Pain control after rectal removal - seeking advice

I don't exactly know how to approach this problem, so I'm asking for advice. Just had a rectal removal and suffering pain whether I sit or lay down. My surgeon gave me Vicodin, which really doesn't help that much. This is a weird drug because if I take it, I can't sleep and to be honest, it just doesn't help at all. Is there anything I can do to get a different type of med, and what did you do to control pain? One oncologist actually told me to burn candles and listen to soft music. I mean, wtf.
I know in 4-6 weeks things should get better, but in the meantime, I'm really hurting. I can barely sit, and even getting dressed really hurts. Any response would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks once again,

Aloha Monty,
I have been there! When I first had my surgery, I had the exact same pain. I could lie on one side but could not lie on the other and could not sit up. It was maddening! I was also given Vicodin, except in its generic form, Hydrocodone. See if your doctor can either increase the milligrams or try something else like morphine. Pain management is one of the most important aspects of your recovery. I hope your doctor will work with you on this, and I hope you are feeling better soon.

When I had terrible pain post-op, the surgeon prescribed Vicodin, which did not touch the pain. When I finally saw my oncologist, they said "Why didn't you ask us?" They prescribed Oxycontin. Two forms: long-acting and another for short-term immediate pain. I was afraid of addiction, but it just stopped the pain. When the pain subsided, I was off.

Good luck and fight for what you need...soft music and candles indeed.

Lynn

I just had surgery in January to remove my rectum. I am wondering why they did not do that when I had the ileostomy 20 years ago. Anyway, I did not suffer with too much pain in that area. I guess I was lucky, but I did end up having a staph infection in my blood in the hospital. It was not until the 4th antibiotic when they discovered it was my blood. I nearly died, but I am now here to talk about it. They did discover I had 2 positive nodes that were cancer after the pathology report came back. I decided on no treatment and have changed my diet and lifestyle considerably. I am keeping a positive attitude and will continue to eat a more vegetarian diet. It hasn't been too hard as I thought it would be, as it beats the alternative.

Hi. Reading the responses here, it sounds like we've all had similar experiences. I have to say the only thing that really helped me was OxyContin. I don't understand all the fear of addiction surrounding this drug because I took it for a couple of months after rectum removal and abdominal resection. Vicodin did not help, Percocet did not help. The docs gave me tramadol(?) and that just made me woozy. Currently, I am having chemo to treat CTCL, something I've been dealing with for several years. It really wipes me out, and I have general body pain which seems to be more intense around my stoma. I am taking Percocet for it, but when I see the doc on Thursday before my infusion, I am going to ask for OxyContin. We'll see how it goes. I hope he gives me a scrip for it because it was the only thing that helped before.
I had to laugh out loud when I read the candles and soft music suggestion! Yeah, wtf!!! I hope this one isn't one of your main docs. You might want to mention that to someone. I smell quackery.
Anyway, take care. I sure hope you feel better. Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Complain, complain, complain!

My Ostomy Journey: LeeAnne | Hollister

Hi there,

Tell the doctor who said you should burn candles that he should kiss your behind!!!
Really pisses me off when I read what he said to you. Find yourself another doctor, they don't make doctors like they did 20-30 years ago, half of them should not be in business.

A doctor like this should have just one of the surgeries that these people go through, and he
would not be burning candles and listening to music!!!!

You take care of yourself, and don't forget you are paying this fool who said that to you.

Next time he says something so stupid...just slap the asshole!
Spade

I'd say your best move is to ask your doctor for something stronger. A big part of your recovery process is pain management, and your doctor should be willing to assist you with that. A lot of people have mentioned OxyContin, but I have had really good luck with Dilaudid also. It's similar to morphine, but a lot stronger. Just thought I'd throw out another suggestion.

Thanks to each and every one of you. I'm sorry for not replying, but I was in a sort of shock and had to go to the street to buy relief. It's been about 7 weeks now and I can finally sit down without too much discomfort, although at times I have to take a Vicodin 10/500. I've been blessed to find you all and you have helped so much. Now, isn't the world a good place with the internet and meeting folks like you.

I agree, OxyContin and Dilaudid are the best for dealing with severe pain. Medical pot helps, but can't really touch severe pain. The doctor that suggested candles and music needs to have someone smash his foot with a hammer and then be told to go light a candle. Doctors can be such assholes. When I was taking pain meds daily (and it was only Tylenol 3), I was concerned I may get addicted to them since there is such a scare about that, so I asked my doctor how I would know if I was getting addicted to them. You know what he told me? He said I was going to start stealing from my family to support my drug habit! WTF?? I never went back to him. I have no doctor now, but I am still here. I took OxyContin twice a day for 8 months once. When the pain went away, I stopped taking it. Nothing happened to me. I guess I don't understand the medical profession's paranoia about pain meds, but if you need them, take them. If your doctor won't give them to you, get a new doctor!! If you still can't get proper meds for severe pain, you may have to go to the streets. Sorry, but that is the world we live in now. Did you know Sears and Roebucks used to sell opiates and cocaine? Good luck to you.

Out of the fabled catalog..

As much as I like the idea of using a hammer on a surgeons foot,especially like the one who screwed up my life so bad, I would like to take that idea one step farther and stick that candle up his ass and light it. Five weeks after surgery I got real sick, so much so the local doctors had convinced my family, I had to get to the city, this had to be done, like right now, so after a 150 mile trip to one of the major hospitals, rushed into surgery, guess what, the surgeon couldn't find anything wrong, so a day or two later another surgeon has a go at me and I woke up ten days later and always on life support and hanging from my belly was this appurtenance which caused some really colorful language, at least I thought so, but had I laid eyes on the original surgeon,well dear reader I will leave the rest to your imagination. But through it all I am very lucky to be alive, bag and all and try to keep evil thoughts out of my mind, but I do like the idea of a lit candle, Ed

PS: Now I have a better idea of what they do with all those bowel parts we've lost over the years, yep, specialists!!!!

Try a donut-shaped cushion or get a breastfeeding pillow shaped like a horseshoe. This way, you're sitting but not putting any pressure directly on the rectum or pressure from standing. And oddly, I find sitting on the toilet leaning forward, whether you have to go or not, is oddly a comfortable position for rectal pain. Hang in there. And message me if you need to.