Post Op Pain

[Maverell]

When I eventually came round from my AN removal surgery I had terrible pain, not in my head, but in my right thigh !  Why ??

 I was given morphine to reduce the level of the pain, and about three days later it went away. I have been meaning to ask this question for ages ?  I probably asked the hospital staff but can't remember.

[MAlegant]

I had a similar experience.  In the hospital, it was my right arm--also needed morphine.  At home it has been my left thigh.  The nurses in the ICU said it was muscular, kind of like a really bad leg cramp.  I think that makes sense, because when you are in a state of pain you tense every muscle in your body.  That's my explanation....
Marci

[calimama]

I had pain in my thight too... but it was obviously from laying too long (10+ hr surgery) on the hip (my right underarm is was also numb, better, but still kind of weird there). My skin was red/raw... i think some kind of damage to the skin. This eventually cleared up within 2 weeks or so of surgery. Not sure if this is similar to what you had. Like i said, i still have numbness on my right side (underarm area) from some nerve damage (i assume there) but it is recovery slowly (but was never painful).

[Maverell]

My surgery was also long so maybe you are right Calimama. It would be interesting to know how many others here had similar pain ?

[Pooter]

I never had a lot of pain in my thigh, but I definitely had a spot on my left thigh (opposite of AN side) that was very red and kinda square.  It took several weeks for it to clear up.  Perhaps I laid on some monitoring equipment that they had on the table or something?  I pointed it out to my doctor but he wasn't sure what it was and offered no explaination.

Brian

[lori67]

Brian,

The red square on your leg might have been from the electrocautery (the thing they use to stop bleeding during surgery).  They attach a sticky pad to your body, somewhere away from where they are working, to ground it.  Sometimes the adhesive stuff can be irritating, but I suppose it's better than getting electrocuted or bursting into flames!     That's the only thing I can think of that would leave a mark like that.    I don't think that would account for the pain that others had.  Maybe that does have something to do with the position you're in for so long.

Lori

[satman]

in icu i ripped out the spinal fluid drain and any other tube or wire they had connected to me,not the cathader though.
that kind of hurt, but it was fun watching everybody freak out over the blood,i think it was the drugs,ya think?
the reason i did that was i kept thinking the staff was messing with my head so i wanted to mess with thiers.

[mimoore]

No thigh pain for me but just the same as Trish I had a sore hip and numbness under my right arm. I cannot lay on my right side too long or my hip gets sore and side is still numb. I thought it was from laying on my side for 14 hours during surgery. I think Lori's explantion sounds logical for you. Who knows what they do to us when we are sleeping. I read my operative report but I am sure tons of little details are missing.
Michelle

[Pooter]

Lori - That's probably what it was.  It was sore, but I definitely wouldn't call it painful.  I had a long surgery (almost 12 hours), so if ya sit on anything for that long, then it's bound to make a mark. 

Satman - I was told that I kept taking off the oxygen from my nose.  I guess it bothered me even in the drug induced fog I was in.  So, I'm with ya on that one!

Brian

[MAlegant]

I removed my oxygen mask and attempted to throw it some distance.  I don't remember this.
M

[Maverell]

Well done Satman - I am with you all the way  !!

As for the post op pain, well, the more I think about it the more I believe it was the position I was in during surgery. I cannot think of any other reason...... however it could be the brain working tricks ?  ie. The pain is really in your head, but the brain  tells you its in your thigh or elsewhere ?  A bit like having a limb amputed ( god forbid ) and thinking its still attached.