Just had surgery

[GlandMan]

And I am in a lot pain. I woke up with more pain than I had ever felt before. I am a little concerned because most on here say the cruised through recovery, with it not hurting any more than a good workout.

I had lipo+excision and have drains in. It hurts really bad to move. I'm also having difficulty urinating.

Should I be freaking out?

[ha032742]

Following general anaesthetic, you can develop urinary retention, which is why you will not be discharged from hospital unless you have passed urine. The anaesthetic can take some time to wear off so although initially it can be difficult to pass urine this should ease. Pain can also cause urinary retention/make it more difficult to pee. As long as you are passing some urine, I would recommend monitoring the amounts produced and to take some pain relief (I'm presuming the hospital gave you some on discharge). If you're not able to pass any urine at all despite adequate fluid intake then go to the emergency department as you may need a catheter (worst case scenario). Once your pain eases to a manageable level after a few days hopefully, I'd recommend stopping/cutting down the pain relief as they're likely to be opioids if prescribed by the hospital, which can constipate you and again cause urinary retention.

I had a relatively pain free recovery but it depends on the individual, how extensive the surgery was etc. so don't read too much into others' experiences.

[GlandMan]

Thanks a lot for your reply. I am able to "take care of business" much easier now, I am just still in pain. I took an anti-inflammatory and a couple narcotics as I think the local is finally wearing off.

It's kind of funny because I'm actually questioning whether or not this is worth it, it has been miserable thus far.

[Sid Farkus]

Hi GlandMan,

Congrats on your surgery!

My first 5 days of recovery were pretty uncomfortable for me, but that was mostly from having lipo on my midsection along with the gyne surgery.

"Pain" is an extremely relative term. Different people can have wildly different reactions to and tolerance for pain. Before my surgery I remember reading a post from someone who said having his drains taken out was horribly painful, but for me that experience was just some slight stinging (maybe because I went in expecting the worst).

So long as your body is functioning properly, I wouldn't worry about some pain (unless it's really excruciating, unusual and/or seems symptomatic of something worse - if in doubt contact your surgeon, if only for peace of mind). Do the narcotics give you any relief?

And your questioning at this point is perfectly normal. I remember sitting there propped up in bed a day or two out, groggy, restless, aching, looking down at these tubes sticking out of my body leading to rubber hand-grenades filled with blood and thinking "Jesus. I paid someone thousands of dollars to do this to me? What the hell is wrong with me? I must be insane."

I'll be 3 weeks post-op tomorrow, and now it feels like that pain and those doubts were ages ago. Hang in there.

Oh, and I'm glad to hear you're able to urinate. When I woke up post-op I learned that they had to put in a catheter in me while I was under. The nurse warned me that 1) It's going to be pretty painful when you pee  and 2) If you don't pee within X hours we may have to insert another catheter in you! 3) Oh, and we recommend you drink plenty of water to aid your recovery.

Talk about pressure! I went into the bathroom that afternoon, horrified by the prospect of what would happen - or not happen. And then I notice that my equipment had turned blue (this is a normal side effect of the abdomen lipo). Great. Not only do I have Smurf D!ck, but it's the least of my problems. The first time I was just too anxious to pee, but a couple hours later the urge became pretty strong, I held it it as I took a pain pill and then went to the bathroom again. This time I peed and yes, it was pretty damn painful - worst moment of the whole surgery process, possible worst pain ever - followed by immediate relief that I wouldn't have to have a tube inserted in there. God, I dread ever having a kidney stone.

So, you can be thankful that you didn't have a catheter.

Good luck with your recovery!

[GlandMan]

Thanks for the excellent post, Sid. I'm glad you are doing well.

Today is much better than yesterday. It went from feeling like I was dead to just being very sore with limited mobility of my arms. The drugs take the edge off but doesn't take away all the discomfort.

I'm going in today to hopefully get my drains taken out. I don't think I would be able to stand having them in until Monday.

[Bobby - LAgyne]

I was in a lot of pain too.  But I've been warned about it.  I hated my surgeon for doing that to me hahaha...

I took the pain killers he gave me for 3 days and switched to Tylenol for a couple of days and once the drains were out, I felt much much better that didn't need any painkiller.  I'm 4 weeks post up now and pains are all gone, I have some numbness though.

Your next 'pain' will be wearing the compression vest for 6 weeks.

Good luck!
--Bobby

[GlandMan]

Thanks for all your replies. I'm going to have my drains in for 5 days which was the worst case scenario going in but I'm trying to be positive, no matter how uncomfortable it is to have tubes running through your body and not being able to shower for a week.

The results so far are dramatic so I know this hell will be worth it!

[Sid Farkus]

I had mine in for 6 days. As much as the drains suck just remind yourself that draining that fluid is going to speed up your results and mean less swelling as you recover. Trust me, the discomfort is worth it and this time next week the drains will be a distant memory.

After a few days I actually started to get excited about monitoring how quickly my drains would fill up (what can I say, I was bored). I would be so pumped when I'd wake from a nap and see one or more drains half full! Although, I also probably ended up milking them a bit too often. And this after I could hardly bring myself to look at the things the first day.

Not showering didn't bother me too much. I was alone in a motel room and didn't really have to worry about offending others (except when I shuffled myself up to the continental breakfast every AM). Also, I do a fair amount of backpacking and camping so I've gone that long without bathing before. And I did prepare beforehand by getting a really short haircut and buying some full body "shower wipes."

Remember, it only gets better from here!

[GlandMan]

Just got my drains out this morning. It stung pretty bad but wasn't majorly painful.

The first week of recovery is hell but if anyone is on the fence about doing it or not it is totally worth it. A week of discomfort/pain/not showering is well worth a flat chest that will last a lifetime!