update

[chillijava]

hi ladies
thanks for all the encouragement its very much welcome at the moment. well i am afraid i am really freaking out at the moment thinking that something has gone wrong.
i have noticed that that i still have the burning pain issues that i had before surgery as though something is irritating or pressing on the pudendal nerve and i also feel as though there is a lump in my vagina the same as you get with a prolapse, so i had a look and got the shock of my life, i couldnt see hardly any opening in my vagina, so i got my husband to look and he said he wouldnt worry and he thinks it is probably just swelling and as soon as this goes down i might not have so much pain. is it normal to still have swelling after 2 weeks or could something possibly have gone wrong?
this is really worrying me as i dont want to go through surgery again

andrea

[Violet M]

Andrea, it's normal to have some swelling after surgery but it should be slowly decreasing. If there is an increase in swelling or pain it could be a sign of infection that needs to be checked out, especially if there is any drainage.

There is always the possibility that the feeling of increased swelling is due to the nerve sending the wrong signals rather than there truly being swelling in the tissues. If the nerve was irritated during surgery it may go through stages of different feelings as you are healing from surgery.

Violet

[calluna]

Hello again Andrea. If you are worried, please contact the ward as a matter of urgency. Or your GP's out of hours service, or NHS Direct on 0845 4647.

And yes, of course there will still be swelling and soreness two weeks after surgery. But there should not be increasing pain. If you are getting increasing pain, or noticing new symptoms, please get a medical opinion.

[chillijava]

i contacted the hospital and spoke to a sister who said she thinks its just swelling and this is normal but i should contact mr dixons secretary for his opinion.
my post op pain is ok at the moment, no discharge and no temperature and i dont feel too bad, but i have a lot of bloating and although i am going to the loo its a little hard so i think this could also be adding to the discomfort in the pelvic area, i presume this will get better with time i do find i have more pain after i have been to the loo and i think the bloating is also contributing to the pn burning pain due to pressure. i am taking a stool softner to help with this and have increased my fluid.
i think i am probably looking for problems and every new pain is a major disaster!

andrea

[chillijava]

i have had a reply from mr dixon concerning the pn pain i have been having and he has told me that the increased pain is not unexpected. he did want to put me on gabapentin but i refused it as it makes me feel awful and he did say that normally he would have put me on this for 6 weeks after the op so i am presuming thats how long it will take the flare to settle down

still battling though post op pain ok but the pn flare is bad at the moment



andrea

[Geraldine]

When I had surgery in August to have a urethral cyst removed the consultant told me that it would be at least 6 weeks before I would be able to tell whether there would be a decrease in the nerve pain. It was not such a big procedure as yours but it took more than six weeks before things started to settle down. Initially I had an increase in vulval/perineal/rectal pain and yes I did wonder if i had done the right thing having the surgery. As it was done through a trans vaginal incision I had vaginal swelling, also for quite a few days I felt as if my abdomen had been run over by a steam roller!
You say Gabapentin didn't suit you, have you been offered Pregabalin - the side effects are much less, so you might get on better with it. It's more expensive which is why Gabapentin is usualy offered first.
Julia

[chillijava]

hi julia
thanks for that its just the boost i needed as i was beginning to wonder if i had done the right thing and would i now be left in worse pain than before. unfortunately surgeries i have had before have all left me with other problems to contend with ie rectal and vaginal vault prolapse and adhesions after hysterectomy (which have hopefully now been sorted with the surgery) and permanant diarehhea after gall bladder removal so as you can see this is why i am worrying at the moment, it seems whatever path i tread its always the wrong one. as far as the meds are concerned i cannot tolerate anything that messes around with the brain, anti depressants etc, they all make me hyper anxiety with sucidal thoughts so although these are the meds of choice for most people they are not for me! its difficult controlling pain when the only pain meds i can take are paracetamol, i cant even take anti inflammatories as they upset my delicate stomach.i an still hopeful the surgery will help with the pn issue after a few weeks have passed

andrea

[chillijava]

hi everyone hope you are all ok and getting ready for christmas.
its now nearly 7 weeks since my op and i am afraid i am not doing that well, the pn pain is still there so thats not been sorted by the op, but then again it was always along shot but since my op my ibs has been completly out of control with constant griping and bloating. i have just started a really bland diet to see if i can get my ibs to calm down, its seems that the op has made this 100 times worse than it was before and i am just hoping it will settle down, also i still have pain in the pelvic area at the front where i believe the pelvic and abdominal muscles join, although its not pain its horrid discomfort that seems to pull and tug, i am wondering if i have a problem or that it justs needs more time and the more i am bloated with my ibs the more the discomfort is, maybe i am still making more out of it than it is but reading what people say they have been fine by 6 weeks and that i shouldnt be having any problems and i am really worried something has gone wrong and i dont see mr dixon until the beginning of january. i was thinking about contacting his secretary to ask but i dont want to bother her as i know i will only get the answer of that it takes time and to be honest i cant afford to make another trip to bristol at the moment and i know its only 5 weeks till i go again so maybe i have just got to put up with it until then


andrea

[calluna]

Well, I was not fine after 6 weeks! Not by a very long way.

My insides were going from one extreme to another if you know what I mean - and I've never had an IBS diagnosis, so it must be so much worse for you, who had this problem in the first place. It is only recently that my bowel has got back to normal - that's more than a year post-op. And nasty sharp abdo pains at all hours of the day and night - I am still getting this some days. Bloating used to be a problem but no longer, since we gave up wheat and other grains.

I did contact Mr D's secretary about my abdo pain a while back because it was bothering me so badly, I too was wondering if something was wrong, she spoke with Mr D and the message was that it can happen after laparascopic surgery, and that with a pre-existing pain condition it was perhaps not surprising that I was having problems with this, not to worry, it would settle eventually. And it has.

If you are worried, then do give Mr D's secretary a call, she'll pass your message to him. And you know he won't mind in the slightest. I am sure you'll get some reassurance.

By the way, just had a 90 minute wait for today's appointment at Frenchay. Take your knitting with you in January, and a good book.

[chillijava]

hi
thanks for the reply, its really great to have someone who has been through this let you know your not totally paranoid, did you by any chance have any problem with your bladder?, it still feels quite strange when i wee, it used to come out with some force and now it doesnt and to honest its easier for me to stand or squat than sit on the lo, it also feels like its pulling when i we which gives me discomfort not really pain but a very strange sensation and this wasnt there until i have the op, do they do anything with the bladder like pull that back into place too.
my appointment with mr dixon has just been altered to 15th january so that i can also see dr greenslade on the same day, i am sure hoping everything settles as it makes you wonder if everything is worth it. i have also just started seeing a nutritionist to see if she can help with the stomach issues as none of the gastros or drs i have seen can seem to do much

andrea