Pain and Depression Post Surgery

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cbdheartman

Well-known member
Joined
May 4, 2009
Messages
180
Location
Silver Spring, MD, USA.
I am under 2 weeks to surgery now (aneurysm repair/likely David Reimplantation). It seems like the post-op stories of pain vary so much. Even so can anyone give me a sense of how much pain to expect? I have a 65+ year old friend who had the surgery and his biggest post-op complaint was the difficulty sleeping. For pain all he needed was over the counter medicines. I am 31 so I am hoping that my pain will be easy and managable, but I am reading Adam Pick's book and it sounds like he had a really rough time of it.

Then Pick also talks about depression. I already suffer from some depression and anxiety so I am a bit nervous about that. Have many of you suffered post-op depression?
 
The pain isn't at all what you imagine, but it does hurt. Nothing you can't handle First 3 days are the ones that suck the most.

The depression thing hits just about everyone. I firmly believe that when they play with your heart, they are messing with the gateway to your soul. Some have said that we morn our own deaths. Stange way of putting it, but I think that statement holds water.
Here to, you can deal with it. If you can't, they'll get a psych evalution and if needed, medication to help you deal with it.
 
No one experience is necessarily typical, but here's mine:

Post-op in the hospital, I took the advice to take pain meds BEFORE feeling pain. I took them whenever the nurses offered. Percocet basically ensured that I had little or no pain during my 5 days in hospital.

Once home, I took no pain meds other than over the counter.

Post-op I did have problems sleeping. We have had many discussions of that here, including various remedies or strategies. Do a search with sleep as a keyword and a lot should come up.

I have some degree of depression off and on but nothing severe, nothing requiring meds. I think what helped me more than anything was getting into cardiac rehab. In the particular group I was in, we had a lot of fun while getting back into exercise.

These are my own experiences. All best wishes to you as you go forward....
 
my worst period was that first night. no chest pain, but my neck and shoulder blade area hurt to the point that I asked for a different pain med then what I was being given. After that, it was all down hill. Up and walking that next day, and I never looked back.

again, and I can't say this enough; please do not dwell on what "might happen", just visualize yourself where you want to be, and you will get through this with flying colors.
 
The first few days in the hospital were painful, but nothing near "unbearable". I was given plenty of pain medication. (Lortab, which is something I have taken for years, because of a bad back).

I had a pain in my right shoulder blade like BacDoc. I wonder if anyone knows what THAT is all about. When I would breathe, I could feel the pain at the end of my breath. The pain has greatly subsided, but it sometimes feels naggingly achy.

I am four+ weeks post-op. Yeah, I get depressed. I am a Type "A" person, so I get frustrated when I can't do what I want. So I pop a valium, that that's that.

I am particularly frustrated that I can't drive until six weeks. I have always been an independent person, and I find it upsetting to have to count on other people to take me places.

I also get depressed when I am one minute feeling perky, exhausted the next. Over the weeks this has improved, and I expect greater and greater improvement as time goes by.
 
cbdheartman said:
Then Pick also talks about depression. I already suffer from some depression and anxiety so I am a bit nervous about that. Have many of you suffered post-op depression?
Click to expand...

I can barely remember the pain:), although there was some. Depression was another matter:(.....and caused me problems for many years, notably with alcohol:eek:. Emotional "aftercare" was pretty much nonexistent when I had the surgery.....they "cut" you open, fixed the problem, and sent you home:eek:. There is a strong emotional element to OHS and, in my opinion, needs to addressed at the professional and personal levels LONG AFTER the surgery. I don't mean that you "rent a couch at a physiatrist office" but some professional help along with support groups such as VR.com can do much to minimize the depression and anxiety that we ALL feel after the surgery. After going decades trying to find "scraps" of information, it was very heartwarming to find this forum....and the others "who have been there and done that" :D
 
Babies and little old ladies can handle the pain, so can you! I had little or no pain in or out of the hospital, as long as I was on pain meds. Once home, I barely took those and was fine. I had no depression either. I viewed this as a life giving procedure.
 
The worst pain for me was the very first night after surgery...as if the morphine did not work well for me!! they changed to something else the next day and there was pain but tolerable.

I kept taking the pain killers at home, spaced them out during the day, yet I definitely took them at night with a sleeping pill.

I took Prozac 20 mg from the moment the cardio informed me I needed the surgery, up till three months after surgery. Yet, I still felt sometime low after three months and one fourth mg of xanax was enough for me.

Good luck. :)
 
I can't speak for everyone but after the second day I took no pain medications at all.In the hospital I had hardly any pain at all.I'm almost five months post-op and only take a 325 mg aspirin a day now.
 
Adam has no motivation to make it sound so easy that you wouldn't buy his book...:rolleyes:

None of us can guarantee it, but many of us found the pain much less than anticipated. One thing to remember is that pain medication is given on demand fairly early--you have to ask for it.

Depression is not a given, either. I have had none, though susceptible, but was prepared to ask for help as soon as it showed up.
 
Pain & Post-Truamatic Stress

Pain & Post-Truamatic Stress

Experiences with pain vary because everyone's tolerance for pain seems to be different. When you have the surgery you just deal with it. Personalities differ; not all of us develop an addiction to pain meds (I believe Adam indicates in his book that he had some addiction issues). My recovery went pretty fast and I took pain meds when I needed too. When I felt like I could, I started reducing my pain meds.

Like others have reported, I did have trouble sleeping. The sleep thing varies as reported by many members. Some find a recliner more comfortable than bed when they return home. Personally, I propped myself up with pillows on the sofa for six weeks. Others report doing just fine sleeping in their own beds. No doubt, you'll need to experiment.

Even though my recovery seemed to be easier than those reported by a lot of other members, the depression thing still got me. My cardiologist referred to what I had as post-traumatic stress syndrome. His belief is that the surgery leaves a lot of bad junk in your body and all that's needed is a trigger to set it loose. His solution was to put me on an anti-depressant medication. The meds simply took the edge off the depression. I still had to work at getting better. Again, this is simply one of those thing you deal with if you find yourself in the situation.

I have a copy of Adam's book and read it before my AVR surgery. While I appreciate Adam's work to document his experience, please remember that the book documents his experience. It's not a handbook that documents everyone's experience. If anything, you might look at some of his experiences and decide you're not going to get yourself in similar situaitons.

others may disagree, but I feel it's important for everyone who faces OHS to go into it with as positive an attitude and mindset as possible. Please don't let yourself get sucked into a negative mindset. Just look at potential problems with the resolve that you will deal effectively with things. You can handle any problems you face. We'll help you; that's what we're here for!

-Philip
 
I had pain the first couple of days, then discomfort for awhile.

Depression -- sometimes it's because you're angry you had to have OHS, sometimes it's because you're frustrated that you're not back to "normal" yet. Whole lot of things could cause it.
Some people need Rx help with depression from their doctors. Others are able to get over it by working through it.
If you've had group counseling for depression, you may have already learned some coping techniques.
 
You can not in any way compare what your recovery may be to what everyone else's has been. In my opinion, you are setting yourself for issues if you do that because of course you'll want only the fastest, pain free, best recovery that there is. If anything other than that happens (which it most likely will on some level) you'll be disappointed. I, for one, have a very high pain tolerance. If my husband ever has to have surgery like this, he'll be in the bed for a month, whining like a baby (sorry honey!)

They have fantastic drugs, and for the most part, use them pretty freely. If you are worried about depression and have a history of dealing with it, make your Dr's aware of it now, beforehand so that you can head it off IF it happens.

I wish you the best. You'll be fine.

Kim
 
I concur with your 65+ year old friend that one of the biggest post-surgery issues is sleep difficulties. If needed, I highly recommend asking for Ambien at night while in the hospital, and a prescription for this with all your other take-home prescriptions. That was one of the most important things for improving quality of life for the first month or so post-surgery.

Pain thankfully hasn't been a major issue for me. Occasionally I have some bouts with depression.

Red
 
Philip B said:
others may disagree, but I feel it's important for everyone who faces OHS to go into it with as positive an attitude and mindset as possible. Please don't let yourself get sucked into a negative mindset. Just look at potential problems with the resolve that you will deal effectively with things. You can handle any problems you face. We'll help you; that's what we're here for!

-Philip
Click to expand...

Excellent comment here from Philip.

And please keep everything in perspective. Braveheart mentioned her Type A frustrations. These are very real. But she also maintains her composure through this because she knows it is only temporary and she is already feeling so much better with each passing day.

Everyone is different. My particular experience was fairly easy. My pain was totally manageable. At first you just feel all achey all over as if you were coming down with the flu. Stiff and uncertain; like, gee, can I move around or am I gonna come apart? They will coach you how to best move around in and out of bed and such. Once home, I chose to stay on pain meds for several weeks only because they did make me feel better and what the heck... who wanted any pain at all!!

I had no depression. I was rejuvenated! I survived!! It was awesome!!! Sleep was fine. I actually slept a LOT! Just did it in spurts. Plumped myself up with about 10 pillows (particularly if sitting up in bed, putting pillows under my arms really helped -- like cushy armrests). I also slept in a recliner quite often. Nap, nap, nap. It was luxurious to have all that time to nap!!!

We are here 24/7/365 so don't worry about being alone. You'll do great!

Best wishes.

Marguerite
 
I did not feel too much pain in the classical way (I am not too sensitve perhaps), but just generally nauseated and in bad condition the first few days. I was probably more messed up than after normal, planned surgeries, but I can not compare. It was not really too bad anyway, but you tend to forget...

I have not had any depression afterwards, it took some time to sleep well. I still have some issues with this, mostly due to pounding, which again is not really "normal".

::g
 
The first couple of days were the worst for me. I remember thinking "I hope this fixed me because I don't think I could talk myself into it again." I have had issues with sleep but that is getting better. (4 weeks post Op)
I think Ross is right. The depression comes from facing your own mortality in a way you never have before.
 
CBD, I was on toradol by mouth once I was released from ICU. You will wake up in cardiac ICU...you wont remember much about it. They will have u up and walking in ICU. Once you go to your step down room, they will have you on toradol. Ask for a sleeping pill if you need. I have coexisting fibromyalgia and arthritis. Even with that, the pillows, (I had many), were most helpful. I was on a heparin drip where I had to keep my arm straight, even while sleeping. I am a side sleeper, but had to endure a few nights on my back, and the pillows helped there also. After the first 3 days in stepdown, I was then on tylenol. Walk the halls as much as possible. Depression since 1990 here. Afterwards, the depression was the same for me, even a little less than normal just knowing my heart was now "fixed."
 
Let me comment on the pain question. Ten days ago I broke my collarbone. The pain I have felt from that is well beyond anything I felt once I got home from OHS. While in the hospital they drug you up pretty good, you won't feel much. At home you will have some pain pills, but less than what I am on now because of the fracture. Go figure. The depression is not what you think. After OHS you are beat up, and your energy levels reflect that. I think it is more like that than true clinical depression.
 
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