It Does Get Better - I Promise

Immediately after a surgery you will almost always be uncomfortable. How this discomfort prevents itself differs greatly depending on the nature of the person and the operation they have had. Some are obvious, such as pain in the effected area, and some less so like pins and needles or a sore throat. No matter what the discomfort there is one main rule - IT DOES GET BETTER! If you can remind yourself of this and know that relief will come over time, your mind will be stronger and able to cope with the trauma that has been set upon you. If you believe the discomfort will never go away, you will find you will most probably suffer more and for longer. Believe me, I learnt the hard way.

In 2001 I had my first PCNL (Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy). This procedure involved putting a tube in my back left side about halfway between my ribs and hip. The tube was punctured all the way through my kidney and into the collection system where access to the stone was achieved. The stone was then broken up and removed through the tube.

My first mistake was that I didn't have all the facts to begin with, so I had no idea what to expect. I had not asked enough questions and my doctor hadn't given me all the information so when I woke up from the anaesthetic I had a couple of nasty surprises. Firstly, I had a tube down my throat that had been assisting me breath under anaesthetic. Previous operations had always been shorter, and there had been no need for a tube, or it had been removed before I woke up. Secondly, I had a catheter inserted in my penis which I did not expect and stayed there for two days.

Anyway, I was uncomfortable, felt nauseous, had pain and was extremely irritable. I whinged to all the doctors and nurses, but it didn't help much. I was so irritable, my blood pressure had risen and my pulse was up around 95 bpm. I would toss and turn to try and find a comfortable position, I slept very badly, and it was not until all the tubes (four in total) were removed that I actually felt normal.

The second time I had the procedure I woke up in much the same condition as I did before and after the initial feelings of irritability and annoyance I decided simply to accept what was happening and there was no point letting it bother me. I kept telling myself that it would get better and the discomfort would only be temporary. Suddenly the most amazing thing happened. I slept. And not just for a couple of hours, I slept the night. I didn't even get woken by the nurse when she came to do her observations.

In the morning I felt much better. My pain levels were down, I didn't feel quite as nauseous and the irritation in my bladder had almost completely subsided. But most importantly I was relaxed, which meant that my body could concentrate on healing itself. From this point on my recovery seemed faster and easier and I was also in a far better mood, so the time passed quicker.

Please note that just because I had decided to relax and accept the fact that I had just had surgery and the discomfort was part of the process didn't mean I refrained from speaking to the nurses and other medical staff. I also adopted other strategies to relieve my discomfort, I was just much more sensible about it. I will explain what strategies worked for me next time and identify a few other discomforts that one might not expect from surgery. Until then, stay well.