Having op to repair rectocele. Terrified of pain!

I seriously had no pain after my hysterectomy, vaginal suspension and rectocele surgery. Yes, my stomach was a little tender and I had bad cramps the day after my surgery. FYI. Your vagina does not have nerve endings. Only the first 3". I'm not feeling anything there. Both my surgeries were done robotically. I'm 11 days post op and feel good. I took one pain pill. Try your best to not take those pain pills unless you desperately need them. They constipate you. Have stool softeners ready at home. Check to see if the hospital gives them to you after surgery. Mine must have because I went the day after surgery. It was not painful. I will stay on the stool softeners indefinitely, probably 2 mos. They are not habit forming. Good luck!

6Matron wrote this and I agree. I'm 3 weeks our

Pain is inevitable following most surgery and especially pelvic floor surgery. Your bowel and bladder are handled and there's obviously sutures in place. Pelvic floor pain is slightly different to a hysterectomy for instance in that the pain can sometimes get worse at around 3-6 weeks when the sutures start to pull before they eventually dissolve. Sutures dissolve anything from 4-12 weeks so you have to be prepared for the discomfort to continue for some time. Women have a lot of nerves and ligaments in the pelvic area so you are always going to have some pain. The reason why a lot of women don't feel a lot of pain when they wake up from surgery and for a day or so afterwards is because of the analgesia given in theatre which is given intravenously. Make sure you're discharged with plenty of pain relief and stool softener..........you'll need it.

There are quite a few of us that can advise you I would like to set your mind at ease. I felt a lot of discomfort but the pain pills worked very well. I would stay ahead of the pain.

My biggest suggestion for you is to eat light the days before surgery. This will make it much easier to have a BM after surgery. Drink a lot of water.

Ask for a pill before they pulled out the packing. It only last a few seconds but it would be nice to take the edge off.

I would suggest a pillow under your bun when you head home.

Sherrie

Plan on wearing loose clothing for a few weeks. Sweats were great easy to pull on and off.

Buy a good quantity of pads (maybe 4 weeks worth). I bought Always Infinity Flex Foam - they work very good. Change the pads often to deter any infection. Looser fitting panties would be good also.

Take your pain med's as directed don't get behind on those. DO NOT LIFT over 10 pounds because it will set you back a day or two.

For the next few weeks your body will resetting itself. Keep up with your stool softener's you "don't" want to be constipated. I did find that if I took some TP and held the area where the stitches are during a BM it made it easier.

Beware "spicy or greasy food" won't be worth it!!

Everyone is different when it comes to pain but please don't worry about it because there's always something that can be done. During your operation you'll probably be given an intravenous dose of something like Morphine then when you are back on the ward you will be prescribed regular pain relief which will probably continue when you are discharged. The important thing to remember is to take the painkillers regularly and not be a martyr because patients who suffer pain don't recover as quickly as those who take their pain medication when the start to feel any pain. Having said that you could be absolutely fine and not need anything. 

Having your bowels opened regularly is also important and you'll be given medication to help with that.