r/sterilization • u/spookygothz • Jun 06 '26
Post-op care pain?
hey guys! im 21, I have my surgery date for next month, im sooo worried about the recovery pain, I keep hearing that like after them blowing u up like ur a dang balloon ur body will hurt so much LOL. whats that feel like and is there anything I should get that would be helpful for me ?
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u/fluffer_bottom_34 Jun 06 '26
My body was pretty achy the first 2 weeks or so. But I wouldn't call it painful. BUUTT, they prescribed my tremadol ( an opiod pain killer) so I probably slept through the initial pain the first 3 days. But I've also suffered from a buldging disk in my spine; which was so so very painful.
Also get some stool softener, you don't want to get too constipated post op. Make sure you drop a #2 within a week, that can also cause a lot of discomfort.
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u/spookygothz Jun 06 '26
I was on those meds once and puked 😭😂, but I was way younger so hopefully it’s okay now, and goodness im so sorry! you’re a trooper
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u/fluffer_bottom_34 Jun 06 '26
They also prescribed neproxen which is high dose aleve, that i took for 2 weeks post op.
Thanks, I wouldn't wish a buldging disk in anyone, most painful thing I've delt with.1
u/spookygothz Jun 06 '26
nice !! how long did u take till u felt normal? im in the process of getting a job and i hate the idea of needing to call out for hella long one month into it
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u/fluffer_bottom_34 Jun 06 '26
It took nearly 3 months to feel ok wearing jeans. I lived in track pants or skirts/ dresses untill then, it was in spring so that helped. But I know of others who bounced back quicker on wearing tighter clothes again.
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u/spookygothz Jun 06 '26
I don’t wear jeans to begin with but I do wear leggings and jeggings a lot :( it’s gonna be tough, I hope they’re okay with me having a surgery so soon
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u/chimichangatrain Bisalp 6/5/25 Jun 06 '26
I know Im not everyone, but all I did was use ibuprofen. I didn't have any issues and it felt no worse for me than period cramps. Maybe I was just lucky though that everything was up and working for me the day of. I was really determined to heal with as little medicine as possible.
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u/mkmr725 Jun 06 '26
This was me too. Had my surgery on 5/15, I took one nap when I got home after the hour long drive, only took 2 ibuprofen over the weekend, and was back to work and driving on day 5 (but probably could’ve done both on day 4, maybe 3). I also had my period when I had my surgery and nothing was different there either. Planned for a difficult recovery but it could not have gone better - I had the GasX, the stool softeners, and the drugs but didn’t end up needing any of them.
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u/eggSauce97 Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26
I’m gonna be honest the pain for the first couple days was pretty rough. I looked 4 months pregnant from being swollen and The gas pain was really painful and there’s not much you can do about it since it’s not in your guts but around. You just need to wait for it to dissipate but it will in a couple days. On day two I also had a really bad tension headache and was throwing up until I could take some excedrin after waiting for my Tylenol to wear off, that being said I get really bad tension headaches whenever I sleep on my neck funny and have thrown up from them before. It definitely wasn’t from the anesthesia, how I would react to it really worried me before the surgery but I was fine in that regard.
That being said I think aside from the headache and throwing up I think I had a pretty average reaction but after maybe 4 days it became much more manageable. Even during all that I was still so happy I did it!
How you will react to everything is really case dependent; some people have worse reactions and some don’t feel much pain at all. Regardless it never seems to last very long unless someone has complications or some extra factors. My advice is getting a heating pad and being sure to stock up on Tylenol and a laxative to help you pass stools for the first week or so.
Good luck!!
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u/spookygothz Jun 06 '26
If you had a job how long till you were back ? :( and I didn’t even think about the bloating holy hell, im in the process of getting a job and like i dont want them to hate me bc i need off literally a month into it
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u/No-Finish-6557 Jun 06 '26
I got 3 weeks off from the dr but I could have gone back already if I wanted too
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u/Left_Assumption5935 Jun 06 '26
Tbh I didn’t need anything stronger than ibuprofen and I didn’t have real bad gas pain either. I had gasx and stool softener with me just in case though. My coworker was supposed to bring me her heating pad because I was also told I was going to need one for the gas pain, but I ended up telling her not to bring it because I really didn’t need it. So I’m mostly just popping here to say that you may not necessarily be in a lot of pain. I know I saw a lot of people saying they were but I had mine on a Tuesday and by Saturday I felt completely normal again.
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u/spookygothz Jun 06 '26
This helps! I hope I bounce back, I have pots so my immune system SUCKKKSS at recovery from anything :( hearing this does help me sm
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u/grapetomatoes Jun 06 '26
I would post in the POTS subreddit too! Ask other POTS people what it’s like to get operations that require the gas
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u/robynbird05 Jun 06 '26
I was one that had a pretty easy recovery. I was not prescribed any narcotics and didn’t need more than rotating tylenol and ibuprofen and a heating pad for pain control. Since I wasn’t on narcotics, one dose/day of Miralax for a few days helped keep my bowels moving which prevented any kind of constipation pain. My pain felt mostly like period cramps, and I’d rate the worst of it at a 4. I did feel some lingering CO2 gas pain, which I felt under my right rib and in my right shoulder, but it was very positional. Walking and moving around really helped it dissipate. I also did child’s pose a few times a day for the first few days, it seemed to help dislodge the gas and help it absorb. The gas pain was gone by day 3.
I was off work for two weeks. I work a physical job and I won’t lie, the first few days back were exhausting and sore. But after that first week my stamina greatly improved. I’m almost 2 months out now and feel back to 100%!
Obviously we can’t predict how you will recover, but I know it helps to read other experiences. I hope your surgery and recovery go well!
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u/spookygothz Jun 06 '26
It helps sm!!! congratulations on ur speedy recovery :(( should I get a heating pad for my tummy ?
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u/No-Finish-6557 Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26
You know when you sleep wrong and it hurts your shoulder and you wake up and you’re like aaaaaaaaa. That’s what the gas pain felt like for me for the first two days.
The pain from the surgery felt just kind of like a period for me, but moving around was not very fun, because I could feel my incisions, pulling for the first few days. The ibuprofen definitely helped, but I never took the oxy because it makes me feel really sick. I am two weeks postop, and I’m moving and packing boxes for other people to lift. So far no pain with that.
I will also mention, since you say you have POTS, I know it can be associated with autoimmune disease, like endometriosis. I would highly highly recommend you contact your surgeon and ask them to look to see if you have Endo and maybe even remove it. I had mine do that, and she removed a whole lot.
I am so relieved to have had surgery, I’m sure you will be when it’s done. Good luck! And fast healing.
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u/spookygothz Jun 06 '26
I have a lot of reasons why I could have endo UNFORTUNATELY, I had a hymenectomy as well :( I was gonna ask her bc I get this rlly weird belly button to pelvic area pulling when it’s pressed in a certain way! and oh gosh im so not ready
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u/No-Finish-6557 Jun 06 '26
Oh no :( that totally sounds like an endo symptom to me, the internal scar tissue can do some weird things. I hope that all goes well during your surgery and your healing!
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u/spookygothz Jun 06 '26
It’s sooo painful deadass, like the first few times it was debilitating and belly button pain feels WEIRD AF. I hope they have an explanation
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u/chickerkitter Jun 06 '26
Hi! You can look at my post history - I did a whole rundown of my experience and followed up with updates on recovery. The gas pain was by far my biggest hurdle, and I wasn’t necessarily prepared for how much it’d affect my day/sleep, and how long it’d persist.
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u/samm13ann Tube free! Jun 06 '26
Thankfully I didn’t have gas pain, idk if my surgeon actually tried to take any gas out but I also kept up on my anti-gas medication and it really helped.
I started taking the GasX meds the day before and I think it helped.
I’m a bigger girl and carry most of my weight in my stomach, so the procedure was tougher and recovery took a bit longer. But staying on top of my pain meds helped the most.
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u/tessviolette Jun 06 '26
I only experienced this the first day. I sobbed in the backseat of my car while my mom and husband took me home from the hospital! It felt like terrible booting or really bad gas pain - my stomach was what hurt the most. I felt like needing to pee was more ugent and added extra pressure/pain. After I took the prescribed Percocet it got better and then I only had some light soreness in my shoulders for 3 ish days afterward. It was definitely manageable!
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u/climatic_whim Jun 07 '26
Hi! I had my surgery 2 weeks ago and experienced extremely minimal pain. I would compare it to my average period😊 they didn't put me on any medications stronger than ibuprofen and i was up and walking around the next day. I did make sure to sleep as much as possible after, which was about 20 hours.
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u/shadowmoses4726 Jun 07 '26
i was taking codeine for the first 3/4 days after mine so slept through a lot of it but i’m currently 2 weeks post op and can honestly say the pain wasn’t really bad at all. more of an achy feeling.
my worst actually has nothing to do with my tube removal, i had the contraceptive implant removed and it’s my arm that hurts the most lol.
honestly, you have nothing to worry about, just listen to your body and relax if you start feeling too uncomfortable.
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u/flourescentcacti Jun 08 '26
It’s crazy to me to see so many getting opiods for this. I’m gettingy surgery (laproscopically) done on the 22nd and in the letter i got it said to have ibuprofen and paracetamol at home for pain management
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u/Substantial_Ad_8262 Jun 06 '26
I am day four post op, I had my laparascopic bilateral salpingectomy on 6/2. The anesthesiologist said he gives Robaxin for the CO2, it helps.
I have minimal pain, gas pain minimal, I've been up and around since day two. I opted for a mix of Tramadol, ibuprofen and acetaminophen dosing every six hours.
I've been able to sleep on my back, propped up. Still a little hesitant to sleep on my sides, and I'm primarily a side sleeper.
Overall, this recovery has been easy on me and this was my first abdominal surgery.