Post-Surgery Pains - Normal or Cause for Concern?

Me again!

I was just wondering what kind of pain is normal after 7 weeks from surgery?

My scar is still very itchy to start with. I get sharp pains at times in my sides, abdomen, and chest, especially when I am trying to get to sleep. I get pain in my back too. Nothing unbearable, just uncomfortable most of the time. I also get burning pains in my abdomen too. I only take paracetamol, I was on tramadol after the op, but came off it after about 4 weeks (which wasn't a pleasant experience so do not want to go back on that! Lol)

Just wondered if pain/discomfort is normal this long after the op?

I also get a rash on my legs at some point every day and my skin is very itchy. Anyone else witnessed this after ileostomy?

Thanks, found this site very useful since I joined last week :-)

Hello Scord.

My brief answer would be that 'of course it's normal to have residual pain after surgery of this sort.'

I tend to have an inner smile when people ask me if something is 'normal'.  We are all different both in mind and body which means that there will be some who have hardly any pain and others who experience a great deal.  Personally I would think that 7 weeks is still early-days for the healing and adjustment process.  I still have pains in all sorts of places several years  post-op. However, because I know what was wrong before and what they did to try to put things more right than it was, I tend to accept any ongoing pain and discomfort as a vast improvement. Also, as I have got much older, there are now other pains to take up my attention and the ones surrounding the ostomy seem so much less important.

I found it very helpful at the beginning to talk things over with an ostomy nurse who explained the circumstances surrounding any discomforture and gave suitable reassurances and warnings about trying to 'do something about it' that might make the overall situation worse. 

Best wishes Bill 

Thanks for your reply, maybe I just need to give it time lol. I guess with chemo coming up I want to have recovered more.

Hmmmm, my stoma nurses have been a bit strange with me. They were great to start but have not spoken to me for well over a week and I got an appointment through today for October! I have so much I want to discuss with them :-(. I think they don't like me after I bothered them so much to start and then accidentally missed an appointment :-S lol.

Anyway.... Thanks again :-)

Hello Scord,

I have had a stoma nurse for 3 years, before I hadn't, just dealing on my own. Try to find another one or try with Coloplast or Hollister nurse support. Maybe in the UK there is an organization about ostomates, try to contact them.

Take it easy and never give up. I have changed doctors several times, one saw my scars and screamed "what the hell is that" (a surgeon one). I said "that" are autographs, do you want to sing?", trust me you will find people for "anything" you want. As a teacher has to have patience with their pupils, you have to have calmness while dealing with the stoma issues. You will find the suitable one for you, just keep finding the right one.

Good luck.

Hi Scord,

For the itching, you can try Benadryl. I have used it for years for another condition, but they also gave it to me when I was in the hospital having the colostomy surgery.

I agree with B.red about the stoma nurse. Bill gives some good information also. It's been 10 months for me, and I still have pains.

Staying Hydrated with an Ostomy with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

Hi Zywie,

I currently take cetirizine for allergies, but it's not helping. nbsp

I currently get a rash on my legs, feet, and hands that comes and goes and is itchy. I am thinking it must be a reaction to a drug I am taking or something. It's doing my head in. I went to the doctor and they gave me fungal cream, but it hasn't helped! nbsp

I'm so fed up with things now. Watery output, feeling like crap, itching constantly! And chemo to come! Lol. Fun nbsp

Thanks for the advice. nbsp

Hello Scord,

I have itching inside my scar sometimes and I use 100% extract oil of "rosa mosqueta" (sorry I don't know the translation, maybe rose hip). I also use 100% aloe vera (I don't like the smell but it is also good). There are powders which are used when children get chickenpox. Your scars are new so I am not sure if you can use these products on your scar, but try them on your leg, feet, or hand. I know itching is awful and gets worse during nighttime.

I wish you get better soon.

Hope this helps you.

Scord,

I also have an ileostomy. We each have our own journeys. I had to spend 6 months in the hospital fighting for my life and learning to walk again 3 times. I remember having a lot of aching in different places. I even would feel "wet" on spots at times but wasn't. Sometimes my ribs or lungs ached, etc. But pretty much all that has subsided 2 years later. My doctor told me it would take a year to get myself back to full speed. We have to be kind to ourselves. Our bodies have been through quite the shock and they are adjusting. Also, there is the question of scar tissue. That may be some of the discomfort. I do believe it will get better. It did for me.

Two tips. Don't overdo physical activity....especially don't do abs!! Can create hernias. Eat carefully at first but eat healthy. You need the fuel for your healing. Be careful to drink enough fluids. Your large intestine isn't there to get that from your food anymore. Above all, cultivate a sense of humor. It will be your best tool many a day! :))

I still remember after 40 years that I did have a lot of pain for quite a while after my surgery. This is a very large surgery where they remove so much intestine. In order to do that, they must have to place you in a very weird position to perform the surgery. I also remember that I coughed a lot because the surgery was so long. When I coughed, I had pain in my shoulder. I was told this was due to the surgeon probably hitting my spleen and the pain reflected into my shoulder when I coughed.

So, yes, it is likely normal to have pain 7 weeks after the fact, but eventually you will heal.

Best of luck to a speedy recovery.

Hi Scord, I remember you saying you had Crohn's? The skin issues could be due to that. I have weird skin issues occasionally and the GI usually chalks it up to the Crohn's.

Anyway, your scar will be itchy because it's healing. The pain though, I would ask your GI doctor or surgeon about just for peace of mind. It's always better to discuss something off or different or something you might feel is wrong with your doctor. That's one thing I learned from dealing with years of severe, chronic disease and then finally this surgery. NEVER self-diagnose and when in doubt, talk to a trusted medical professional. I can tell you I personally didn't have that kind of pain 7 weeks post-op. At 8 weeks, I was back at work, even though I was just barely ready to be (still emaciated and weak, you know). I had been on Percocet right after surgery and didn't like it because it made me so sleepy, so they switched me to Vicodin and I stopped taking that on my own about 3 or 4 weeks after surgery because I didn't feel like I needed it. But that's only my experience. Even so, I'd still run the pain thing by your doctor just to be on the safe side :-)

If someone attacked you in the street with a knife, ripped it up down your abdomen, disembowelled you, you would expect to be a little uncomfortable.

You have had major surgery and suffered major trauma.

I think it takes up to 12 months to fully recover, remembering that you probably weren't very fit before the operation.

Scord, this is a great site as you can be assured that we have all been through what you're experiencing in your adventures. I'd been diagnosed with cancer, so, my colostomy surgery was over 20 years ago. Every morning since feels like I've won the lottery*!

Throughout the intervening period, I've had multiple "discomforts" but none of any particular import. From time to time, though, I do experience sensations which used to prompt an impending bowel movement. In time, I found these to be "missing limb" related (the person with an amputated arm gets itchiness in the missing hand). In my case, it was a dull pain in what's left of my butt.

You really need to develop a relationship with your ET ("stoma nurse" is sometimes a degrading term). I've had an array of allergy-related issues and at one point, I had an oozing mess under my appliance. My ET was sitting across the bathroom from me and said, "...you've got a yeast infection!" (which was simply treated with a powder).

I've had the dreaded hernia and have gone through four surgeries. The lesson here was to do your research with your medical team: my general surgeon referred me to a minimally invasive surgery group who use arthroscopic approaches to the problems.

* Most of the people around me who'd been with cancer aren't around, and that presents another set of concerns. I dealt with a psychiatrist to help me deal with this issue which is called "survivor's guilt".

Scord, all of this to say, you really need to develop and then sustain a great relationship with your entire medical team (e.g. GP, ET, ostomy supply firm, surgeon, pharmacy, etc.).