Geez i must be a real wimp in comparison!

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Cjzach10
Cjzach10 Member Posts: 87
edited November 2018 in Surgery - Before, During, and After

I had a B/L mx and immediate deip flap reconstruction on Nov 12th..so today is day 9. Im stretching out the time between pain meds but i definitely still need them. Getting my last drain out today! Yay! But i still have quite a bit of pain where the incisions are under my breasts. I saw the breast surgeon on monday and he keeps harping on get off the meds! I get the seriousness of fhe addiction problem with opioids. But dang he wants me up moving and doing stuff but i csnt be up doing alot without something for psin and its making me worrued im not whete i shoukd be. I've still taken less than half of what he prescribed for me. He told me at the last appt that i may have a slight healing problem in the right incision. He told me not to be too concerned at this point but be prepared for the possibility. I see all these posts about how they were up and about picking flowers 2 wks out and i feel like ive been hit by a car at times! Am i just a super wimp? Ive been sleeping in the recliner but the button is way down on the right side so i think reaching for that is contributing to the prob with the right breast. But im up by myself, showering by myself, dressing and getting quick snacks by myself. Im having alot of spasms in my back and that has kept me from being up standing for more than a few minutes at a time. Am i way behind or normal? Sorry for the long post! TIA


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  • Runrcrb
    Runrcrb Member Posts: 577
    edited November 2018

    I can’t comment on whimpiness or not - we are all different in out experiences. Some are healthier and more active going into surgery which I think helps recovery. Some are just more sensitive to the impacts of major surgery- which you did just have.

    Moving around helped me with every surgery. Slow walks around the block did wonders for me mentally and physically. Short and frequent is going to be easier to handle than long.

    Are you getting plenty of fluids (water) and protein? It’s easy to gravitate to comfort foods at this time and my comfort foods (cookies and pastas) aren’t helpful in the healing process.

    Getting back to a more normal routine, including sleeping in your bed, may help you more than you know.

    Good luck and get off the narcotics

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  • Cjzach10
    Cjzach10 Member Posts: 87
    edited November 2018

    Thanks for your reply. Did you need narcotics? If so for how long. Thx

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  • needhamcollins
    needhamcollins Member Posts: 2
    edited November 2018

    You are not a wimp! You just had major surgery. The body heals differently for everyone and there are so many factors involved. Day 9 for the last drain is amazing - rejoice the freedom from drains!

    Have you taken the step to move from the narcotics during the day to Motrin? Try that. Take the narcotic only before bed. Then, switch completely to Motrin by day 14. (Or whatever OTC pain med works for you). Setting this goal gives you a way to manage it and let them go. It’s better to need an extra Motrin at times than the narcotic.


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  • star2017
    star2017 Member Posts: 827
    edited November 2018

    you are definitely not a wimp! You had major surgery! Your pain is what it is and you are entitled to have it treated.


    I did find that the narcotics were not as helpful as a strong dose of Advil/Motrin and eventually switched to that or alternated. Experiment to see what is most effective for you and dont assume the prescription meds are necessarily the best at treating your pain. I hope you feel better soon.



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  • Runrcrb
    Runrcrb Member Posts: 577
    edited November 2018

    cjzach10, to answer your question, I didn’t take narcotics after I was disconnected from the pain pump ( what ever that thing is called) at 8am the day after DIEP. I did take narcotics for several days, maybe as much as a week, after my mastectomy. My mastectomy was 15 months earlier and was more challenging than DIEP. Possibly because between mastectomy and DIEP I had chemo, radiation and a broken elbow and never had a day when I considered my pain level less than 3. I just got used to that level of underlying pain. DIEP was no walk in the park but I could manage the pain with Tylenol. I was just happy to have that damn expander out!

    Good luck


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  • Rah2464
    Rah2464 Member Posts: 1,647
    edited November 2018

    We all heal at different paces. Your body has been through a tremendous upheaval. My own progression has been a much slower recovery than I thought it would be. I moved off the narcotic pain control by day 7 but I took tons of Ibuprofen and tylenol and a little valium for what seemed like forever.

    I do think that some of the discomfort I felt was also me adjusting to my new foobs. So eat well, lots and lots of high quality protein, and gentle walking to activate your body. Then layer on activity as you are able to do. Getting those drains out really helps kick start the healing process. And listen to your body. It is definitely not a one size fits all process. And that is ok. No judgment here and there should not be from your physician. Rather if you are not progressing well, then they should be looking to see what resources you need to further your recovery.

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  • Cjzach10
    Cjzach10 Member Posts: 87
    edited November 2018

    Thank you all for the encouragement. Its really the only place where people understand from their own experience. The last few days have been up and down. But overall better and i feel great about that. . The place where there's a healing problem is bothering me alot mentally and physically. I really try to not use that arm much or put any stress on that side. My dr calls about every other day which helps. I cant take ibuprofin because ive had a stroke so im taking tylenol. And since tomorrow is my day 14 today im gonna start with tylenol only for pain. Since flexeril interferes with my breathing im gonna take some valium as a muscle relaxer. I feel like my back issues have played a huge part in the amount of pain I've had. It never goes away! My abdomen incision i dont worry about at all. But the incisions under my breasts still hurt alot and drs got me in a compression bra that is super tight at the bottom and i hope its not doing damage itself. I have drainage from the bad side..not alot but alot more than the lt. Which he says is normal for how it's healing. So ill take it one day at s time! This is so much harder than i imagined! I had a lumpectomy sept 6th and total hysterectomy sept 28th. Both were a piece of cake. This Bmx with diep flap has sort of thrown me for a loop!!

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  • Lula73
    Lula73 Member Posts: 1,824
    edited November 2018

    I was on pain meds for about 3-4 weeks. I'm not a wimp (had my first child without epidural), been through lots of surgeries (10+), played a basketball tournament on a fractured foot in a soft cast, etc and usually never took pain meds for more than a few days if at all. This surgery knocked me on my ass. I did make sure I went out and walked every hour or so (laps up and down the driveway or in a circuit through my first floor), went out to lunch a few times, went to Walmart, attended a Mardi Gras parade for about an hour. But this happened when the pain was controlled and I wasn't knocked out by the pain meds. We all have a different pain journey with this surgery. Some will require longer course, some a shorter one. Out of curiosity, is your hair any shade of red or was it as a child? (Redheads experience pain more intensely and for longer period of time than typical.) If your PS is part of a health system, he's being closely monitored on his pain pill prescriptions by the health system. When this happens, docs are less likely to write them/send in a refill. The cancer patient has been the one to really suffer with this “opioid epidemic". It would be so nice to have health systems buck the government and use the real data on all those opioid deaths (the vast majority of them were individuals who have never had an opioid prescribed to them). This is just the only thing the government can control for the minority that get hooked when prescribed an opioid since the government obviously can't control the illegal drug industry. I digress...😔

    Here's what my pain pill journey with DIEP looked like: Round the clock on a schedule of every 4 hours for the 1st 2 weeks taking max dose (2 tablets) for about 10 days of that time, then tapered down to 1 tablet every 4 hours and 2 at bedtime for about 5 days. Next I switched out the daytime pain pills to alternating 800mg ibuprofen (4 liquigels/tablets) and 850mg acetaminophen (2 extra strength tablets) every 4 hours and 2 pain pills at bedtime for another week. And then just ibuprofen/acetaminophen as needed during day and 1 pain pill at bedtime. Finally switching off pain pills altogether to just 800mg Ibuprofen at bedtime and then to ibuprofen as needed. Hope this helps!

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  • Cjzach10
    Cjzach10 Member Posts: 87
    edited November 2018

    Thank you Lula73! Yes it helps hearing that so much. I agree with everything you said! And yes strawberry blonde! I have heard that but never thought about it. Even for dental appts i learned early on that it takes alot more numbing shots for me! I always start with plz give me as many shots as you need to..the needle doesn't bother me the nerve pain bothers me alot! Thanks again!

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  • Lula73
    Lula73 Member Posts: 1,824
    edited November 2018

    you’re very welcome. I had my endodontist, Breast surgeon, and PS all tell me that redheads experience lain more intensely so I’m convinced this is a true phenomenon. Although I di handle pain well, when it’s so bad I can no longer handle it, it’s on and not pretty. I was in full body shutdown at my pre-op visit for DIEP due to a migraine I couldn’t treat due to no NSAIDs. The anesthesiologist saw I was a mess and literally about to pass out and told me to take the migraine meds and they’d worry about any blood thinning in the morning.

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  • bella2013
    bella2013 Member Posts: 489
    edited November 2018

    CJZack10, many on this post had mastectomies before their DIEP reconstruction. There is a huge difference in post-op recovery. Many indicate the mastectomy surgery was worse than the DIEP. We had the double whammy so our pain experience post op is going to be more intense.

    Oxycodone did’t touch my pain. I took it for just a few days and alternated with 800mg Ibuprofen...then went with just the Ibuprofen.

    I have since learned that Gabapentin is a nerve pain killer (it has other uses also). It is not a narcotic. I too complained to my PS about pain at my post-op appointment on day 10. Gabapentin wasn’t offered...it is usually prescribed by a neurologist and at the time I didn’t know to ask about it. What you are experiencing is acute nerve pain. All the nerves is your breast/chest area have been injured. Ask your breast surgeon, your plastic surgeon or your primary care physician for it. There is no reason they should deny you.

    When I went in for my Stage 2 surgery I let them know up front that I needed to go home with Gabapentin. Wouldn’t you know I didn’t have nerve pain...I had bruising and soft tissue pain. Oxycodone still didn’t help...I settled for 800 mg Ibuprofen. Fortunately Stage 2 heals quickly.

    You will turn a corner in your healing/pain process between week 4-5. I started driving again at week 5. Your back problems might be from sleeping in the recliner. I went to Bed Bath & Beyond and bought a memory foam wedge pillow. It elevated my head and torso enough that I wasn’t laying flat. I put my normal pillow on to of the wedge pillow, I had a pillow on each side to support my arms and I had a pillow under my knees. The pillow under my knees took the pressure off my abdomen and it also kept me from sliding down.

    Keep us posted on your progress. Don’t compare your healing process with others. We all have different physical and health issues to deal with on top of this huge surgery. You will get through this!

    Praying for less pain for you







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  • bella2013
    bella2013 Member Posts: 489
    edited November 2018

    Lula73, really??? Red heads experience pain more intensely??? Who knew? It makes sense now...the procedures that were so painful to me (traumatic pain) have been so much less so for others. I never thought I was a wimp but I couldn’t understand why my experiences were so much more painful.

    That is good information...I have a precious 4 year old granddaughter that is a gorgeous strawberry blonde

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  • rachelcarter35
    rachelcarter35 Member Posts: 368
    edited November 2018

    The pain seemed to slowly fall off a little each day for the first three weeks and then dropped off more fully after that. I took Norco for the first three weeks and then moved to Tylenol during the day and one Norco before bed. Walking a little every day, lots of protein and water helps with the healing. I had one incision that ended up with some necrosis that was frightening but it resolved itself. The body is miraculous the way it can heal but I know how brutal it can feel. The worrying makes the whole thing worst too. You are NOT a wimp this requires incredible courage.

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  • Cjzach10
    Cjzach10 Member Posts: 87
    edited November 2018

    I actually have gabapentin i will start tomorrow. I have a tarlov cyst between s1 and s2 thats 2cm x 1.5cm. Not a common thing to have and most drs dont acknowledge that it causes pain. The back pain i have now is the usual from that and spasms in my midback thst is new since surgery. I had tried gabapentin for the tarlov pain and stopped because i couldn't sleep at night when i took it. Ill try anything at this point. Although i will say my pain is getting less every day. When the tylenol isn't working ive been taking half a pain pill. The place that not healing is still bothering me quite a bit. And i feel like ive been hit with a hammer in the center of my chest. My abdominal incision hasn't really bothered me at all.

    bella2013 thanks for mentioning the gabapentin. And yes bmx and deip flap at the same time is more to deal with..but none if it is easy by any means. Helps hearing from someone that gets it.

    rachelcarte...thank goodness your necrosis resolved itself. Im praying mine does too. I don't see my dr again until dec 4th.

    Thanks for everyones replies..its been so very helpful!

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