Meds...Pain meds in particular

Message

#1 Post by **nervouschrissy** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:34 pm

Ok so I am new to the forum and I am pretty nervous....16 days and counting till upper and lower jaw surgery...and I am getting pretty freaked out!!! Please tell me that it is not painful post-op?? What do I honestly need to be aware of...my md says Ill be fine but I guess IM just a little on the freaked side!!!

#2 Post by **chrisk** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 8:14 pm

Hi nervouschrissy,

I'm 1 year post-op the day after tomorrow, and I just want to assure you that the waiting before surgery is a lot worse than the aftermath of surgery. You will be numb so there isn't really a lot of pain. You will feel uncomfortable and tight because of the swelling, and you may have a period of the blues post-surgery (which is totally normal). I was in hospital for 4 days and had the odd pethidine shot to help me sleep, as it was difficult to settle at night. Once I got home, I took 1 sleeping tablet at night to help me settle, and the only other meds I had were steroids. I was given some really strong drugs to take home but didn't need them at all.

It's easier said than done, but try not to worry. It really IS worth it. I would do it again in a second.

#3 Post by **ohmyjaw** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 8:24 pm

Hi there, it's totally normal to be nervous!

I was in some pain post-op but the nurses gave me shots of morphine, and then I also had morphine to take at home. So don't worry, because if you do experience any pain the hospital staff will take care of it (and many people find this surgery is not that painful anyways!)

I also found that ice packs worked wonders, as well as keeping myself busy (talking to friends, going out for walks, watching movies, concocting smoothies to drink, etc, etc).

#4 Post by **dubnobass** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 12:23 am

I've found it uncomfortable but not really painful. They sent me off home with diclofenac and paracetamol (+ amoxycillin), and I stopped taking the painkillers regularly about 3 days post-op - I may not even have needed them, I was just chugging them down regularly at first.

The only real pain I have had throughout this has been my throat - in the 24 hours after surgery it was raw, and in the last day or so, one side of my throat and ear have also been quite sore, especially when I swallow - but I think this is related to wisdom tooth removal, not the jaw surgery.

In hospital they gave me IV paracetamol and also gave me patient-controlled analgesia, which was fentanyl (an opioid, like morphine). However, as I wasn't really in any pain, all this did was make me feel sick (a common side-effect of opioids), so I didn't use it much.

The only things that came a real surprise to me were how sore my throat was post-op, and how bunged up my nose was too. Swallowing with a sore throat and a blocked nose is not easy!

#5 Post by **ohmyjaw** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 12:33 am

I did not have any soreness in my throat, and no stuffed nose. All of my pain was in the places where the surgery took place! I needed the morphine for about 10 days.

#6 Post by **Brandyleigh35** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:35 am

It wasn't that bad, I never used anything more then Advil and Aleve to manage the pain. I had one dose of morphine in the hospital and hated it, never had anything after that.

Exercise after about 4 days helped a lot with the discomfort, it would actually make things feel really good for 2 -3 hours afterwards. All in all I found this surgery to be far better then I thought it would be. I was prepared for much worse and was pleasantly surprised!

YOu will be fine!

Brandy

#7 Post by **HighandLo** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 8:39 am

chrissy,

I had lower jaw surgery 6 weeks ago and I could not say that it was painful! A lot of my discomfort came from the swelling, which was so much better by Day 5.

I did take Vicodin because my jaw ached the first several days. Later I found out that when my elastic configuration was changed, the aching eased up. I think they were too tight.

You will be somewhat numb, too, as others have said and this will help.

Best wishes!

Lo

#8 Post by **nervouschrissy** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:34 pm

Thank you everyone for the info!!! Im 15 days now until upper/lower/chin and was excited 3 months ago when given my surgery date and now I just 2 weeks away and am freaked right out!!! What is the plate that I have read about that is in everyones mouth after their surgery....My Surgeon has not told me about this...but Im going to the pre-surgerical clinic on Wednesday and I guess I will ask him...what does this plate do?? My ortho or my surgeon never mentioned it!!!

#9 Post by **mamabracito** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 6:11 pm

Hey Chrissy, it's okay to be nervous. I had my surgery 2 weeks ago today and it wasn't all that bad. I will admit when I woke up from the drugs after the surgery I was pretty freaked out but then I remembered what I did. I think that was the worst part of the whole thing for me. Aside from having that stupid splint in. My ortho told me the splint was there just to hold things together and keep my upper jaw spread. If your ortho never mentioned it then maybe you don't need it. It doesn't make anything more painful it's just very uncomfortable and makes your mouth feel full. It also makes it difficult to drink anything but you make do.

Hope that helped a little.

Good luck with your surgery. You'll do great. Make sure you post some after shots.

#10 Post by **Spooky** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:54 pm

My case may not be the norm, but I did not feel any major pain at all! The first couple of days, I used ice as recommended to reduce swelling. The ice also worked to numb the area so I couldn't feel anything. 3rd and 4th day, I begin to take liquid tylenol and that is only because I wanted to 'get ahead' of the pain. That's advice I got from my OS. Don't wait until you feel the pain before taking the meds. If you do that, you will get aggravated. By the 5th day, I was off all pain meds.

#11 Post by **freakinrican** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:52 pm

I had upper and lower about 3 and a half weeks ago. They gave me a narcotic pain killer (vicodin) and I took it everyday for a week, although looking back I don't think I needed to take it that long. It is mostly discomfort from a pressure type of feeling in the face. I had a sore throat but only for a couple of days.

Now I'm not trying to scare you, and this doesn't happen to everybody, but I had an issue with constipation as a result of the prescription pain meds. I was drinking lots of water and using a fiber supplement, but it wasn't enough. Ultimately, it was my own fault because I didn't do 2 things my surgeon said to do: 1) Walk frequently and 2) drink prune juice! I had the prune juice in my fridge but I forgot about it (oops). Again, keep in mind this doesn't happen to everyone. Just follow the surgeon's instructions and you should be fine!

#12 Post by **Renden** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 4:19 am

I had surgery on Wednesday and haven't taken any pain killers since Yesterday morning when i left the hospital..

sorest part of it is walking about due to the bone graph

Sat Aug 18, 2007 10:09 am

I had surgery also on Wednesday (upper and lower). No pain, just a lot of swelling and this plastic splint in my mouth is a real pain (but a small price to pay for the assured stability and no return trip to the OR). Splint is probably going to be in for 3 more weeks - grrrr -

Pre- surgery was filled with unknown fear and anxiety and that is all gone now

They have me on the steroid called Dexamethatron - anti inflammation steriod - and It's the worst! It keeps my up all night and causes me anxiety and depression - only 2 more day of the evil pill and it will get a lot better. Last night I started to feel some tickling and itching on my numb lower lip and chin - that was a GREAT feeling~~~

Best of luck and you will be on the post op side soon