see that one coming. Thought my junk was attached to the other end of that thing....that was the worst. The rest of the experience was just way too easy, kept waiting for the ax to fall, it never did.....we're all different.

Posted 2/7/2010 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
oh dear, I am so sorry to hear that - the Jackson Pratt (JP) drain ( a long plastic needle) was a breeze - the student nurse ( being supervised by head nurse in ward) cut the one suture and then slowly pulled it out - no pain at all - no bleeding - just like when they took out the I.V. attachment on my hand for the morphine pain pump - it was as if it was never there !
They had me off any morphine for the last 12 hours before being discharged from the hospital ( a 3 day stay) - and I just did some xtra strength tylenol for three days after - the only pain I felt was the swelling in the scrotumm due to lymphedema - that drained itself out ( 3 days in bed with legs raised) - so I faired very well compared to most.

It was uncomfortable to sit for longer than 5 minutes - and had to stretch afterwards ( as per the VON nurse) - that went on during the time period the catheter was in ( 20 days).

Wishing you a med-free pain-free ( or at least reduced) evening and recovery period.

hugs (in a parenthesical phase)
BRONSON
Posted 2/7/2010 12:26 AM (GMT 0)
Only post davinci pain was abdominal from have to try and get up etc. That really was only for maybe 5 days. Now removing the catheter was a different story. I don't think there was a full deflation so when the nurse removed the catheter, I did a major league cat walk right across the ceiling!Her comment was, on a scale of 1 to 10 for pain, that must have been a 50. She was absolutely correct. My urethra was irritated for weeks from that. Only other pain issue was post surgery if you had to cough or clear your lungs a little as that caused abdominal pain too. Again, most discomfort gone within a week, and all gone by 2 weeks.
Posted 2/7/2010 3:25 AM (GMT 0)

The removal of my SP cath was totally painless.

Mel

Posted 2/7/2010 4:03 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Mel, my entire open surgery experience with pain was not bad. I had no pain meds after the first afternoon after surgery even up to today. The pain in my lower abdomen felt like I had been kicked in that area. The JP drain that came out before I went home just felt weird, no pain but could feel it inside me as it came out. Cath was no problem either except you would track me down the hall and out the door of the hospital because I was leaking so bad and did not bring the right kind of pad. We are all different as to how we tolerate things so there you have it. Nothing but less than zero on the PSA's since surgery in 2007. Man that seems like a long time ago. Everyone take care of themselves.

Mika
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