Incision Pain

AnnissaP

Ok all. One more thing and hopefully the last. The area of my larger incision ( from nephrectomy) is painful when coughing and laughing. The outside is totally fine. It is deeper inside where it hurts. I have to hold the area when I cough or laugh and it still hurts. The other day I could barely laugh at all bc of how sore it was and today coughing hurts. I am 5 wks post op and it was getting better, but I must have done something a few days ago to cause this. Just wondering if anyone else had this and if it will get better simply by resting. Thanks.

stub1969

Deeper?

Hi, Annissa.

When you say "deeper" do you mean muscle tissue or deeper.  I can see you stretching some muscles.  Remember, they are healing and an inadvertent move can easily damage that healing process.  Shouldn't be anything that rest won't heal.

Good luck,

Stub

icemantoo

The good old days.

Sounds like me 15 years ago.  Don't read my posts as much as occasionally they may make you laugh.

 

 

Icemantoo

AnnissaP

Lol! Thanks guys. I guess it

Lol! Thanks guys. I guess it is muscle-deep. I am cool with soreness and a bit of pain. I just don't want to injure anything so I always back off a bit from what I am doing.

hardo718

Patience Grasshopper

It takes time.....lots of time.  Much more than 5 weeks, that's for sure.  You're getting there tho and soon it'll all be like a bad dream.  Just listen to your body & splint when you need to.  Obviously, the message your body is sending to your brain is something like, "HEY!.....I'm working 24/7 down here!!.....what the hell is so funny up there?"  LOL  But in all seriousness, laughter is the best medicine and I don't know about you, but speaking for myself, nothing else compares to a good belly laugh that makes your abs hurt like a workout.

;-)

Donna~

Jan4you

HI Annissa! Have you ever had

HI Annissa! Have you ever had surgery before? Yes, your incision is probably healed but your insides take awhile before they are fully heald, and 5 weeks is early hon. However, if it continues and interrupts your daily routine, then see your surgeon. 

I still wore that lumbar wrap around my abdomen for support and that helped me alot!

Keep us posted. There are NEVER too many questions or concerns here. It's why we are here.

Sending you healing vibes!

Hugs, Jan

APny

I agree. Takes more than five

I agree. Takes more than five weeks. Laughing, coughing, but especially sneezing can be painful for quite a while. Holding a pillow (if have one nearby and/or is convenient) helps. Hope it goes aways soon!

foxhd

annissaP

Here you go. You are experiencing  body image awareness. So you are improving.

With an incision the skin layers are cut. Sensory endings become severed. That causes pain. But cutting the underlying muscle layer causes a protective response by trying to withdraw. ie spasms for example.  Thats a lot of pain too.

If you carefully touch either side of your incision, you'll notice that one side is actually more numb. The superficial nerve endings on the distal side aren't intact anymore. What you also don't feel is the acute post op pain. It means you are healing nicely.

However, your muscles still are warning you that they aren't ready to be pushed. Your awareness is becoming more specific to your sensory feedback and your protective responses. Take more time.

If it takes a year to reach full potential, and you only increase your effort 10% per month, You will have achieved 120% in a year. That's more than in most peoples dreams.

foxhd

I'll add a little more

Because our body always wants to protect itself, reflexes are triggered by some stimulus. There are thresholds for tolerence before activation. Awareness of temperature allows us to avoid burns by dropping hot objects for example.

With your sore core muscles working nicely, allow yourself to move smoothly. don't force. As reflexes learn to anticipate your safe activities, it will reset the thresold. Continue with minimal increases in your activity. You can learn your thresholds and work with them to improve.

 (I reread my post and couldn't stop laughing. typing is hard because of weak fingers. I make lots of mistakes and have to correct alot. I tend to double press some keys. Today the "O"s have been getting it. So, what I originally posted was, "AnnissaP, you are becoming more boody aware." LOL!

jazzgirl

Good advice all around

I had times when I thought it was all healed up, then would get pains that scared the heck out of me.  Those stages got progressively less and farther apart.  It's a particularly wonderful stage when you are laughing again - even if it hurts - after what you've been through.  Follow Jan's advice of paying attention to if it persists then get it checked out.  Don't know what the lumbar wrap is, but I'm thinking I could have benefitted from one!  Take care

AnnissaP

foxhd said:

I'll add a little more

Because our body always wants to protect itself, reflexes are triggered by some stimulus. There are thresholds for tolerence before activation. Awareness of temperature allows us to avoid burns by dropping hot objects for example.

With your sore core muscles working nicely, allow yourself to move smoothly. don't force. As reflexes learn to anticipate your safe activities, it will reset the thresold. Continue with minimal increases in your activity. You can learn your thresholds and work with them to improve.

 (I reread my post and couldn't stop laughing. typing is hard because of weak fingers. I make lots of mistakes and have to correct alot. I tend to double press some keys. Today the "O"s have been getting it. So, what I originally posted was, "AnnissaP, you are becoming more boody aware." LOL!

I've been quite aware of my

I've been quite aware of my "boody" for some time now ahahahahahaha jk!! Great advice. One side is definitely numb even beyond the scar. Drives me nuts cause it is an annoying feeling!! I have energy and want to "go" but def need to be mindful. Thanks for the info!!

AnnissaP

Thank you all!! I have energy

Thank you all!! I have energy and want to do more, but still need to be wise and take it easy (that is difficult for me lol)!!!

foxhd

Then there are

pains that are mostly annoying like the numb healed incision pain. And the more protective internal ones. Being able to differentiate between them is important. Knowing when pain is appropriate lets you work on your mobility and strength in progressive safe amounts.

From a performance perspective, take your energy and do something different. Work your low impact aerobic conditioning. Swim,bike, hike. Your core muscles will be doing a lot of stabilization. You'll be surprised how strong they can get without situps. Remember to move naturally without overstress. It's all a form of cross training.

Kidneybeans

I never got numbness but went

I never got numbness but went through an itchy phase. That was fun. The one I call my bullet hole (where the drain was) took the longest to heal. I'll be two months post-op tomorrow. I still get a slight twinge here and there. I have a small dog and I do a  lot if walking. That seems to be helpful. Our bodies all heal at their own pace. Don't over do it. Test when your tired , that's your body telling you to stop. Rest =s healing.

AnnissaP

foxhd said:

Then there are

pains that are mostly annoying like the numb healed incision pain. And the more protective internal ones. Being able to differentiate between them is important. Knowing when pain is appropriate lets you work on your mobility and strength in progressive safe amounts.

From a performance perspective, take your energy and do something different. Work your low impact aerobic conditioning. Swim,bike, hike. Your core muscles will be doing a lot of stabilization. You'll be surprised how strong they can get without situps. Remember to move naturally without overstress. It's all a form of cross training.

Funny you say this bc my

Funny you say this bc my outlook on exercise has totally changed. I was always one to run etc but now I want to focus on strength and balance. Swimming was something I JUST talked about a cpl of days ago. I feel much more in tune with my body now where as before I would just push and ignore lol. Thank you all again for the great advice!!!

foxhd

occaisionally

things like twinges and very local pain can be associated with adhesions. Deep massage helps release them.

For me, I had developed my  own fitness program. Loved my running and wt. lifting. I kept my performance level prettty consistant. The advantage for me was that even if I missed a week or two, I could just pick up where I left off with little loss of strength and endurance. It allowed rapid return to normal after sickness or procedures. I also believe that is why I lived through a couple episodes.

The key is that it was my lifestyle. If it is not a part of a normal routine when healthy, getting fit and active when ones previous activity level is just walking to the car is difficult. One of my friends efforts would be limited to his asking, "Don't they have a pill for that."

AnnissaP

foxhd said:

occaisionally

things like twinges and very local pain can be associated with adhesions. Deep massage helps release them.

For me, I had developed my  own fitness program. Loved my running and wt. lifting. I kept my performance level prettty consistant. The advantage for me was that even if I missed a week or two, I could just pick up where I left off with little loss of strength and endurance. It allowed rapid return to normal after sickness or procedures. I also believe that is why I lived through a couple episodes.

The key is that it was my lifestyle. If it is not a part of a normal routine when healthy, getting fit and active when ones previous activity level is just walking to the car is difficult. One of my friends efforts would be limited to his asking, "Don't they have a pill for that."

I had wondered about

I had wondered about massaging that area! For me, I have just lost interest in running. Been doin it since I was 15 lol. When it comes to being active I like variety. I LOVE dancing so will see if I can Friday! I will need my inhaler ahahaha. It is a great workout. I mean dancing salsa, not the 2 step lol! Thanks for always giving advice. Much appreciated.