Does the incision really hurt?

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lisa jeanne

Just curious. Sorry to be a pain, but I am getting a bit anxious:eek: My surgery is June 20 for mitral valve/repair replace. I wondered how sore the incision feels after. I mean I have had a Csection and that wasn't bad, but will this be worse? I know the guys can't answer that LOL. I appreciate any input. I want to feel better so in a strange way I am looking forward to my surgery. Thanks again. This is a really caring place!
What was the average hospital stay?
Lisa, Snoopy, and Riley
 
I've never had abdominal surgery, but my observation is that the sternotomy is much less painful than it. I was (pleasantly, of course) surprised to find that this is not hard to deal with. Certain things can cause GREAT pain - coughing, the "evil sneeze", yanking, lifting something too heavy, getting hit in the incision.

My guess is that it would have been very painful for the first couple of days if they didn't use good pain meds; but they do, and I don't remember being in much pain (and I'm a pain wimp). Of course, some of the stuff they use is an amnesiac, and that's good too.

Hope this helps.
 
Never hurt! I remember the first day out of ICU when the nurse opened my gown up and scrubbed so hard on my incision. I couldn't believe how hard she was going at it but it didn't hurt at all. Still can't figure that out but I am sure I had to have been numbed up. Was off hardcore pain meds once I was back in my room. Allergic to them. It honestly has never hurt one bit. My chest muscles are a different story. Still same thing, no pain with the muscles, just achy like I've had a hard workout! You'll be fine.
Hospital stay......in on Thursday and could have left Monday but didn't have a ride home until Tuesday.....amazingly fast considering it is OHS!!! I'll be saying a prayer for you!
Debbi
 
I had very little pain after the first couple of day but, as Georgia said, they keep you pretty doped up. After the first couple of days, the pain was bad only when they force you to cough to prevent pneumonia or if you have to sneeze. Make sure you have your huggy pillow (whatever form it takes) next to you at all times to grab at a moment's notice.
Abdominal surgery hurts worse because they have to go through muscle.
 
Normally I'm leery of pain meds but someone (maybe on here) gave me the advice to go ahead and accept and use the pain meds BEFORE the pain sets in. So I did accept them every time the nurses offered them --- percocet is what they were giving, and wow does it do the job! I had discomfort, sure, but surprisingly little pain.
 
Incision Pain

Incision Pain

I had no pain from the incision itself. But a few weeks after I was home I had really bad muscle pain in my shoulders. But you have to remember that I have osteoporosis in my spine.
 
I am another who would say it aches rather than a pain...unless you are doing the coughing they make you do when it may hurt a bit...but you are so doped up and the area is quite numb so even then its quite bearable...I also found the sore shoulders and back muscles when I got home to be more annoying than any initial aches from my sternum...and like RobHol , I too kept on top of the pain with the meds offered in hospital and tried to remember to do same at home...

It really is surprising to experience this OP and realise you can make it through...all the best for the 20th...I bet youre counting the days :D .
 
I wouldn't go so far as to say "no pain", but it is certainly not anything you can't deal with.

Same thing when you get home, it is tolerable, but it will also take even months to TOTALLY disappear. Right now at 9 weeks, I can actually pound or slap on my chest and it feels pretty good. However not 100% yet. Hope that all makes sense?

Coughing or sneezing for the first couple of weeks is the thing you want to avoid. In the hospital, you WILL have to cough some, to clear out the congestion that has built up from your surgery. Just make sure you have the teddy handy and press hard with it. It will take the edge off. I just wish everyone could be as fortunate as I was -- the first sneeze I had was like 4-5 weeks post-op, and it was no big deal.
 
You are awesome!

You are awesome!

Thanks for all your replies and I feel so much better. I am ready for the 20th now and my fears have subsided! ALL you ladies and gents got through it and I will too!!!! Many thanks.

Lisa, snoopy, and riley:)
 
My sister is an ICU nurse and she said abdominal surgeries are the most painful (I don't know if C-section counts, I thing she meant more colon surgeries etc...) I was also very suprised how much my incision didn't hurt. It's more sore than anything...very tolerable. It was the least of my worries in the hospital...I didn't really even feel it then but maybe thats because there were so many other things hooked up to me.
 
I've had two abdominal surgeries. A vertical incision was very, very sore for about 3 weeks and then gradually felt better and better. My horizontal incision was less painful, for me.

My OHS incision was sore in the hospital and remained sore and then tender for several months. Now, 2 1/2 years later, I still get sore as reaction to weather changes. When there's rain or snow, I feel it coming. :( Nothing that requires a tylenol or advil or anything but enough to keep reminding me of having had my chest cracked.

Comparing abdominal surgery to OHS in terms of pain, For ME, I think the OHS was more sore for longer. Once the abdominal surgeries healed, I never again felt a twinge.

BUT.......the gas one gets when they open your stomach is AWFUL!!! That is painful!!!
 
I echo what a lot of others have said. The incision pain is really not that bad. I'm one week post-op and my worst pain is muscle pain in my shouder.

Even that is manageable with a little medication and lots of time on the heating pad.

Good luck with surgery.
 
I will agree with the others, no pain from the incision, I guess I am lucky that I have no shoulder pain either or other muscle pain, the biggest pain I deal with is when I forget that my sternum was cut open and try to use my arms, or when an excited three year old head buts your sternum:rolleyes:

Sorry for the extra delay, by the time my surgery was coming I just wanted to get it over with.
 
I have had both 'female' surgery from 'inside' and also a hernia repair, plus a fractured wrist. All were considerably more painfull than my OHS. If I wasn't coughing, sneezing etc, then it was very mild, easily controlled with paracetamol. Shoulder aches were more of a bother than the incision.

I have been very surprised to see how little time most of you spent in hospital in the US, I was in for eleven days, that is with no complications, I spent a further eight days after I was re-admitted with a complication.
 
Before the surgery I was convinced the pain afterwards would be the worst part. That turned out not to be a problem as the chest gave me a dull ache at the most. The vomiting about 24 hours after I woke up turned out to be the worst part. The queasiness passed after a few hours though, so not that big a deal.
 
It amazes me to read how many of you had such mild ache or little pain from you incisions. I think it's great but am so surprised to read it.

I have at least (if not better than) an average pain tolerance but I definitely felt more than mild pain.

Hopefully if (when) I need a second OHS, I'll be as lucky as the rest of you were.

I was really, really lucky though to suffer no nausea from the anethesia. No queasiness at all.
 
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