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Posted 9/6/2011 3:56 AM (GMT 0)
My husband is 9+ months post-op. Davinci surgery and post-op period was essentially uneventful. However, a couple of weeks post-surgery he developed pain under/deep to the tailbone area. He had 11 sessions of physical therapy for pelvic floor strengthening. CT was negative.

My heart breaks to see him curled in a ball in a chair, trying to avoid putting any pressure in the area. He eats standing up, still. He has a doughnut-type cushion, which helps some. The pain is limiting his/our life in a big way. At our last appointment with the surgeon, he said that pain in the tailbone area is not caused by the surgery. But, my husband never had the pain before...

Anyone have any experience with this? Ideas? Any words of wisdom?

Post Edited (callmesusan) : 9/5/2011 9:59:37 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/6/2011 4:27 AM (GMT 0)
Yes. I had the exact same problem. It lasted a long time, but eventually just went away.

Never found the cause, but my surgeon said it could be from the robotic surgery.

Mel

Posted 9/6/2011 6:00 AM (GMT 0)
Me too,I had open surgery, and had a lot of pain exactly as you describe of your husbands. my surgeon said that it should fade over time, but might take up to a year, it did, and now is just a rare and minor problem for me in that area. hopefully he will see some improvement soon.

david
Posted 9/6/2011 8:30 AM (GMT 0)

callmesusan said...
he said that pain in the tailbone area is not caused by the surgery.

Purgatory said...
my surgeon said that it should fade over time, but might take up to a year

compiler said...
Never found the cause, but my surgeon said it could be from the robotic surgery.

How interesting ! I suspect that it reflects the attitude of some surgeons - "Never admit to anything"..

A friend developed an (I think it's an) Ingroinal Hernia soon after the op.
I think the surgeon suggested that it had nothing to do with him and sent him to another specialist who seemed to only do these OP's.
How very convenient !

I would wonder if it is a nerve issue.. eg. How often do limb-amputees complain of REAL pain from the missing limb.

I do hope that he does not suffer too long.
Does heat or cold help?
..
.
Posted 9/6/2011 9:20 AM (GMT 0)
I suffered terribly for a long time with coccyx/sciatica pain so can really sympathise. In desperation I finally tried acupuncture on a friends insistence and it really worked for me.
Might be worth a try.
Posted 9/7/2011 12:45 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you all for the replies! It is good to know that others have experienced this pain so far out after surgery and that it DID eventually go away. It's reassuring. Thank you for the support. My husband had just picked up a brochure for an acupuncturist. I think that idea is worth a try. ~Susan
Posted 9/7/2011 1:52 PM (GMT 0)
 

Susan, while I didn't have the pain your husband is going through I do have pain when I sit on something hard even 3 months after surgery. Wooden chairs, without cushions and park benches are not in my sitting requirements any time soon.

Terry

Posted 9/7/2011 1:57 PM (GMT 0)
Terry, I hope your pain resolves completely very soon. Even with undetectable PSA levels, it's hard to put the event in the past while still having pain.
Posted 9/7/2011 2:12 PM (GMT 0)
He needs to be sure he's sitting on a good coccyx pillow....FIRST, get him the "tush cush" it's about a $50 pillow, but well rated. I doubt he's using a good coccyx pillow. I have/had tailbone pain and the worst thing you can do it sit on it, it just aggravates it further even with a bad coccyx pillow. The Tush Cush is rather firm to avoid putting pressure on the coccyx. Also, if needed put towels around the pillow, I have to do that too. When ever he sits, he needs to keep monitoring that he is NOT putting pressure on the coccyx and keep repositioning the pillow if he is. SECOND, have him take long HOT baths, that will help heal the aggravated area. Lie in the bath tub on top of a folded bath towel to avoid putting pressure on the coccyx, the buoyancy will help keep pressure off, but use a folded towel or some other soft material too. THIRD, get some Aspercreme NOT BenGay, put the Aspercreme deep within the buttocks, this helps relief the pain. I've done all three, it tends to work.

Post Edited (Squirm) : 9/7/2011 8:33:54 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/9/2011 4:37 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you, Squirm. We looked up the tush-cush and he has a cushion of the same type but not the brand name Tush Cush. We are considering buying the one you recommend. His looks exactly the same, so a few reservations. Your other ideas sound excellent as well and my husband was grateful for the ideas. We thought the acupunture suggestion sounded great too. Thank you.
Posted 9/9/2011 12:45 PM (GMT 0)
 I am six months post-op and also have pelvic floor pain. When I brought this up to my uro, he prescribed a low dose diazapam (valium) and low dose amitriptyline for bed time. 2mg diazapam three times a day. At first I though he was just giving me this to placate me  (nerve pills), but after research I found it is a well known regiman for post op pelvic floor pain. It has worked for me fairly well so far.
Posted 9/9/2011 10:08 PM (GMT 0)
I would wonder if it is a nerve issue.. eg. How often do limb-amputees complain of REAL pain from the missing limb.

I am an amputee, left leg below the knee, and i suffer with this type of pain. Standard pain killers do not work as they work on the site of the pain but when the nerves are severed the pain is not at the site where the brain thinks it is. The brain works on a feed back system for sensation, so when nerves are severed permanently the brain does not get the feed back it needs and so it trys to bombard the nerves thinking it can get through or past where the feedback does not come back from.
The medication you need is one that works on the pain receptors in the brain instead, the one i use when it is bad is Amitriptyline but was told by my doc that if it gets worse i could possible use Epilim which is used by Epileptics because this is even stronger. Maybe the Amitriptyline would work for the "Tail bone" pain, surely it is worth talking to your doc about it?
Posted 9/21/2011 1:40 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you all for your thoughtful replies. This board has been invaluable, as I'm sure you know, throughout this process. Thankfully, my husband has has minimal pain for several days now. Yippee! Maybe it is on it's way out. Fingers crossed. It's been a long haul.
Posted 9/21/2011 2:18 AM (GMT 0)
You're welcome. Tell him to keep monitoring the coccyx area even if it feels healed. A setback can start the cycle all over again, which I doubt he wants. Coccyx take time to heal. Happy thoughts you way.
Posted 9/21/2011 9:39 AM (GMT 0)
Great news!
Posted 1/8/2012 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
In July of 2010 I had the robotic prostate surgery, I woke up in recovery with so much pain in the posterior that they kept me knocked out with morphine for several hours then more when I got to my room. This was so debilitating that I could not sit in a chair for a week then only on two round pillows separated to prevent pressure on the area. Now a year and a half latter I still have pain every day (although it is much better) and still sit on Coccyx pillows to be comfortable. I accused the hospital of dropping me on my tailbone at some point during or after surgery but they deny that and the surgeon will not discuss or address the problem at all. By the way I have never done a kegel at all and at 30 days was only using a pad every 24 hours and still am for minor leakage. I might add that there is never pain while lying down or standing, just sitting. Two roll pillows separated work well also but do not use the hemorrhoid type pillow.
Someone mentioned taking Amitriptyline, Be careful with that as you have to keep increasing the dose. I lost 10 years of my life on that stuff, complete sexual dysfunction and some other very spooky side effects. As far as I could tell no pain or sleep benefit at all. I was given it for back pain and sleep in a low dose at first then had to take more and more. I finally took myself off it but you need to do that slowly over time.
Age 69
Posted 1/8/2012 9:05 PM (GMT 0)
Desertdweller,

I'm copying your response to a new thread - we want to be sure the new folks are noticed.

Posted 1/8/2012 10:51 PM (GMT 0)
Some chiropractors will adjust the tailbone, via an inserted finger. If you go this route, go to a chiro that knows what their doing and is well known.
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