Surgery Pain?

Hi again N/A, sorry to hear you‘re still struggling with the sequels of your surgery. I‘m only two weeks out of surgery but I can already notice big differences in pain levels between the different wounds/insicions depending on the location, what kind of tissue was cut, depth etc. I guess some cut muscles on my left side will hurt for some more weeks as the pain in this spot has not noticeably improved during the last two weeks. 

Can you say what „kind“ of pain it is? Nerve pain or wound pain or in the muscle, etc...? Is it around an incision and if yes, can you see any kind of signs of inflammation or skin problems? 

I hope you feel better soon! 

Thanks Emma - my wounds seem to look good and don't hurt very much anymore.  It's more of a very deep aching/twisting pain in the left side that's worse when I move, or when I get up from sitting/laying down.   So maybe it's muscle pain?   I'm hoping it's not something I did to myself while trying to get in/out of bed, or chairs, etc.

N/A, I think it is quite probably muscle/scar  pain, I‘ve experienced this for quite a long time after my second surgery (takedown, ileostomy reversal). Even though the incision was quite small compared to my 1st big surgery, the muscles in my right side where the ileostomy had been (and is again now) could still ache when doing an inappropriate move a year later. I hope it gets better soon, and listen to your body/gut without letting the fear of another issue overwhelm you. Our bodies need time to adjust to such huge surgeries (not talking about weeks..) but if you feel the pain is more a „something new is broken“ than a „tissues are scarring“ pain, you maybe should talk to a doctor. Wishing you a good and quick recovery! 

Unfortunately the pain experiences varies from person to person, so a time frame is difficult to predict.  Some discomfort at the surgical site, especially when you move or when you touch the area, is generally normal even up to a few weeks, but usually the most severe pain starts to improve within the first week.  4 weeks out you should have noticed some improvement. It may be worthwhile to discuss it with your surgeon just to be sure something else isn't brewing.  Also, if the surgical site looks swollen or red, feels hot to the touch, you notice a discharge from the incision, and/or you have a fever or aren't feeling well, an infection is also something you need to rule out ASAP. Hope you feel better soon!

Thanks, Emma and Spooky.  I woke up yesterday to discover the pain on the left is almost gone - not quite, but getting there.  Of course, now that attention-grabbing pain is reduced,  I'm feeling it elsewhere!   I'm going to just go with it, and expect the pain for a little while longer.  I might send my surgeon an update and see what she says if things aren't feeling mostly better in a week or so.  Thanks for your input - I just could not remember how this all felt the first time around (jpouch creation) 25 yrs ago! 

N/A, so glad to hear you are doing better, even if other spots still ache..I can totally relate to your feelings, it‘s the same for me-if one spot gets better, the pain in the others gets more noticeable. I think it’s a good idea to update your surgeon and ask for her opinion even if I agree with Spooky in saying that pain experiences vary from person to person as does the whole recovery process. I hope you‘ll feel a bit better every day! 

Good news N/A, it sounds like you are on the right path to healing...please take it slowly...this was a monstrously huge surgery for you and it will take times for things to settle into place. The pain will start to come and  go after a while and then it will end up being just background noise...Something there that you barely notice most of the time. 

I applaud you for not taking the hard stuff...I avoid it as much as possible too.

Good luck with the recovery

Sharon

Thanks, Sharon - I know you've been through it all, many times over, and my hat's off to you.   And you're right, that pain has been coming and going.  One day I'm thinking it's just about over, the next day it hurts somewhere else.  Now my butt looks like it's got butt burn where it's joining together, there's always something!  But I know, as you said, that one day it'll just be background noise, or hopefully, not even that. 

Take care .

For the butt burn in the crevasse..nothing as good as sunlight, unless it is winter where you are so you need to lay on your tummy, butt naked, with a light shining on it for at least one hour/day...twice/day if possible...or use a sunlamp. It helps to dry it out and heal it without meds, creams or stuff. 

I know that this is a hard time right now but it is passing...things will start to hurt in the most bizarre places, the pain migrates, moves, disappears to reappear elsewhere...your organs are settling in to their new space and that is painful.

Give it time, rest as much as possible and drink lots of hot tea and fluids for comfort.

Sharon

Light on the butt burn is an interesting idea, which I will be trying - thanks!  It is winter here in Ohio - butt even if it weren't, I don't think I could find a private spot to let the sun do its thing 

I'll probably be calling or writing my surgeon's office this week, just to update them on things.  

Thanks for your words of encouragement, and to everybody else who has responded.   They help put my busy little mind to rest.  

Try buying a sunlamp!