Today is 3 weeks since I had my surgery. The incision site where they pulled my partial stomach out is very very painful. Unless I'm sitting down doing nothing I get a stabbing burning pain. When I get up from Bed I get the same feeling except it feels as though I am ripping wide open. I can't even sleep on that side because of the tenderness. My doctor gave me percocet and that only takes a small edge off. She also gave me lidocaine patches which were a waste of money they don't work. Has anybody else experienced this?

This is very common. They pulled your stomach out of a small hole. It will take time for the soreness to dissipate. I found holding my hand on the site helped keeping it in place so that it did not stretch out when I got up or moved. You may want to try that.

This will pass.

My doc sent me home with liquid Tylenol w/ codeine. That helped a lot with pain for my first week after surgery. I'm 3-weeks post op today as well. I have no pain in my incision sites, but the incision of my drain site is healing slowly. It's still slightly open and it itches like hell. It doesn't hurt though. The weird thing is that the site where my stomach was pulled from is completely healed. The site is slightly raised, but the scar has disappeared. It doesn't even look like I've had surgery.

Thanks RJs/beginnings. I usually am very good with dealing with this kind of pain for 3 weeks is very taxing on a person.

@@cheers92, I don't think pain 3 weeks out from laparascopic surgery is normal. Soreness is normal but actual pain is not. I don't know if you've ever had surgery before and maybe you just don't have a basis for comparison?

If you are having pain to such a degree that would warrant the use of Percocet three weeks after surgery, I'd go for another checkup. If what you're feeling is actually soreness, then everyone is right; it's expected and should begin to ease with each passing day. I hope you begin feeling better soon.

@ bittersweet I have had back surgery and a kid. Those seem easy compared to this pain. If it was just sore I can deal with that. God I pray for that. This is actual if I do anything but sit still I am in alot of pain. Laying down with 2 pillows under my head and trying to sit up feels as though my gut is ripping wide open. It's 3 times as bad if I lay with one pillow. I have an appointment with my surgeon thursday. I hope he figures out what is going on. Thanks for the advice.

=(

So sorry. I hope the pain eases and you begin to feel better soon.

I am 3 weeks and 1 day post op and the incision right above my belly button is still very sore but not painful. It's right on my pant line too. I too find that when attemping to get up from the sitting position I hold that area up and it doesnt hurt as much. Try that. Hope you feel better soon.

I met with my surgeon today and he says it can take up to 6 weeks to heal. I hope the intensity goes down soon.

@ Becky I do do that. It delays the pain until I let go. Thanks everyone for the advice!

Omg things are getting so much better!

Yay!

For the first 2 weeks, I felt like a truck hit me. I worried there was something wrong when I'd come on here and see people with surgery the same day as me running a marathon! How do they do it? I now see more people with post op pain but at the time, I thought I was the only one.

I'm a side-sleeper and I couldn't sleep on my side for about 10 days. They I had to put a pillow on my side so my belly wouldn't droop, pulling at my incisions. My bottle of liquid Vicodin was my buddy for about 12 days.

After 2 weeks, I started feeling more human. And once I got to eat "real" food (4 weeks on full liquids), I felt even better. I thought I'd literally starve.

Lots of people have post op pain lasting longer than a week. All I noticed was the I was the only one having a rough recovery. There's lots of us out there. U WILL wake up one of these days and the pain will be less. I promise...

Good luck!