pain managment experiences post Open RP Surgery -

laserlight said:

pain managment
ok this is a complex issue. The level of pain from person to person will vary. The currrent thinking and treatment is that of staying on top of the pain. This method helps in a quicker recovery. I had this surgery, and pain during the first 2 weeks after surgery. The doctor prescribed Oxycontin, but only 1 prescription, no refills. In my pre surgery screening they went over this and explained that if you are having pain it needs to be adressed, in other words donot try and fight it. You need your strenght to recover. Has your doctor expalined the surgery yet. This surgery requires 5 entry points into your lower gut area and one of the incisions will be a big one right above the naval. If the surgery goes ok then the amount of pain will be managable. It would be a good idea to go on line and research this surgery. This surgery for the most part is done to try and reduce pain. A lot of the pain that I had after surgery for about 4 days was that of real bad gas and bloating. This went away in a couple of days. The other thing to remember is that there will be healing time and that took me about 10 to 12 weeks before I was able to return to limited normal activities. With that being said this varys from person to person, and also over health has big factor in this. Good luck with the surgery, I was out and under for about 3 to 4 hours. I went into surgery at 08:30 in the morning and came around by about 14:00 in the afternoon. By the way my name is also Kurt. Hope this helps

VascodaGama said:

Never experienced pain
Kurt

I had open surgery and never experienced pain. Surely I was on medication (intravenous) during two days while recovering in hospital. 48 hours after surgery I was standing and walking in the hospital’s corridor (a squared circular of 350 meters long) pushing a tripod with attached medicine tubes and catheter sac, 4 times a day. I felt good for the physical movements and recovery was fast.

Wishing you good luck and peace of mind.

VG

laserlight said:

I had the robotic surgery, it is the divinci robotic surgery. Keep in mind the pain issue can be managed. It is going to take a little effort, but I think that you will do ok. The best advice is to follow what the hospital and doctor tells you, donot try and second guess. This is major surgery so just go with flow of things

dakotarunner said:

Hi Kurt,
I had RP in '04. It
Hi Kurt,

I had RP in '04. It was probably the easiet surgery I have had. There was some pain, but for me it was not bad. I had to take medication for it orally, as stomach said no to it. I was up and walking the halls less than 24 hours after I got back to the room. Surgery was on a Wednesday, and I was in the car for a 5 hr. home by 10 AM on Friday. The ride did hurt, as road was rough riding, and it took a pill or two to stand the trip. Everyone has a different pain level, so do not let it get in front of you. Each day gets better, much like you have found out in AA (Yes, I am a member of that club too).

You will do fine. Cross one bridge at a time, take one day at a time . You have a lot of friends you can depend on in this matter, just give them a shout. Best to you.

dr

mrspjd said:

Pain management – an integrative approach
Hi Kurt or Mo (not sure which you prefer)

Let me extend my belated welcome to the forum. Kudos to you for your positive attitude, continuous sobriety and proactive inquires re your upcoming RP. As others have previously posted, everyone’s tolerance levels for pain are very very different.

I wondered if you’ve considered, either as an integrative approach (in addition to), or as an alternative to Rx pain management, using guided visualization and/or mindful meditation practices to help you through your upcoming surgery and recovery. While my husband did not elect RP as a tx for his T3 PCa, I previously have undergone invasive medical procedures for which I was anxious and fearful. I used professional meditative/visualization audio tapes specifically made for patients undergoing medical procedures and I also used breathing techniques to help me prepare for the procedures and, afterward, during the recovery period. Many of these “tapes” are available free or for purchase and download to an IPhone, IPod or available on CD. Although it took some time and practice, I believe the guided visualizations and breathing techniques helped me tremendously, so much so, that I was able to avoid Rx pain meds--not that I’ve had any substance abuse issues but, I just loathe taking pills of any kind, OTC or Rx, unless absolutely necessary.

I’ve learned that it helps to think of preparing for medical procedures in the same way that a world class athlete thinks when preparing for an Olympic event…you want to train in advance so that both your mind and body are mentally and physically in tip top form in order to have the best outcome.

Sending early wishes for a complete and speedy recovery.

mrs pjd

mrspjd said:

Pain management – an integrative approach
Hi Kurt or Mo (not sure which you prefer)

Let me extend my belated welcome to the forum. Kudos to you for your positive attitude, continuous sobriety and proactive inquires re your upcoming RP. As others have previously posted, everyone’s tolerance levels for pain are very very different.

I wondered if you’ve considered, either as an integrative approach (in addition to), or as an alternative to Rx pain management, using guided visualization and/or mindful meditation practices to help you through your upcoming surgery and recovery. While my husband did not elect RP as a tx for his T3 PCa, I previously have undergone invasive medical procedures for which I was anxious and fearful. I used professional meditative/visualization audio tapes specifically made for patients undergoing medical procedures and I also used breathing techniques to help me prepare for the procedures and, afterward, during the recovery period. Many of these “tapes” are available free or for purchase and download to an IPhone, IPod or available on CD. Although it took some time and practice, I believe the guided visualizations and breathing techniques helped me tremendously, so much so, that I was able to avoid Rx pain meds--not that I’ve had any substance abuse issues but, I just loathe taking pills of any kind, OTC or Rx, unless absolutely necessary.

I’ve learned that it helps to think of preparing for medical procedures in the same way that a world class athlete thinks when preparing for an Olympic event…you want to train in advance so that both your mind and body are mentally and physically in tip top form in order to have the best outcome.

Sending early wishes for a complete and speedy recovery.

mrs pjd