HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE POST OP--in Pain and in tears!

[NatureLover888 23]

So...today I was supposed to be discharged from the hospital. My RNY was on Friday evening around 4:30pm ever since my release to Post-Operative care, I never got proper pain relief. The nurse didn't notice that my IV was 'infiltrated' and thus the medicine wasn't going directly into my bloodstream as it should have. Then they insist on giving me the 'doctors' normal prescription' of Roxycontin, which causes a severe allergic reaction of itching all over my face, scalp, eyebrows, and thighs.

I wish I had been discharged today...but my surgeon said he won't send me home after two days after major abdominal surgery (RNY) with ANY narcotic pain medication. REGULAR Tylenol only. (Which never works for me, if I even had a head ache in the past I would use 2-4 Advil!)

So my doctor arranges for me to stay one more night in the hospital with narcotic pain relief...only 4 milligrams Dilaudid, which for me, barely takes the edge off the pain. (I was told before by a podiatrist that I 'metabolize pain medication very, very quickly' as he had to give me more and more local injections in my toes when he was slicing out my ingrown toenails years ago...can you say OUCH? haha...the only thing I metabolize quickly, how ironic!

This afternoon around 4pm they decide to 'close the wing' I'm in and move me to another room a ways away...a room that is very HOT and SMELLY (many can relate to being VERY sensitive to odors after this surgery!) and the young, inexperienced tech grabs my purse and suitcase and loads it onto a cart, leaving me in the original room while she moves 'my stuff' into the new room...where she promptly abandoned it, complete with a wide open door and curtain...needless to say I started to feel anxious and when I opened up my wallet, $60 cash had been removed and the contents rifled through and moved into the wrong areas of the wallet.

So, I'm understatedly upset...haven't slept in two days because they won't give me the Ambien I have been prescribed for sleep due to concerns about me being oversedated...never had pain relief better than a 6/10 on the pain scale...and now to top it all off, because she strangely insisted on moving my purse before moving ME to the new room, I've been robbed.

I'm upset about being robbed so I call the security guard at the hospital and file a report...he suggests I call the local police to make a report as well, so I do. Cop says she isn't sure she can do anything but asks if she checks the security video footage and sees someone entering the room unauthorized and thus is the obvious suspect for stealing out of my wallet, will I file charges? And I say yes, because that person (hospital employee ostensibly) is preying on vulnerable people who are hospitalized and in pain. Cop leaves.

I wait, as usual, for more than one hour PAST my scheduled 4 milligrams of Dilaudid dose...walk up to the nurses's station after making a nurse's station page twice asking for my pain medication and noting that it's significantly overdue...to overhear the male nurse going ON AND ON about how I'm a 'drama queen' because I 'claimed' that money was stolen from my wallet (which it 100% was!) and that I 'think I deserve to be treated like a queen but I'm not a queen...even the COP was calling me a drama queen' He's poisoning the new night nurses' mind against me before she even meets me! He was ENTHUSIASTICALLY savaging me verbally, which was surprising because the brief interaction we had together in my room was pleasant, we were talking about traveling to Vietnam and learning other languages.

Long story short, I go back to my room in severe pain and in tears...thank goodness the Charge Nurse for this evening was very kind and helped get me my overdue meds quickly...and the nurse who had received the diatribe against me was also polite...but needless to say, I think I've been through it. It's now been an hour past the time I took the 4 mgs Dilaudid and still in severe pain whenever I move...anyone else have a WORSE experience?

PS Forgot to mention I saved up for years and years and borrowed over $20,000 for this surgery...so I paid a small fortune in cash to be neglected, robbed and verbally assaulted...how's that for 'drama'?

[Creekimp13 5,838]

Wow. That's pretty rough.

I had a hiatal hernia repair and sleeve, came home the next evening . Never had bad pain, Was sent home with narcotics that I took exactly one dose of.....and did great on regular Tylenol, instead.

Takes all kinds to make a world, I guess.

Hope you feel better. Best wishes moving forward:)

[Brittanyblue 55]

I am sorry your experience has been this terrible! Where did you have yours done?? Like creekimp13 I took Narcos for 1.5 days and then just stuck with Tylenol extra strength liquid and it works great.

[Losingit2018 1,170]

This is horrible but not at all surprising to me. I have seen some stuff in hospitals.

Please do wait until after you are discharged and then make a report to the hospital administration about your treatment. It may not do a bit of good but you may help someone else not to experience your same nightmare.

I do hope that you get out of there soon.

[NatureLover888 23]

Thank you for the support, folks! I'd rather not say where I am at the moment...still here...hopefully will be discharged tomorrow and then think of writing a letter of complaint to the CEO of the hospital. (By the way, found out today it was mentioned by a nurse that this hospital is FOR-PROFIT.) And it seems they take your money, but then don't live up to their part of the bargain. Yes, I got my surgery, but I would think adequate pain management would be a part of the deal. I didn't want to get 'high,' I just wanted the pain to stop so I could try to sleep and recover!

[BigAussieGirl 162]

Sorry to hear you still need pain meds this far out from surgery.

[NatureLover888 23]

1 minute ago, BigAussieGirl said:

Sorry to hear you still need pain meds this far out from surgery.

Thank you, B.A.G. Is it unusual to need pain medication three days after an RNY? My belly is really tender and swollen, and I feel the pain whenever I move...and it's bad. Part of this is also the anxiety I have felt about having to remind the nurses again and again when they missed a scheduled medication time...which they themselves clearly wrote on the board in my room...it's not like I invented it or made it up. I don't think they were deliberately trying to step me down, either. No one has ever suggested waiting a longer time between doses. And when I do, the pain is much worse.

[TX_KB 29]

I would ask to speak to a patient relations representative before you leave. Document everything, everyone’s name who comes in your room and what they do. I’m sorry this has happened to you!


Lap band 10/2007 revised to RNY 12/22/2017
HW 270
SW 263
CW 253

[momin2005 30]

Ask for ice, icing your stomach can also help with the swelling and pain. Sorry you are having such a terrible experience! Try to at least rest tonight, and hopefully you get out in the morning.

[Creekimp13 5,838]

Yes, needing every dose of narcotics on schedule 3 days out is unusual. Sorry, but it is. And it's raising red flags with the staff for a reason.

The nurses were likely not giving you pain meds immediately because they might have been doing you a favor trying to help wean you off. Particularly, if your surgeon does not send home any narcotic meds.

By asking for more meds, and demanding they be given as soon as possible....you are extending your hospital stay. You won't be released until you can go without them for longer and longer periods of time.

Also, all of those narcotics will completely stop your gut from functioning...creating other issues which will slow your healing.

You're shooting yourself in the foot.

Less is better. Want to go home? Try the Tylenol.

Some discomfort after surgery is good. It reminds you not to do things that cause injury.

Edited January 1, 2018 by Creekimp13

[Biddy zz 🏳️🌈 1,003]

I stopped my opiates about 40 hours after surgery. I thought Tylenol was a waste of time as pre-surgery it never seemed to help, but they put it in IV and it did keep the edge off the pain as I got us and walking. Had the final one three days post surgery - I had open surgery (8 inch incision, breast bone to navel, plus rib cage cracked open, to clear up some gastric band complications. So I also had slow local anasthetic dripping into the wound for 48 hours which was great.

i was keen to get off the heavy drugs - to avoid the fuzzy head and especially the nausea associated with them.

All I can say, my friend, is every day gets better, and now is an important time to focus on you - Water sips in, Protein in, and your new life looking forward...

[NatureLover888 23]

11 hours ago, TX_KB said:

I would ask to speak to a patient relations representative before you leave. Document everything, everyone’s name who comes in your room and what they do. I’m sorry this has happened to you!


Lap band 10/2007 revised to RNY 12/22/2017
HW 270
SW 263
CW 253

Thank you, TX. The first few days were really, really bad--the nurse 'not noticing' that my IV line was infiltrated was very frustrating, as in Post Surgical Recovery, I was extremely nauseous and in horrible pain. And the 'hell night' of them insisting on me taking a medication that was giving me an allergic reaction AND not ineffective at pain management.

Now that I am getting adequate pain management (since last night, the Charge Nurse and my own nurse were TERRIFIC about keeping the medication on schedule) I have been able to finally sleep and heal, and rest and even get up more often and walk longer in the halls.

I have a very kind nurse today, who is on time for all meds and also takes the time to teach and explain, which is rare these days, and very helpful.

We will see how I do with the Tylenol at home. It has not worked for me in the past, but surgery may have changed the way things are absorbed, so I might have a better result. Someone in another forum was mentioning *Liquid* Tylenol being prescribed by their surgeon for when they got home...has anyone else tried that, and if so, did you see better results with Liquid Tylenol versus the pill form? Thanks!!! M

[NatureLover888 23]

9 hours ago, Biddynz said:

I stopped my opiates about 40 hours after surgery. I thought Tylenol was a waste of time as pre-surgery it never seemed to help, but they put it in IV and it did keep the edge off the pain as I got us and walking. Had the final one three days post surgery - I had open surgery (8 inch incision, breast bone to navel, plus rib cage cracked open, to clear up some gastric band complications. So I also had slow local anasthetic dripping into the wound for 48 hours which was great.

i was keen to get off the heavy drugs - to avoid the fuzzy head and especially the nausea associated with them.

All I can say, my friend, is every day gets better, and now is an important time to focus on you - Water sips in, Protein in, and your new life looking forward...

Thank you so much for the encouragement, Biddynz! I've been chastised for drinking TOO much water...I've been so thirsty after the anesthesia and of course pain meds tend to cause the dreaded cotton mouth as well...but I think things are finally looking up! Took a long walk today in the hall down to the end and then looped back around again to my room. I appreciate your support!

[NatureLover888 23]

11 hours ago, momin2005 said:

Ask for ice, icing your stomach can also help with the swelling and pain. Sorry you are having such a terrible experience! Try to at least rest tonight, and hopefully you get out in the morning.

Thank you, Mom! I never thought to ask for ice for my belly. I have the six incisions which have been covered by surgical glue...They look pretty gnarly but good news is that they don't seem to have any infection, Praise God!!!

[NatureLover888 23]

10 hours ago, Creekimp13 said:

Yes, needing every dose of narcotics on schedule 3 days out is unusual. Sorry, but it is. And it's raising red flags with the staff for a reason.

The nurses were likely not giving you pain meds immediately because they might have been doing you a favor trying to help wean you off. Particularly, if your surgeon does not send home any narcotic meds.

By asking for more meds, and demanding they be given as soon as possible....you are extending your hospital stay. You won't be released until you can go without them for longer and longer periods of time.

Also, all of those narcotics will completely stop your gut from functioning...creating other issues which will slow your healing.

You're shooting yourself in the foot.

Less is better. Want to go home? Try the Tylenol.

Some discomfort after surgery is good. It reminds you not to do things that cause injury.

Hi Creekimp,

I've had two other surgeries--C-sections--and things went REALLY bad with those. I ended up with MRSA in my c-section incision wounds and was hospitalized for literally THIRTY DAYS post-op due to severe infections and agonizing pain--they had to keep my wound open and clean and stuff it every single day with big packs of gauze.

I have never had a problem with Opiates and have always been very cautious about never taking more than prescribed, nor allowing myself to become addicted. I have known people in the past with severe addictions to opiates and seen how they suffered. Some even ended up switching to street drugs because they got cut off from prescription opiates and sadly, one of them has ended up dead. :-(

I don't think the nurses are concerned, they were just overworked and spread too thin. At one point we had one nurse trying to help SIX patients all alone without even a tech to assist her, while she was trying to discharge patients and take them down to the car and outside in her winter coat in subArctic temperatures! and not one of them ever said that I was taking too much pain medication. In fact, IF they had adjusted the medication from the one that was giving me a horrible allergic reaction AND given it to me at the proper, PRESCRIBED intervals, I don't think my pain would have spiraled out of control to begin with. I was just researching this topic. Nurses in Pain Management say it's easier to blow out a match than it is to try to put out a forest fire.

In any case, I am hopeful and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I will switch to Tylenol as my surgeon suggests and pray and hope it works to keep the pain managed.

Every person's body is different and everyone metabolizes pain medications differently. What works for you might not work for me. I have never in my life heard of someone going through a major surgery and not going home with at least a minor narcotic pain medication...I'm not saying a huge 30 or 60 day supply, but perhaps enough to taper off over the course of a week.