Hospital gives only paracetamol+ibuprofen for C-section recovery?!???!

[Scaredmama1023]

I just learnt that my hospital only gives paracetamol and ibuprofen after C-section :(. And for anything else you need to ask and ad-hoc they might give morphine if doctor agrees...

They are such weak medication, I take those for headaches and period pains. To think that's what you get after being literally cut open and stitched back?!?!?! I though I'll be sick hearing this.

I'm panicking, not sure how I'll stick the pain of my C-section recovery. I'm a massive wimp when it comes to pain :(

Ladies... how bad is the pain in like on 1-10 scale where 10 is absolute agony? I guess it changes by day too? And then there is this shoulder tip pain and all. Jeez how did you all cope????

I only needed paracetamol and ibuprofen after c sections. I have since had different abdominal surgery and needed a whole heap of morphine, so that isn't a look how tough I am brag. You say they will give you stronger stuff if you ask, so O don't see an issue. Good luck!

ou wouldn't be looking after newborn alone after a few drinks, you also shouldn't be doing it on opiates.

Agreed but you probably shouldn't be looking after a newborn entirely on your own after abdominal surgery either. I appreciate the hospitals are no longer staffed for that but women after a c section whether on morphine or anything else, really should have some help lifting a baby. Imagine the response on here if someone posted this:

I had my baby yesterday and we are already home. Unfortunately my dh had to have an appendix op the same day. He is home too. AIBU to tell him I am going to bed and he has to mind the baby tonight without me. I'm knackered and want the sleep.

I had pins and plates removed from my pelvis, the bones tidied up and new ones put in and only had paracetamol and ibuprofen afterwards. I was up and about within hours and home the next day. It was sore but manageable.

I’ve had the same operation multiple times before and have taken the stronger drugs when offered, but I didn’t recover as fast, felt more unwell and stayed longer in hospital.

You might be pleasantly surprised op. I was adamant I wasn't having a C-section as I was so so scared of the recovery, but the labour went all kinds of wrong and ended up with emcs, and honestly it was absolutely fine. I don't remember being in any sort of pain, afterwards, was just numb and uncomfortable while it all healed, but never any real pain.

Second time I had an elective c section and the only pain I remember was when my then toddler dc1 jumped on my tummy and my stocj s split on one side.

I'm also an absolute wimp, and don't have a high pain threshold, so I wasn't putting on a brave face, it really was just nowhere near as bad as I imagined.

Everyone will have an entirely different experience though and if you're struggling with the pain post surgery, don't be fobbed off and don't be scared to demand something stronger.

This was my experience too.

I had morphine on a tap thing which i had to press. I left it too long and had to call for an extra dose as i got up to feed the baby and it was agony. 14 years ago.

I didn’t have any painkillers at all after my section, and I was driving a week later. You might be fine OP.

Maybe it's endometriosis or adenomyosis or maybe something else but if you're in that kind of pain every month, there's something going on

No it's not, and there isn't. And you are assuming I have never sought out advice or been referred to a consultant, that I've just sat back dimly and not bothered.
I've had 3 abdominal ops in my life, one a c-section and the other two not gynae related and I just don't find them overly painful. Uncomfortable, especially if you drink fizzy drinks and the air circulates inside, but not painful like you'd get with a broken arm or leg. Sore. Not painful. Tender. Not painful.

Periods can be much more actually painful. For me. Maybe less painful than periods for some, but more than for others. I've had a cracked rib and that was extremely painful. Very very 9/10 painful. Much more painful than either a period or the ops. It's relative. I'm fine. Trust me. I know how and where to seek medical advice. I have it on my doorstep so to speak.

*I don't think you're necessarily getting what some if us mean. I used period pain because a regular thing, but equally:
Things worse than my c sections

• most colds I've ever had
• the flu (by a long way)
• injuring my knee
• sinus infection

Put it this way, if I experienced the level of pain I did after section (due to the operation), didn't have a tiny baby to look at, and knew to exist or, I'd be fully capable of doing a day at work. I'd probably go for working at home rather than a commute, but it was in no way debilitating

This. You explained it better than I have. To add to my personal list.

Broken Toe. And the worst of the worst and a pure 10/10 was toothache from a
dental abscess. Had me on my knees, literally, in tears. I would have taken period pain over that any day.

I don’t recall any pain. I had something post op that made me vomit. After that paracetamol. I had no idea what I was taking. I was really surprised at discharge to find it had only been paracetamol. Agree with others keep taking it so you never feel pain.

I had a failed induction that ended up in a EMCS. Through the induction process on the sytocinon drip I couldn’t have a spinal as the anethestist was dealing with other emergencies, for 14 hours. I had pethadine and then just gas and air. It wasn’t an enjoyable time but the gas and air got me through. When I finally got my spinal I had relief but short lived as baby was then in distress so was prepped straight for the EMCS.
i don’t know what I was given in theatre but after my baby was born and we were in recovery I remember my arms shaking so much that I thought I could drop the baby!
back on the ward I was up and about and had a shower myself within about 10 hours. Let out of hospital the following morning (cou;don’t have come sooner I HATED the post natal wards)
when I got home and the midwifes visited they were shocked that I’d been discharged without pain relief ( I was taking ibuprofen and paracetamol myself) and arranged a prescription for diclofenic. I was absolutely fine after c section, had to be careful gettting out of bed but other than that was grand. Took the dog for a walk the day after I got home, push the pram around the supermarket etc. This was 13 yrs ago now though.

Recently I experienced a slipped disk in my back, went down like a brick in my kitchen, absolute 10/10 on the pain scale, paramedic gave me a whole canister of gas and air which did not even touch the side of the pain. Was heading for an ambulance trip to hospital before the medic agreed that I would have oramorph (liquid morphine) to try to relive the pain. 6 weeks on and I’m just coming through the other side. Induced labour followed by an EMCS was a walk in the park compared to slipped disk!

R

Oramorph made me feel so sick, I almost passed out in the loo doing my first wee. Had paracetamol and ibuprofen from then onwards and felt absolutely fine.

second section they gave me oramorph again but it just made me ridiculously sleepy so opted for ibuprofen and paracetamol. My recovery second time around has much so much quicker and I haven’t needed anything now since week 2.

I think it obviously depends on your pain threshold though! If you’ve never had a section before then I definitely advise having a pillow next to you and cuddling it against your stomach if you cough or laugh. I had a sickness bug 4 days in and it helped massively. You’ll have to sleep upright as well for at least a week, maybe more again depending on your threshold.

I’ll be 3 weeks post section on Friday and today I went to soft play with my two year old and been having daily walks.

good luck! X

I was unfortunately a veteran of gynae operations & severe endometriosis by the time I had my section. It wasn’t truly horrendously painful but I did have to be very vigilant about keeping ahead of my painkillers (dihydrocodeine, paracetamol, ibruprofen).

I remember being relieved it wasn’t as bad as waking up after my last laparoscopy 2 years prior.

Still no joke, though. Certainly worse than a broken toe, and in my case, facet joint syndrome in my lumbar spine where I was left unable to walk at one point a few years ago.

Also since had Flu A & adenovirus and whilst miserable would take them over a section any day. There’s sadly a great deal of physical rebuilding to do in the gym after a section if you don’t want to end up with a saggy apron.

same here. I was refusing painkillers as just wasn’t in pain. Much easier than period pains for me.

As in the past- I felt like my mum's generation had horrendous tales of c section and the recovery process which they shared willingly sounded long and painful. So I think medical advances have perhaps streamlined the process.

They were in hospital for significantly longer periods - i was out within 26 hours and had to feed and change my baby the first night as no-one was allowed to stay overnight. I was given a vacuum packed dressing attached to a cleaning machine which avoided infection!

Op, ask for dihydrocodeine as an extra.

Take that at the same time as paracetamol, then alternate it with a dose of just ibuprofen 2 hours later.

It’s major surgery and you are allowed painkillers.

I would also recommend taking your own painkillers in and making a note of times you have any because the nurses are shit at giving you them on time.

Pain levels can also depend on how the c section went in general. I was in pain both times, my first was EMCS after 2 days of contractions. My section was planned but was still quite rough as DD was transverse and really stuck. They really had to work to get her out.

Op don’t let posts like this make you feel like you need to be supermum. You shouldn’t be going to soft play less than 3 weeks after major surgery i certainly wouldn’t have been able to do that.

🤣🤣🤣

I was simply sharing my experience and I have stated EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT.

I am definitely by no means a super mum and the first few weeks are hard and uncomfortable.

but thank you for your interpretation of my post.

Also, I definitely wouldn’t take your pain relief with you as it can be hard sometimes to refuse the extra from the staff if you are desperate to manage the pain.

If you buzz the nurses they will be happy to help you, sometimes they are late because it’s busy in hospitals and there are other patients they have to see so they can get distracted unfortunately. The system alerts them when you are due more.

Dihydracodeine also passes through breast milk in small amounts ( in case you were planning to breast feed)

IV paracetamol definitely hit differently!

I was giver dihydrocodeine I think for a couple of days too but the midwife said try to go without if you can. I did find that I felt too well, like I’d never had the C-section. I preferred just paracetamol and ibuprofen - use alarms so you remember to take them. Honestly it was ok.

Of course you've just had surgery so you'll be tender and it's hard to move around, but really and honestly it's manageable with paracetamol (i can't have ibuprofen).

The only pain I really remember is the shoulder tip pain (gas can get trapped in your abdomen, it will disappear eventually but it causes pressure on your diaphragm which refers pain into your shoulder). Pack some peppermint tea bags and rennies in case of that one and you'll be grand.

I had whatever they gave me as a suppository for after the spinal wore off. Then I think dihydrocodeine until discharge (1.5 days due to picking up minor water infection) and paracetamol and ibuprofen after - I didn't get given any either I was just told to get my own. It was not a sharp pain or agonizing. After 1 or 2 days at home the pain was only when I moved or stretched a certain way. I was walking short distances after a few days but other things like getting myself out of bed from laying down took a little longer

Gosh no it’s not coded. At most if I was late taking paracetamol/ibuprofen I felt slight discomfort, like a slight ache, but not “ouch, it hurts” level, or anything sharp. You’ll realise if you forget to take the next dose, and after you pop it in you’ll be fine again in 30 mins.

I found at the end of the day I was oddly a bit stiff all over and walking around like an old man.

With dihyrdocodeine I felt so great and I had so much energy, it was like I’d never had the surgery. I was a bit unnerved and doing too much after a couple of days and worried about doing something silly, so I stopped taking them to make me slow down.

Paracetomol and Ibuporfen, taken regualrly, are some of the most effective painkillers available. Opiate based pain relief comes with side effects, not least consitipation, and you don't want that when you've just had a C-section!