Let's talk about opiods and c-sections...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually 100% agree with you. I had never taken opioids before my C section so just assumed I was supposed to and was not told of any of the side effects (like constipation so bad you want to cry and die). I honestly wished my nurse would have said look, opioids will help an additional 25% but you’ll pay for it with 60% more butthole pain on your first poop. Honestly. I didn’t poop for 1 week post birth and stopped Day 3 post surgery with opioids when I realized why. It should be communicated as a choice and explained with side effects, not prescribed as a directive.

Constipation is a side effect of CS, not pain meds. Your medical providers are supposed to tell you to take extra fiber and colace in the last week of pregnancy.

You must not know much about opioids because constipation is definitely a HUGE side effect. Pair that with a CS and it is probably unbearable. I agree with OP that ibuprofen always worked better for me for pain. I can't stand how opioids make me feel and they do nothing for my pain.

[Anonymous]

100% agree with you. I had my second c-section in January. Took the pain medicine they gave me in the hospital but was on just ibuprofen and extra strength Tylenol by the time I left. However, the discharge doctor gave me an opioid prescription “just in case.” Didn’t need it, never used them and now I need to take the extra step to return the drugs to some drug return program.

[Anonymous]

100% agree with you. I had my second c-section in January. Took the pain medicine they gave me in the hospital but was on just ibuprofen and extra strength Tylenol by the time I left. However, the discharge doctor gave me an opioid prescription “just in case.” Didn’t need it, never used them and now I need to take the extra step to return the drugs to some drug return program.

Exact same for me. With my 1st c-section 3 years ago, I didn't really question it and I took them as prescribed for several days after I got home. That was definitely overkill and the side effects were awful. With my 2nd c-section recently, I was off the opiods by the 2nd day after the procedure. I tried to refuse the prescription, but was also told several times to fill it just in case. Took some digging around before I was finally able to learn how I could dispose of them responsibly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had an emergency c section a few years ago and they tried to give me opiods to stay ahead of the pain. I opted for ibuprofen, and the nurses thought it was weird but the opioids they put in my epidural caused me such insane itching, it was absolutely terrible and I suffered all night waiting for the effects to wear off.

Anyhow, I felt absolutely fine using ibuprofen and the pain wasn’t enough to warrent more but maybe my threshold for pain is more than for others.

+1

I vomited during my first c-section as a result of the IV pain meds. Then I had that intense itchy skin feeling for about 24 hours after. It was horrid. I only needed ibuprofen after surgery and had no desire to take any additional opioids. The pain was manageable for me, but I think I have a high tolerance and also had a lot help (my husband in the hospital, and then my mother at home when my husband had to return to work within the week). When I had my second DC, they took note of my previous reaction and adjusted the dose and it was much better (no vomiting, less itching). And the ibuprofen was sufficient. Since we had first DC already, I didn’t have husband to help in the hospital over night. So this time, I was not shy about sending baby to nursery and asking for all the help I needed. I did have help once I got home, because this time husband was able to take leave for a couple weeks.

I think in general, take only what you need. Try the ibuprofen first, but if it’s not enough, then it’s not enough.

BTW- the itching is the morphine withdrawal (I hated it too!), which is much harder a drug than the oral Percocet you would have been prescribed.

-signed someone who really felt I needed the percocet/ advil combo for the first few weeks after her c-section!

[Anonymous]

You know what creates addiction? Doling out drugs to desperate people who then take them desperately or take too many to cope with the pain.

My first c was an emergency and I had a lot of pain. They sent me home with pain medication for like 4 days. I came to my OBs office at the hospital on my 4th day of visiting my baby in the NICU asking for a couple more days worth of medicine and was treated like a drug addict. I had to travel to the hospital every day to visit my baby, I was in pain, and treated like a drug seeking ER scammer 8 days out from abdominal surgery. I needed to keep ahead of the pain to keep seeing my daughter.

The opiod crisis has created a culture where doctors withhold it from people who legitimately need it. Or they give them some paltry amount. That creates legitimate addiction risk. Versus giving patients the correct and compassionate dose length and monitoring the weaning off of the medicine.

I held onto my two spare oxycontin for two years wondering if I would be given adequate pain relief for c section #2.

And I have a decent pain tolerance and I got my butt up same day for #2 (I was on a magnesium drip for #1 so was not permitted to walk until day 2). I was walking every day as aggressively as I could with each kid. I was proactive in my recovery.

Do not contribute to the culture of shaming women who want to manage their pain responsibly and shaming doctors for prescribing needed temporary adequate pain relievers to women who just had ABDOMINAL SURGERY.

If all you needed was advil, great, get your opinions out of other women's medical care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I actually 100% agree with you. I had never taken opioids before my C section so just assumed I was supposed to and was not told of any of the side effects (like constipation so bad you want to cry and die). I honestly wished my nurse would have said look, opioids will help an additional 25% but you’ll pay for it with 60% more butthole pain on your first poop. Honestly. I didn’t poop for 1 week post birth and stopped Day 3 post surgery with opioids when I realized why. It should be communicated as a choice and explained with side effects, not prescribed as a directive.

Constipation is a side effect of CS, not pain meds. Your medical providers are supposed to tell you to take extra fiber and colace in the last week of pregnancy.

Constipation is absolutely a side effect of opiods, including the drugs they give for pain for the actual CS. There are drugs that treat opiod induced constipation specifically.

[Anonymous]

For me personally, "stay ahead of the pain" was good advice. I tried to go no meds, then ibuprofen only the first time around, the pain caught up with me, and overwhelmed/exhausted me.

The second time, I followed "stay ahead of the pain" from the start, and felt much better and had a lot more energy.

Your mileage may very; that is my experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For me personally, "stay ahead of the pain" was good advice. I tried to go no meds, then ibuprofen only the first time around, the pain caught up with me, and overwhelmed/exhausted me.

The second time, I followed "stay ahead of the pain" from the start, and felt much better and had a lot more energy.

Your mileage may very; that is my experience.

This. My pain tolerance is low, pain killers/anesthetics wear off on me quickly. I took the opiods as needed (only about every-other day, then three, then none), but I definitely needed them to function and not be in so much pain once home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know what creates addiction? Doling out drugs to desperate people who then take them desperately or take too many to cope with the pain.

My first c was an emergency and I had a lot of pain. They sent me home with pain medication for like 4 days. I came to my OBs office at the hospital on my 4th day of visiting my baby in the NICU asking for a couple more days worth of medicine and was treated like a drug addict. I had to travel to the hospital every day to visit my baby, I was in pain, and treated like a drug seeking ER scammer 8 days out from abdominal surgery. I needed to keep ahead of the pain to keep seeing my daughter.

The opiod crisis has created a culture where doctors withhold it from people who legitimately need it. Or they give them some paltry amount. That creates legitimate addiction risk. Versus giving patients the correct and compassionate dose length and monitoring the weaning off of the medicine.

I held onto my two spare oxycontin for two years wondering if I would be given adequate pain relief for c section #2.

And I have a decent pain tolerance and I got my butt up same day for #2 (I was on a magnesium drip for #1 so was not permitted to walk until day 2). I was walking every day as aggressively as I could with each kid. I was proactive in my recovery.

Do not contribute to the culture of shaming women who want to manage their pain responsibly and shaming doctors for prescribing needed temporary adequate pain relievers to women who just had ABDOMINAL SURGERY.

If all you needed was advil, great, get your opinions out of other women's medical care.

+1

[Anonymous]

I had opioids after my planned section and they made a huge difference. (I know because I missed a dose and it was terrible. Some women don't have as much pain, which is great, but if you do, it is important to stay ahead of it.

Later I started getting anxious that I would become addicted so I called my provider and she said it's just not a concern with the dose and length they're prescribing these days. (Her exact words were "oh, honey, no.") If I asked for a refill they probably would have probed to see if I really needed them or just assumed I would, but the one- or two-week standard script is not a big deal, whereas being in pain makes it so much harder to heal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Opioids make me vomit. I’ve actually been quite nervous about cs recovery because of that (baby is currently breech and I will have a cs if ECV is not successful next week). This makes me feel a bit better that ibuprofen may be sufficient. Thanks for sharing your experience, OP.

I had a prescription for what was essentially a high does ibuprofen and it worked fine. But, when I woke from my section (emergency so general anesthesia) my IV had some kind of narcotic with an option to push a button to administer more. So, if you do want to completely avoid, have the conversation with your doctor ahead of time.

In my case, my section was only painful when I coughed hard and my bigger issue was an issue with my voice/throat from being intubated quickly. The ibuprofen was effective and enough. And, because my babies were in the NICU, I really didn't want anything that might make me feel further removed from reality than I was already. It was hard enough to feel grounded without being high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Opioids make me vomit. I’ve actually been quite nervous about cs recovery because of that (baby is currently breech and I will have a cs if ECV is not successful next week). This makes me feel a bit better that ibuprofen may be sufficient. Thanks for sharing your experience, OP.

I had a prescription for what was essentially a high does ibuprofen and it worked fine. But, when I woke from my section (emergency so general anesthesia) my IV had some kind of narcotic with an option to push a button to administer more. So, if you do want to completely avoid, have the conversation with your doctor ahead of time.

In my case, my section was only painful when I coughed hard and my bigger issue was an issue with my voice/throat from being intubated quickly. The ibuprofen was effective and enough. And, because my babies were in the NICU, I really didn't want anything that might make me feel further removed from reality than I was already. It was hard enough to feel grounded without being high.

I think this type of language is really dismissive and damaging. I was the pp that had to visit my baby in the NICU and needed pain medication to help facilitate that every day. I never felt 'high' and certainly never was seeking a feeling of being high.

Pain medication did make me a little sleepy. But let's refrain is possible from using addiction focused language on patients recovering from major surgery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Opioids make me vomit. I’ve actually been quite nervous about cs recovery because of that (baby is currently breech and I will have a cs if ECV is not successful next week). This makes me feel a bit better that ibuprofen may be sufficient. Thanks for sharing your experience, OP.

I had a prescription for what was essentially a high does ibuprofen and it worked fine. But, when I woke from my section (emergency so general anesthesia) my IV had some kind of narcotic with an option to push a button to administer more. So, if you do want to completely avoid, have the conversation with your doctor ahead of time.

In my case, my section was only painful when I coughed hard and my bigger issue was an issue with my voice/throat from being intubated quickly. The ibuprofen was effective and enough. And, because my babies were in the NICU, I really didn't want anything that might make me feel further removed from reality than I was already. It was hard enough to feel grounded without being high.

I think this type of language is really dismissive and damaging. I was the pp that had to visit my baby in the NICU and needed pain medication to help facilitate that every day. I never felt 'high' and certainly never was seeking a feeling of being high.

Pain medication did make me a little sleepy. But let's refrain is possible from using addiction focused language on patients recovering from major surgery.

+1000. Why do people have this urge to shame others who go through a different experience and manage it differently? How does that affect the PP who felt the need to vicious about it?

[Anonymous]

I had a c/s with a complicated emergency hysterectomy (shit storm of severe pre/low platelets/fibroids). My 29 weeker was in the NICU so they had me up and moving within 8 hours.of surgery. Percoset and codeine have never done anything for me, and I was miserable on percoset after the surgery, but still limping around. They switched me to dilaudid and it was glorious. I had no pain, felt completely lucid and just a little bit better than normal me. If they had given me a 60 day supply of dilaudid, I likely would have been a risk for dependency, because if it was free and had no side effects I would take it every day of my life. However, it's my understanding a week of pain meds is unlikely to lead to dependency/addiction unless the person is already in recovery. I think everyone should have a serious conversation with their provider before taking any meds, but in my situation very strong pain meds absolutely helped while doing little to no harm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Opioids make me vomit. I’ve actually been quite nervous about cs recovery because of that (baby is currently breech and I will have a cs if ECV is not successful next week). This makes me feel a bit better that ibuprofen may be sufficient. Thanks for sharing your experience, OP.

I had a prescription for what was essentially a high does ibuprofen and it worked fine. But, when I woke from my section (emergency so general anesthesia) my IV had some kind of narcotic with an option to push a button to administer more. So, if you do want to completely avoid, have the conversation with your doctor ahead of time.

In my case, my section was only painful when I coughed hard and my bigger issue was an issue with my voice/throat from being intubated quickly. The ibuprofen was effective and enough. And, because my babies were in the NICU, I really didn't want anything that might make me feel further removed from reality than I was already. It was hard enough to feel grounded without being high.

I think this type of language is really dismissive and damaging. I was the pp that had to visit my baby in the NICU and needed pain medication to help facilitate that every day. I never felt 'high' and certainly never was seeking a feeling of being high.

Pain medication did make me a little sleepy. But let's refrain is possible from using addiction focused language on patients recovering from major surgery.

I had morphine during surgery, then demerol (also by IV), then oral oxycodone along with motrin and ibuprofen. It did not make me feel high at all; on the contrary it kept the pain down so that I could focus on my baby instead of how terrible I felt and how much I wanted to not be in my body.