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Wound packing agony

Posted , 3 users are following.

paul94760
paul94760

Hi all, I had surgery to remove an anal abscess last Wednesday. Now i have to have the open wound packed with a wick every day. I simply cannot handle the pain of having the wick removed and a new one put in. I have to get another today and am unable to face it. The doctor prescribed me oxynorm for the pain and xanax to keep me calm because he says I am getting a large adrenaline rush before the procedure and it negates the pain-killer effects. I did not realise I am so sensitive to pain. During the operation the first general anesthetic didn't work. During the first packing I was given 3 morphine lolipops and none of them had any effect. I dont know how to face this as I have to go through this procedure at least a dozen more times (the abscess was 10 times larger than average). Does anyone have some advice please? How long can I leave the wick in for before it gets risky? If I can even skip this one today it will be a big help as I still havn't  calmed down from yesterday. 

0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • kamb
    kamb paul94760

    Posted

    Hey there, sorry to hear about your woes. I've had 3 ops this year for abscesses. The first one I chickened out of having it properly packed which meant 2 weeks later it was infected again so I had to have a larger op. The second one was packed and it was very painful, the only way I managed to deal with it (which also really helped with the 3rd op which was by far the biggest) was to get Zen. I had done some self hypnosis years ago and I got back into it. It's a case of mind over matter - so this time round I clear my mind and just don't think about the pain as I know it will go away. If I can't clear my mind then I just start browsing reddit on my phone or play a fast paced game whilst it's being done. Really anything apart from thinking about it. 

    The 3rd surgery I needed to be packed everyday (at the beginning twice daily) for a whole month. I know it's different for everyone, but for me just putting the whole thing out of my mind and /or playing a fast paced game on my phone has worked.

    I really hope you are feeling better. 

  • al23220
    al23220 paul94760

    Posted

    I will say when I had my huge open wound and had to pack it everyday to help it heal that the best thing to do would be so really soak it with the saline solution before trying to take out the gauze. Then make sure whoever is doing the dressing can drain excess fluid and pack it back.  Also take pain meds 30 min before having it done. I would listen to music to distract my mind at the beginning when there was more gauze to pull.
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