Pain ball?

hope2bhealthy · 04-02-2008, 01:26 AM

I read a lot about how sore everyone is after their surgery, and I'm just curious about this. I had my surgery yesterday, and I am not in any pain, aside from a little difficulty taking deep breaths. I do have a pain ball hooked into my stomach, so my port incision is completely numb, and I have a really big bottle of hydrocodone for pain also. The nurses commented that my doc was very generous. Were they referring to the pain ball? Does everyone not get one of these, and is the soreness that I hear about the incision sites? My ball will likely run out tomorrow, so I'm just curious if I'm in for some crappy pain-filled days?

ronwifey · 04-02-2008, 01:29 AM

HI, I didn't have the pain ball but the gastric bypass patients get them from my Dr.. I think you have the same liquid pain meds I had and it works. I think you'll be fine when the pain ball runs out. What actually is that anyways?

hope2bhealthy · 04-02-2008, 01:37 AM

It's a little pouch that that gives me 2 ml of numbing pain meds per hour. It's connected to my stomach with a little hose. It eventually shrivels up when all the meds are used up, and then I just have to pull the hose out myself and likely put a bandaid on it. I think I've probably got one more day worth of meds in it. My stomach is numb on the port side, but the small incision aren't numb. They feel ok, though, as long as I don't touch them. My port incision looks to be about 2 inches long with maybe another incision crossing it, so I bet it would hurt if I could feel it.

I haven't really been in any pain. I went to the grocery store with my mom to pick up a few things and to get my prescriptions on the way home from the hospital yesterday, and today I went and walked around target for a while. I guess I'm just lucky.

hope2bhealthy · 04-02-2008, 11:52 PM

my pain ball ran out this evening, so I removed the hose that was in my stomach. I wasn't exactly sure if I should wait and get every last drop of numbing medicine out of it and then take it out, or if I should take it out while I was still numb. The nurses seemed to intimate that the hose was short and would just come out. Well, I'm really really glad that I was still numb when I took it out, because I had to pull and pull. There was about 9 inches of hose in me, and it was a little stuck, so I really doubt it would have been painless. I'm still pretty numb about 3 hours later, and I'm not looking forward to sleeping tonight, then waking up tomorrow to feelings. oh well. guess i get pain like everyone else, now.

PTinUtah · 04-03-2008, 12:33 AM

Tracy, you will be fine. I didn't have a pain ball, Ive never heard of it actually. I took percacets for 3 days I don't think they helped at all. Thats when most of my pain was, is in the first 3 days. My lungs hurt so bad I could take a deep breath.
Im out 10 days now and the thing that is bothering me the most is the places on my tummy where the tape was and incisions are. Stinging itching and burning. Wish that would stop anyway congrats on your surgery.