Asked to provide own painkillers!

I think it might be worth clarifying with the hospital about what pain relief options you will be offered post-surgery.

I read this as saying they recommend you bring your own paracetamol (so they don’t have to prescribe it)... I don’t think it means they won’t prescribe other drugs you can’t get over the counter?

The NHS has a weird attitude to saving money. My father, who is in a wheelchair and has dementia, was seriously ill last year and, once he was over the worst, was moved to a rehab hospital. A couple of times he had to go back to the first hospital for a check up. Both times I went with him; both times he had a private ambulance to himself both ways, accompanied by two lovely ambulance men, both times there was absolutely no point in him being there because he wasn't examined and couldn't answer any of the doctors' questions. They could have achieved precisely the same by having a quick chat with me on the phone or, even better, by talking to the nurses on the rehab ward. So a lot of money was spent on a couple of expensive trips out. But the NHS begrudges women a couple of quid on painkillers after major surgery?

@Insertdeadcatsnamehere please be careful about smuggling in medication and taking it under the radar. Sometimes they'll hand you a pot of pain relief and it could have an interaction with what you've already taken. God forbid something happened and you passed out having taken your own pain relief and they gave you more of the same thing IM/IV. I'm sure you're aware of that though.

Best of luck with the caesarean.

That's really weird, I thought bringing your own meds was a big no-no - they could interfere with whatever else they're giving you. Even something over the counter can be nasty if you have too much at once.

This said if you can manage your pain without them - the better. I was given absolutely nothing through my first three days of induced labour - agony - and then after the emergency c-section they kept waking me up all the time to offer me bloody paracetamol, and by that point - five days without sleep plus major surgery - I needed the sleep a lot more than I needed a tablet. It would have been a relief to not have had them push that drugs trolley in my face several times a day and night.

It's like the post-natal ward had a check list of "offer patient pain relief four times a day whether then need it or not" while the induction ward must have had a strict "they're all fakers, give them nothing" policy.

I read that offering more pain relief after birth was to ease the pain of breast-feeding, so for the benefit of the infant, not the actual human who just gave birth. Sexism through and through.

Haven't rtft but I had a csection about 10 months ago and I was provided with all painkillers while I was an in patient (and thankfully it was a good deal stronger than paracetamol and ibuprofen!)

So is this a trust wide policy that anyone going for major abdominal surgery has to bring their own OTC painkillers?

Are they telling everyone to pop a paracetamol and get on with it? So that’s all appendectomy patients can expect as well? Or those getting kidney stones out? Or hernia surgery?

How is this not discriminatory?

@jessstan1 I think you may have misunderstood the term ‘elective caesarean’ This means the surgery is planned (and can be for myriad medical reasons), not that someone has chosen it on a whim. Either way, I would expect adequate post operative pain relief.

@Insertdeadcatsnamehere I think the back pain meds you have already been given should do the job. FYI I’ve had easy success with GP prescribing post-birth pain relief. I just phoned and requested. I agree that it’s a bit weird you’ve been asked to bring your own.

15 years ago was told to pack these as part of hospital bag - though surgery wasn't a given in my case and in end I didn't have it but it was standard to be told to take them in for all labours.

Friends who ended up with c-sections were given proper pain relief in addition to what they took in - I assume they ran taking their own past staff but never occurred to me to ask.

DH had surgery years later and was sent home with a bag of pain killers.

To clarify, this is whilst an in-patient as opposed to them prescribing you take home medication on discharge?

I always take my own paracetamol. Omeprazole and other simple meds.
The alternative is. To ask for pain killer.
Wait half an hour for someone to answer the buster.
Get told you aren't prescribed anything for pain.
Then wait 2 hours doe it to be prescribed. Then wait another couple of hours for someone to notice it's been prescribed and have time to give it.
All the while you are in pain.
Now just take my own commoners I k ow I'll need.
But some advice hide it. Otherwise they lock it away .
Obviously let them know you've taken it if you need something stronger.

In the supermarket a paracetamol tablet is about 1p per tablet. On the NHS it's 3p per tablet

Why can't the NHS get them as cheap as supermarkets?

I got told off by the hospital midwife for taking my own paracetamol post birth because they needed to keep notes of any meds taken incase anything happened and they unknowingly exceded dosages.

I received paracetamol and diclofenac with both labours and would much rather have provided them myself, the cost to me is far less than the nhs and IMO if we all did that then it's knees would be further from the ground than they are now. At least you've been given advance warning rather than rocking up expecting pain relief and none being provided.

I’m assuming they will provide stronger painkillers if needed...

That was not my experience. I got paracetamol and when I was crying in pain I got some peppermint oil because they insisted that the pain from my major abdominal surgery was probably wind. It wasn't, it was pain from where my insides had been cut open and rummaged around in.

The horror of the postnatal ward will never leave me. I live in terror of an unplanned pregnancy (even though my husband has had a vasectomy)

I was given liquid morphine after my elective c section along with paracetamol and ibuprofen whilst in hospital.

I was sent home with a little oramorph and I remember asking if they were giving me paracetamol or ibuprofen to take home 😁 they looked at me gone out as obviously they weren't as it is so cheap to buy. I felt a bit bad that I'd asked, I blame the tiredness ha ha!

But I'm shocked you wouldn't get given it while an inpatient!!

Never heard of peoole having to provide their own pain relief on a ward before.

But it could also be that they are trying to make best use of the limited medical staff they have available in the middle of a pandemic

Are patients allowed to take their own medication in hospital? How will.drs know they have taken anything akd not give something that would result in an OD or be contra indicated?

Ask your GP to prescribe you just a few strong painkillers in case you need more than a couple of paracetamol.

I would think if you were in severe pain, the hospital would give you necessary analgesia. However you have elected to have a Caesarian.

They*

I’m assuming they will provide stronger painkillers if needed... but in hospital everything has to be prescribed.

If you are at a point where you only need paracetamol it’s probably easier to have some with you than waiting all day for the Dr to come round and prescribe you some.

Maybe it is a cost cutting exercise (over the counter paracetamol is about 16p.. hospitals will have to pay a lot more).

But it could also be that they are trying to make best use of the limited medical staff they have available in the middle of a pandemic.

I've not had a chance section or surgery but I cant imagine paracetamol/ibuprofen is enough?

No morphine or anything else ?

I've never heard if any men having to recover from major surgery on OTC paracetamol

That's awful, OP. Both the idea you have to buy your own painkillers (which must be saving them whole pennies, Jesus!) And this misogynistic notion that because it's a "female" surgery your pain is less important. Paracetamol isn't going to touch it!! Reminds me of women in labour being fobbed off with paracetamol when they're begging for an epidural/anything stronger. Or women being expected to put up with tears being stitched without local anaesthetic. Ugh.