I have had kidney stones which I have learned to deal with. My first daughter was born without benefit of an epidural because it 'didn't take' after nearly 24 hours in labor. My younger daughter was nearly born in the car so there was no time to give me anything once we reached the hospital...nothing like an episiotomy with not so much as a Tylenol. With all this you would think that I had enough pain cards dealt my way...but...nooooooo.
In October 2009 I had a bilateral mastectomy and the start of reconstruction (the implantation of tissue expanders). As I was coming out of the anesthesia after the surgery I was bleary and asking for my glasses as not being able to see clearly was adding to the nausea. The nurse who was taking care of me in recovery said they were moving me to a room for the night and she handed me a hydrocodone...one pill. Nothing else...nothing in my IV...just one single pain pill. I had expected pain in my chest but there really wasn't much. I think that may be because of all the nerves being cut. But...my shoulder blades felt like someone had hit them with a sledge hammer. The pain was like nothing I had ever felt before. I hoped that my pill would kick in and take the edge off. It got so bad that I was trembling with the pain...I tried Lamaze breathing...anything to get through another few minutes. Finally I was in such pain that my teeth were chattering and I couldn't stop it or control it at all. By then my shoulders were also hurting beyond anything I could even imagine. I asked the nurse when I could have something else for pain and she said it was four hours between pain pills. OMG, how was I going to do this for three more hours and then wait for the pill to work? Another hour went by and I was to the point of sending my son and daughter out to find something on the black market.
I asked the nurse again and she said the oncological surgeon didn't believe in pain meds...WTAF. They had just ripped my chest off and implanted foreign objects in me and, as it turns out, when they positioned me for the procedure they had strained the brachial nerves which would cause pain and weakness in my shoulders, hands, and arms for about 4 years to come. The nurse said the surgeon would not prescribe something more. She had experience with that surgeon and knew that contacting her would not do any good. I told her I had read their mission statement and part of that was pain management - which wasn't happening. I also told her that if she didn't figure something out I would call the plastic surgeon to see what he could do. She asked me not to do that because they would think she wasn't doing her job. I told her she had 30 minutes before I made the call.
A few minutes later my husband stepped outside and as he walked by the nurses' desk she was on the phone telling someone that someone needed morphine. He couldn't be sure who was being discussed.
In very short order she showed up with two pain pills, a syringe filled with morphine, and a sleeping pill. I declined the sleeping pill but with great relief accepted the other. My plastic surgeon had made sure that I was taken care of for the night.
During the next couple months it was the plastic surgeon and my family doctor who made sure I was as comfortable as they could make me. It's nearly ten years and there is still some residual pain but that few hours after that surgery was unbelievable.
When I had the expanders taken out the permanent implants placed they kept me in the hospital anticipating the need for IV pain meds but that wasn't the case. That surgery wasn't fun but after the first one was a cake walk and I was fine with minimal chemical pain management.
I found another oncologist as I didn't really want to spend any more time with the sadist.
In October 2009 I had a bilateral mastectomy and the start of reconstruction (the implantation of tissue expanders). As I was coming out of the anesthesia after the surgery I was bleary and asking for my glasses as not being able to see clearly was adding to the nausea. The nurse who was taking care of me in recovery said they were moving me to a room for the night and she handed me a hydrocodone...one pill. Nothing else...nothing in my IV...just one single pain pill. I had expected pain in my chest but there really wasn't much. I think that may be because of all the nerves being cut. But...my shoulder blades felt like someone had hit them with a sledge hammer. The pain was like nothing I had ever felt before. I hoped that my pill would kick in and take the edge off. It got so bad that I was trembling with the pain...I tried Lamaze breathing...anything to get through another few minutes. Finally I was in such pain that my teeth were chattering and I couldn't stop it or control it at all. By then my shoulders were also hurting beyond anything I could even imagine. I asked the nurse when I could have something else for pain and she said it was four hours between pain pills. OMG, how was I going to do this for three more hours and then wait for the pill to work? Another hour went by and I was to the point of sending my son and daughter out to find something on the black market.
I asked the nurse again and she said the oncological surgeon didn't believe in pain meds...WTAF. They had just ripped my chest off and implanted foreign objects in me and, as it turns out, when they positioned me for the procedure they had strained the brachial nerves which would cause pain and weakness in my shoulders, hands, and arms for about 4 years to come. The nurse said the surgeon would not prescribe something more. She had experience with that surgeon and knew that contacting her would not do any good. I told her I had read their mission statement and part of that was pain management - which wasn't happening. I also told her that if she didn't figure something out I would call the plastic surgeon to see what he could do. She asked me not to do that because they would think she wasn't doing her job. I told her she had 30 minutes before I made the call.
A few minutes later my husband stepped outside and as he walked by the nurses' desk she was on the phone telling someone that someone needed morphine. He couldn't be sure who was being discussed.
In very short order she showed up with two pain pills, a syringe filled with morphine, and a sleeping pill. I declined the sleeping pill but with great relief accepted the other. My plastic surgeon had made sure that I was taken care of for the night.
During the next couple months it was the plastic surgeon and my family doctor who made sure I was as comfortable as they could make me. It's nearly ten years and there is still some residual pain but that few hours after that surgery was unbelievable.
When I had the expanders taken out the permanent implants placed they kept me in the hospital anticipating the need for IV pain meds but that wasn't the case. That surgery wasn't fun but after the first one was a cake walk and I was fine with minimal chemical pain management.
I found another oncologist as I didn't really want to spend any more time with the sadist.
“If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room.” — Confucius
