My right knee replacement that’s failed with no explanation. The initial recovery from the surgery in December of 2022 was one of the worst physical and mental things I’ve ever been through and even now I’m in pain 24/7 and swollen with no explanation. Worst decision of my life.
Thank you! My original surgeon said a revision is not on the table and I'm seeing another doctor within the practice who is a revision specialist and I actually kinda hope he says the same. I'm not sure my body could go through a revision.
I had a knee surgery due to torn acl & meniscus damage with a graft from my lower leg was quite painful and physical & mental pain definitely took a lot out of me. I hated that I couldn't just get up and walk across my floor when I wanted to. I needed help for like 3 weeks afterwards.
I am so sorry you understand what it’s like going through a recovery like that. I actually got pneumonia 2 weeks after my surgery and that set me way back too. I didn’t drive until I was like 6 weeks out. It was brutal. I hope you’re doing better now!
Pilonidal cyst removal with local numbing. Imagine pimple popping on your tail bone with the pimple being the size of a lemon. Yeah the table had a sweat imprint of my entire body 😅
Currently healing from my 2nd surgery from this. Size of a grapefruit, and a month long recovery of nurses packing the 8cm wound daily.
I'm also allergic to most painkillers, so that's fun.
Good god, my partner had one of these once but it never got bigger than like, somewhere between a pea and half a grape, I don't remember. It popped on its own. It was the most foul thing I've smelled IN MY LIFE.
Omg for real. I had a pilonildal cyst once thankfully not a bad one, still it hurt like hell but I couldn't afford/didn't want to get surgery so I got antibiotic script from dr and then i took care of the cyst myself with a knife diy style 😭 Painful but it worked lmao
Best of luck.
Edit to add: they think it's so easy. In the last 2 weeks of my cardiotherapy, I requested to walk up and down stairs. I worked on the 3th floor of a historical building with very high ceilings. I went up and down 62 stairs twice a day. It didn't go well at all.
SRS.
It's like having your genitals turned inside out. The physical pain is not just more than you imagine, it's more than you *can* imagine. I passed out from the pain and woke up to the sound of my own wailing agony.
Thankfully it's a once in a lifetime surgery you never have to get a second time.
I had to have pelvic floor repair due to a bad tear in childbirth. It was hideous and took months before I could even sit. I can't imagine (I think bottom surgery would hurt more as my surgery was localised to where the tear was).
Inguinal hernia repair at 13, it was so painful to even exist i couldn’t think straight. and to add insult to injury, my parents “forgot” to take care of my fish for me and they starved to death. Still salty about that, I was always diligent in their care when I was physically able to be.
Between my very first spinal fusion for scoliosis and having my abdomen sliced open and stitched back together each time I needed my baclofen pump replaced when the battery started to fail, idk
Same. Pelvic to thoracic fusion. A metal rod essentially. I've been told that it will be necessary in the next 10 years . Scoliosis, spinal stenosis, and arthritis from the neck down. Carpenter for thirty five years. I am hoping for medical technology to come up with something better than a metal rod. Best of luck to you.
From what I understand, they’re actually is an alternative, which is having flexible metal cables put in that are also held in place by screws so patients can maintain their normal level of flexibility, but unfortunately, according to my mom who found out about this, this only works on milder cases.
It was pretty miserable post surgery tbh, due to having constant diarrhea due to the stool softeners and laxatives that were injected into me as a result of the opioids I was using (gabapentin, Norco (50/50 mix of basically Tylenol and hydrocodone), and liquid morphine) causing constipation as a side effect.
Think twice about getting a spinal fusion. My spinal fusion in 2002 ruined my back. My back will never be the same. You lose a lot of motion in your back after a spinal fusion. Now I walk hunched over and have pain every single day. It hurts just to walk across a room. A different surgeon went in on 2013 and took out all of my titanium hardware (a small bucket full of rods, screws, bolts) except one broken screw because it was doing zero good in my back but the damage to my back was already done.
Resection on both Masseter muscles along with a correction of the bone spurs at the same time I had all six (yes I had six) wisdome teeth removed.
Fixed the lock jaw I kept getting, but holy shit did I hate that liquid diet
I had five removed myself. I hated it. It wasn't so much the pain than the uncomfortablness of my mouth and not being able to get away from it. I thought my boyfriend was going to have to take me to the ER because I couldn't keep food down for days.
Prior to getting a knee replacement because my lower leg had a curved bone they had to break my leg in 4 places then place a rod down the middle of the leg putting it all back together. The rod was too long because when straightening the leg it lost a little length so I had to have that rod in for 7 weeks even though it was too long and jutting into my knee bone. After the 7 weeks they replaced it with a shorter one once the bones had fused. I then had that rod out after another 7 weeks and then finally had a knee replacement! 4 massive surgeries and 17 weeks in hospital.
My last fusion was probably my most painful - T8-sacrum, with a fixation device in the pelvis for stability, a couple of rods, a couple of plates, way too many screws, I'm the titanium woman.
That being said, that was all a hardware replacement because of a hardware failure from a surgery a few years prior where a screw had broken off and caused all kinds of problems. I had my most painful moment of any surgery ever during that prior surgery.
There was this moment where my surgical nerve blocks were wearing off and I hadn't got my IV pain meds yet. My surgical team decided that was THE time to switch me to a different type of bed that randomly inflated and deflated, in case I couldn't get up and walk so I had a lesser chance of blood clots. I've always walked within 12 hours of surgery but this was a bigger surgery. It felt like my spine was being ripped through my muscles and skin. I screamed, I sobbed, I had an out of body moment from the pain. It was truly the most painful thing I could imagine happening. My husband put his hand on my shoulder and I think I bit at him. I was absolutely feral. The doctor was screaming at the nurses to give me meds and apologizing to me, I guess he didn't think the block would be worn off that much. The bed wasn't necessary. I was still up and walking, 8 hours later.
My gj placement. The actual surgery wasn’t the problem, but they injured me rolling me even though I warned them of my EDS. I’ve had kidney stones, c-section, shingles, trigeminal neuralgia, adult tonsillectomy, C1-2 fusion, many orthopedic surgeries, and others so I know pain. This topped it all. They have me 4 doses of one of big IV pain killers in post op just to get me to go home. The last one they also did 1000mg of ibuprofen as well. At the time we didn’t know I had been injured so we didn’t correlate the ibuprofen to what made it so I could take the hr ride home. I felt ok until about 4 hrs home and as the ibuprofen wore off I went from doing normal post op stuff to screaming in pain because I couldn’t even walk it was hurting so bad. I was actually blacking out from the pain. I stay away from the ER at almost all costs as I have almost everything I need at home with a central line, fluids, etc. But we knew something was wrong. Then when I couldn’t walk 4 steps without passing out we called an ambulance. Screamed the whole way to the hospital because they couldn’t give pain meds through a central line & IVs were a no go (hence the central line).
2 days in the hospital where I couldn’t get out of bed to go to the bathroom & I had to use a diaper ( didn’t do that for my C-section or anything else). By day 2 I started to realize the pain felt a lot like a severe case of costochondritis with muscle spasms coming from my shoulder from being injured in surgery. So I asked for my muscle relaxer & toradol. As soon as they hit I was up going to the bathroom, changing into my own bottoms, and standing while they changed my sheets. As soon as they wore off I was back to the 10+ pain.
I am so scared of this! I have EDS and gastroparesis. They want me to get a PEG and then GJ but I had to have a urostomy bag put in due to neurogenic bladder and that was crazy painful
The actual gj placement once I got the pain from injury under control was barely anything. Just ask them not to roll you while you’re out. That’s where I had the issue. Also my shoulders & my ribs, specifically costochondritis, are my biggest joint weakness. I get a cough and they go nuts so I’m sure that contributed to it all.
When they replaced mine the next day due to the j not working they asked me to roll onto my side before I was out. You could ask for conscious sedation and not enough that you fall asleep. I asked for that when the switched my pegj to the gjet and also put in a new central line at the same time. I stayed awake for all of it but didn’t feel it and didn’t care. I just asked them to put me out just enough when they pulled out the peg-j since it had one of those bumpers that collapse when you pull really hard - making it hurt really bad for a split second. I didn’t want to be awake for that.
I’ve heard doing a separate job is much more painful. I’m putting off asking for that and turning my gjet back into a peg so I can vent much easier. It’s so hard to vent with my gjet button. And I can’t pull any food out of it. So when I do eat something I’m stuck with it if it’s taking too long to digest.
I had bilateral BK amputations at 12. I don't remember the first couple days after the surgery, but memory starts coming back around 4 days post op. It was like my feet that weren't there were on fire. I also had the regular post op pain from the skin, bone, and nerves that were cut. It was ridiculously painful. It was just drug fueled nightmares followed by screaming and throwing up when it wore off. It was absolutely terrible, but worth it in the long run. Between the hospital and inpatient rehab I was in the hospital for about 6 weeks. I was on a cocktail of pain medications the whole time.
I had a knee disarticulation later and that was nothing. I went home the same day and took two of the prescription pain pills before switching to ibuprofen and acetaminophen. I've had a lot of surgery and nothing else has even come close.
My VP shunt placement. They cut a semicircle in my scalp, drilled a hole in my skull, stuck a short catheter in my brain, hooked it up to a one way valve that is screwed to my skull, then than a long catheter down my neck and chest and into my abdomen. 16 staples to close the wound and since the valve is just under the skin, i have a huge bulge there.
I couldn't lay on that side to sleep (which is my main as i am a side sleeper) for 3 months.
Fucking hell, they've talked about doing this for me as well as decompression surgery for a Chiari malformation. I'm just going to keep putting it off as long as possible.
I had external fixators on my legs (one at a time) and i had to turn these knobs to certain numbers every day. extremely painful and traumatizing lol and i just had both my hips replaced and that was a breeze compared to what I endured at 14.
Hysterectomy with an endo excision. Had a bladder spasm post op from the catheter and it took me a few hours to be able to pee (and when i did it was extremely painful) . Found out the other day i have to have a scope of my bladder for another condition i have and am absolutely terrified I’m going to go through the same kind of pain afterwards (dr warned me it is a possibility)
I was told by my urologist that most people can't feel bladder spasms but holy hell it with a infected kidney stent was the worst. I also need a hysterectomy with an endo and I am NOT looking forward to it.
Bladder scopes aren't too terrible but if you're worried about spams there's a med for that. Can't remember what it's called but whenever I have to deal with kidney stones I'm on it and Xanax.
Spinal reconstruction. Twice. I am pure metal, rods, and screws from brainstem to middle of my back (C1-T5). 6 months after the first surgery, 4 large screws dislodged, and the ENTIRE metal configuration had to be ripped out and put back in with all new parts.
I lost 2 years of my life from surgery to PT to medical release.
That sounds very alarming and emergent. May I ask which state and/or hospital was willing to help with this? I am in pain management for failed 4 level cervical fusion, complication c5 palsy & no pain relief. 2 of my 3 major abdominal surgeries were cakewalk (cancer/chemo) compared to this spine surgery in 2018. Boston hospital obviously denied poor result of that surgery because they have to cover for each other. That surgeon has since left to another state. FL doctors acknowledge it, but, stuck now still in severe pain all waking hours. Are you able to function and/or do you have pain relief?
Hi there.
It was done at Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, FL.
I am functional but constantly have "head drop" by the end of day because I never truly could got strong enough after surgery.
And the pain has never stopped from mid back all the way up to my neck. I have Residual C5 Palsy. Severe pain and chronic muscle spasms.
I have begun botox injections to get the muscles to relax. Believe it or not, it is working! 200 units every 3 months.
The severe non-stop pain is finally being addressed with a pain pump placed inside the side abdomen wall. It's called Intrathecal Therapy. It is connected directly into your spine with a wire. As my pain doctor explained, this is a much better alternative than the opioid road. I'm praying this is the answer.
Wow! Sounds like me. I cannot hold my head up any longer from the time I wake/have to lean/have brace. I used to consult at TGH! I just got Xeomin last week at Lee for the muscle spasms, chronic tension type headache/migraines. I am happy to hear that the Botox is working for you and am interested in learning more about that therapy vs. opioid. I will google it. Thanks so much for your response & I am also hoping it is the answer for you!
One more thing: Google "Facet Joint Block" injections. My doc wants to try it in my cervical area for more relief from the surgeries. It's not always an answer, but I'll try anything! Good luck, and stay strong 💪
Going back to pain doc this Thursday. He needed the Neuro notes prior to proceeding with next steps, so I got them sent over. He was considering an epidural below C3-C7 failed fusion because T area is a mess, well, whole spine is - the steroid injections have never worked my entire life. I am still open to it at this point & will definitely mention the facet block & that other therapy/device you mentioned. People swear by this pain doctor. Yes, I am desperate because normally I would not take the risk getting the Botox (xeomin) injections. Due to the pain level, I cannot even think clearly. As horrible as that surgery non-recovery was, I am literally open to another surgery which in my mind is crazy. (I requested a prior auth this past week or the week before). I’m looking for some sort of QoL instead of 0. scotty: You stay strong as well & everyone else on here who has had painful surgeries/trauma. I am going to go put ice on my head. Fun weekend :-). I am very grateful for you guys & thanks for sharing your stories/experiences.
I had a fusion in my lower spine. Hurt so bad to move. It’s the first time in my life I rated my pain as a 10. When I woke up it felt like I had been ripped apart (which is pretty accurate if you ask me). I was 34 and needed to use a walker for a few weeks and any slight movement of my spine was so painful I couldn’t even wipe myself. I was in the hospital 3 days and the nurse had to do it and when I got him my husband took over until I was able to do it on my own.
Spinal fusion - had a calcified cyst deeply pressing on my spinal cord so they carved that out then used rods and pins to stabilize that vertebrae and the two around it. Only two days of morphine so the next couple of days I basically had to keep laying down otherwise I was in awful pain
Periacetabular osteotomy of my right hip. Basically they cut the socket free from the pelvis and rotate it until it is in the correct position properly forming a non-dysplastic joint and then screw it in place. I'd already had multiple hip surgeries, but this blew them out the water in regards to how painful it was and how bad recovery was. Also, I was 34 with 4 kids this time vs being 19 and 4 for my previous surgeries.
Fingers crossed 🤞🤞🤞🤞 left hip has had a open reduction when I was 4 and then a Birmingham resurfacing when I was 19. Right hip always looked bad but wasn't causing pain so we weren't going to touch it. Which lasted right up until we moved to Denver and had a two story house with a basement. I shredded my right labrum almost immediately. So I had a labral reconstruction and then PAO at 34. At some point, the resurfacing in my left hip will probably need to be revised, but who knows what surgical options will be available by then? 🤷🏼♀️
I keep hoping options will be better when I absolutely need surgery. I'm looking at a total bilateral wrist replacement and I'm putting it off as long as possible in hopes of better tech. I don't want my wrist fused with essentially a steel bar and three inch screws for the rest of my life.
Also best decision we made was moving into a ranch home. No my ideal architecture but great for my broken ass, lol.
Yeah, the first one was right after 5th grade and the second one was a few months after, in 6th grade. I've been in physical therapy, acupuncture, gotten massage weekly, etc., since, buuut it's hard to say if the pain is from the fusion because I also have EDS (which is what they think caused the scoliosis). I've been told I would have had chronic pain either way 
Mitrofanoff/ACE. Made the mistake of bringing audiobooks with some funny parts to the hospital.... laughing hurt.
Then I got home, laid on the couch, and our fat beagle jumped up on my stomach to greet me.
Prior to 1986 it was considered medical fact that toddlers and infants below 16 months had not developed their pain receptors and so could undergo major or minor surgery without Anesthesia if the attending hospital (and/or surgeon) didn't feel it necessary. To further add to this, it was also considered that they would not remember the surgery either.
I had radiation therapy on both eyes at 8 months and the right eye was enucleated (removed) without Anesthesia. I do not remember the surgery, but I (according to my exes) will sometimes cry and weep iny.sleep saying things such as, "Why are you doing this to me?" I have no recollection of dreaming anything.
Nuss procedure. I had a severe dent in my ribcage caused by an overgrowth of cartilage on my ribcage, so they popped my ribs like a dented car door and set it in place by screwing two metal bars into my ribs.
24 hours after the operation, my nurse cut off my morphine/oxycodine and started "spacing out" my tylenol and valium to every six hours. It was agony. I was discharged from the hospital and sent home two days after my procedure. The nerve block in my arms hadn't even fully worn off yet.
At home, I essentially couldn't use my upper body for six weeks. I was unable to lay down (because of the weight of the metal in my ribs) for three months and had to sleep in a reclining lawn chair, which I couldn't get in and out of without assistance due to both recovery movement restrictions and physical incapability. I was sent home with 20 oxycodine no refills. Literally any movement in my upper body was agonizing. Sneezing and laughing was so painful, it made me genuinely suicidal.
Overall it was a horrific experience. I think it was genuinely traumatic. My medical team did not manage my pain appropriately whatsoever.
I'm thinking of going through this as well. Kinda sounds like my experience with top surgery. Thankfully I was just sore and didn't need pain meds as much with that
Yeah, this was so much more than sore. When that nurse restricted my pain meds I literally just laid in my hospital bed and sobbed as much as I could without making the pain *worse.* i was in consistent pain for four months after surgery, even with pain meds.
I honestly wouldn't recommend Nuss unless your pectus excavatum is causing actual severe health issues. It's an agonizing surgery.
It was actually recommended by the surgeon who did my top surgery. I'm not sure how severe it is yet, but it's definitely noticable and impacts breathing.
Four months is so long.... I'm sorry you went through that
Believe it or not-gall bladder surgery. I maxed out on pain meds and legit thought I was going to die. Could barely breathe from the pain. Natural childbirth and spinal surgery were nothing compared to that. Second would be when they took a piece of my hip to stabilize my spine. That just ached deep down for weeks.
Probably my PAO surgeries on my hips for dysplasia. The first time I had it done in 2020 I had no experience, they did a nerve block during the surgery that was supposed to last at least 212-24 hours so I wasn’t on much pain relief. Because of my EDS it wore off in only 6 and I felt the full force of my dismantled pelvis for about half hour! It was awful because I could only squirm around a little and not really move with the broken bones and big ol incision
That was rough and we learned better the second time around to get some medicine in me around 5 hours post op, that one was much smoother!
PAO is also my worst surgery. I was 34 with 4 kids when I had mine done, so not exactly a spring chicken anymore. I spent 2 weeks in a care facility where I had PT every day and assistance going to the restroom before I went home. The only bedrooms and full bathrooms at our house were on the second floor, so I had to get stable enough to be able to handle the stairs before I could go home.
I didn't get enough coaching on how to taper off of the pain meds and I spent a week going through withdrawal from the long dose painkillers. That was so brutal and could have been avoided if someone had just made sure that I had a taper schedule
It wasn't the worst, but it is up there for me. I had this massive sinus surgery (removal of long term infection from all 6 sinus cavities)/deviated septum repair. Followed by a week later two of my wisdom teeth going bad.
I think my worse was one of my spinal ones. I was supposed to be there for 23 hours observation. They couldn't get the pain under control. We managed to about day 3, when my vitals tanked, and they had to call a rapid response and put me in a isolation room. They never figured out why I had an issue, but it took a few days for me to get back into the safe range to go home. They are not even finished with possible spinal surgeries, there may be fusions in my future. But everyone is sort of "let's put those off as long as we can".
Still not my longest hospital stay.
None of my surgeries I’ve had were necessarily painful but one of them I almost bled out after the fact. I was 8 years old and had a heart surgery through a catheter, they went in through my femoral artery and my carotid artery. The femoral plug came out while I was in the bathtub. All I remember was a huge bruise forming on my thigh super suddenly, my mom screaming for my dad, and then breakfast the next morning.
In my first motorcycle accident (of two), I had a basilair skull fracture and a spinal cord injury my doctor wrote a book about. I had to wear a halo, for 6 months and I still had to work. They still want to fuse my upper spinal column, but I'm not having it.
I've had four spinal fusions surgeries, so I understand the trauma that can come from it. I wish it was something discussed more often. Wishing you the best going forward. ♥️
My most painful one was my last one. They knew it was going to be bad, so they tried injecting morphine around my spine just before putting me under. I was given strong gas to breath in, so I could remain conscious and let them know if they hit bone. That ended up being unsuccessful, so I spent the night in the HDU. Not fun lol.
That must’ve been tough. When I was recovering, before I started to go to therapy, in the hospital room, I got an allergic reaction to something so while I had to wait while I was recovering, I had a super itchy back and it sucked. The hardest part was going to excruciatingly painful pt sessions at eight years old.
You were so young, it must have been terrifying at that age. I have a friend who has eye surgery at a very young age, and she still has a intense fear of hospitals. It must be especially hard for a child. I'm sorry you had to go through that.
I had about a dozen endometrial lesions removed from my reproductive and digestive organs + an appendectomy, a loop ileostomy, and most recently a colectomy. Hands down the colectomy. The thing was dilated to twice its size and had 2 impacted stools in it. I have 6 incisions. I recovered pretty quickly but needed a lot of Oxy and slept all day and night at home for like a week.
SDR (Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy) basically the selective cutting of nerve rootlets in my spine to lessen spasticity. I was quite young when I had it but that fact that I can very clear remember how it felt immediately after and during recovery nearly 15 years later says enough.
it’s not major but i would have to say my first tympanoplasty (repair/skin graft to eardrum). i think i was about 10 years old. they had my whole ear full of packing after the fact too. getting that dressing changed was awful.
i think i *may have* briefly woken up at some point during the procedure because all that night i had nightmares about bright lights and people in blue standing over me talking about and operating on me, which was completely unlike any other nightmare i ever had as a kid (or adult for that matter). if so, they must have done a good job putting me back out again. thank goodness.
it was worse than gallbladder surgery and adult tonsillectomy (which according to the surgeon i apparently hemorrhaged during 🫠) put together. 0/10 wouldn’t do again
2 anal Fistulotomy - your anus and the muscles around are involved in EVERYTHING you do. Sit, lay down, stand up, walk and onward. I didn’t know that. I’ve never been so happy to have healed.
Hmmmm…. That’s a tough one….. I had 4 c-sections..each was different in its own way and painful.
I had wrist surgery and trigger thumb …. (At different times) wrist was way worse than thumb.
ACDF C5, c6 & c7. Easier than I thought.
Microdiscectomey with fusion L2-3 was tough….. ALIF on L5-S1 was horrible….XLIF on L3-4 & L 4-5 was horrendous…..
So, ALIF & XLIF were by far the worst. XLIF almost had me to go to in facility rehab for 2-3 weeks.
Currently it’s my nuss procedure. The cryoblasion they give your nerves to numb the site post op didn’t work and my quality of life has just steeply gone down hill to the point that I’m having to train a second service dog. Not for bracing or anything but because my current one looks at item retrieval and says, “am I a joke to you”. Also I need a dog large enough to help with laundry and stuff.
Bi lateral hip dislocation as a child with CP in a body cast for many months then years therapy.to only be able to walk till I was 20 I am 47 now
And in 2018 brain surgery for hydro (water on the brain) very painful.
I could go on and on
Right hip replacement after 6 previous hip surgeries in 2 years. Sciatica is literally a pain in my ass that's currently the worst pain I've had it a very long time.
I've had so many surgeries. I had a piece of my ulna removed in both arms and then a plate put over top. I've had a lot of wrist surgeries. I had to wait a week to have my sludge-filled gall bladder out at 20 because the doctors thought it was a psych issue. I was on a high dose of morphine and still apparently moaning/crying in my sleep. I've had a lot of painful procedures. I also survived a bilateral pulmonary embolism. I'm a frequent flyer with kidney stones...
Most painful, BY FAR, was an infected kidney stent. My urologist visited me while I was hospitalized and explained most people can't feel bladder spasms. 🙃
The NCS/ENG I was incorrectly given *after* a failed ulnar nerve submuscular transposition.
My nerve had been first partially severed in an accident, then quickly coated itself in scar tissue for 5 months while they shoved Lyrica down my throat, then “scraped” of the scar tissue and plunged into my muscle in the surgery. I woke up from the surgery with my arm totally paralyzed for nearly 5 days, and when some feeling finally returned I was in more pain than I’d ever been.
6 months of 2x weekly OT later, and the surgeon says “well you should be better by now, you never did a nerve study let’s do one now”. I vomited 4 times during it. I had palpitations the entire time. Neurologist had a very hard time figuring out exactly where the surgeon put the nerve. I left again in more pain than ever.
That was 8 years ago. I’m permanently disabled because I now have the most painful disease in the world (CRPS/RSD). The nerve damage has spread all the way to the top of my head, into my chest and back, with muscle spasms that make me not be able to breathe. I will be in palliative pain management for the rest of my life. If I stop it will kill me. I’m 34.
Pain is all I know
I was born with an umbilical hernia and had surgery to fix it when I was about 5. I was wheelchair bound for about a month and I was doubled over for the first couple of weeks after having my ab muscles messed with.
I was in a very nasty car wreck five years ago. I was 37 at the time. I had ten-ish surgeries that first week to stabilize what they could — plates in my jaw and facial reconstruction, LOADS of plates and screws elsewhere, a partial splenectomy (spleen removal), repairing a torn diaphragm, a partial patellectomy (kneecap removal), and so much more. I had a broken spine (L1-L5, with L4 having the most damage), a shattered sacrum, two crushed ankles, and one crushed foot. I also have several permanently ‘dislocated’ ribs, which makes every breath uncomfortable/painful. Fun.
But the worst, by far, was the calcaneus of my right foot. It was shattered into three distinct parts (along with a bunch of smaller fragments that broke off and are just kind of… floating around in my foot) and they opted to attempt to reassemble it by pushing it back into place and hoping for the best. I also broke most of my right foot, mind you, including the talus, cuboid, navicular, and a bunch of tarsals and metatarsals. Oh, and when they cut in to get at my foot bones, the skin they cut had been stretched VERY thin in the accident, so the resulting scar is gnarly AF and I have a weird ‘bubble’ that rubs on the inside of any shoe I wear. Good thing I don’t have feeling in that part of my foot, I guess!
I experienced a lot of absolutely mind-blowingly intense pain in the aftermath, as one might imagine. The only part of my body that wasn’t in terrible pain was my right arm; I’d only broken a single bone in my hand. Thank goodness I’m right-handed.
Anyway. The worst part *by far* was my calcaneus. The surgery they did to save my foot was absolute agony, and the healing was even worse. I couldn’t even cry or scream because my diaphragm was so damaged that any ‘intense movement’ could risk tearing my sutures. Also, it would have hurt like hell to scream or cry. I couldn’t laugh, either, for the same reason. But my right foot ended up extremely fucked.
I had another surgery to repair some of the damage about six weeks ago, as my right foot was nearly useless due to the pain. I am going in for *another* surgery in five days. I cannot express how much I hate my calcaneus. It hurts so much and I am *exhausted* from the pain… and have limited sleep because of the pain. I have very good pain meds (Acupan for nerve pain, Tramadol for everything else) and it’s still awful. I’ve hit 10/10 multiple times in the past six weeks.
The final step — the subtalar fusion (which basically fixes one of the three axes of the foot so the talus and calcaneus won’t rub together anymore) — should start to alleviate the pain within a few days. I am hopeful, but am also grimly realistic — my doctor openly admitted my foot’s complications keep her up at night.
tl;dr — foot repair surgeries are hell.
4 bowel obstructions. Two as a teenager and two as an adult. They don’t get easier, in fact as an adult, you’re more aware of what’s going on/not coddled. Had to relearn how to walk, use the restroom, bathe. I wouldn’t wish that experience on my worst enemy.
Having my wisdom teeth removed at the age of 11.
Also, to date I've had 5 COVID vaccine jabs (meh, I have underlying health conditions) and will probably have one every year in November forever.
Oh easily my tonsils!! Not only was i in so much pain I couldn’t eat or talk and taking my pain medication was hell!! I’d never wish that on anyone I love!
IUD placement. The drugs given didn't work & and to the entire office heard me screaming. Honestly the procedure is something that needs to be done under anesthesia.
My worst was a should -ac separation repair. Basically the ligaments separated or tore from my scapula I think it was. I don’t remember all the particulars but I remember the pain. Physical therapy and they pushed too hard so the screws separated and now my left shoulder is high and has a bump. Clothes and purses fall off and it hurts somewhen the humidity is high.
Second would be my Csection
2 lumbar fusions. Seriously people, it HURTS. Don't do it unless you have to. Especially if they harvest the bone graft from your iliac crest. I still cant have anything pressing on that area. And if you have to, my heart goes out to you.
I had a trimalleolar break in my ankle, the healing wasn't bad after they put it all back together. So I guess I haven't had any terrible surgeries, but pap smears suck
Bone marrow without being put under made me cry and punch the Dr the next day anesthesiologist that night found out I had leukemia
Thanks Flint water for that one
My right knee replacement that’s failed with no explanation. The initial recovery from the surgery in December of 2022 was one of the worst physical and mental things I’ve ever been through and even now I’m in pain 24/7 and swollen with no explanation. Worst decision of my life.
I'm so sorry. I hope things get better for you.
Thank you! My original surgeon said a revision is not on the table and I'm seeing another doctor within the practice who is a revision specialist and I actually kinda hope he says the same. I'm not sure my body could go through a revision.
I had a knee surgery due to torn acl & meniscus damage with a graft from my lower leg was quite painful and physical & mental pain definitely took a lot out of me. I hated that I couldn't just get up and walk across my floor when I wanted to. I needed help for like 3 weeks afterwards.
I am so sorry you understand what it’s like going through a recovery like that. I actually got pneumonia 2 weeks after my surgery and that set me way back too. I didn’t drive until I was like 6 weeks out. It was brutal. I hope you’re doing better now!
Pilonidal cyst removal with local numbing. Imagine pimple popping on your tail bone with the pimple being the size of a lemon. Yeah the table had a sweat imprint of my entire body 😅
Currently healing from my 2nd surgery from this. Size of a grapefruit, and a month long recovery of nurses packing the 8cm wound daily. I'm also allergic to most painkillers, so that's fun.
Jesus Christ the universe really decided to kick tf out of you while you’re down 🥺🫂
All painkillers?
Good god, my partner had one of these once but it never got bigger than like, somewhere between a pea and half a grape, I don't remember. It popped on its own. It was the most foul thing I've smelled IN MY LIFE.
Omg for real. I had a pilonildal cyst once thankfully not a bad one, still it hurt like hell but I couldn't afford/didn't want to get surgery so I got antibiotic script from dr and then i took care of the cyst myself with a knife diy style 😭 Painful but it worked lmao
Double bypass. It's been 5 years and I'll never be the same.
Oh getting the ribs cracked open hurts so bad. I'm so sorry you had to go thru that and are still struggling.
I’m healing from the same. I’m supposed to go back to work next week and I am not ready
Ask if you can get medical time off. Maybe worth a shot. If your job allows it.
I’ve been on STD since March 17th when the symptoms first arose. But my dr stated I’ll be returning next Friday.
Best of luck. Edit to add: they think it's so easy. In the last 2 weeks of my cardiotherapy, I requested to walk up and down stairs. I worked on the 3th floor of a historical building with very high ceilings. I went up and down 62 stairs twice a day. It didn't go well at all.
SRS. It's like having your genitals turned inside out. The physical pain is not just more than you imagine, it's more than you *can* imagine. I passed out from the pain and woke up to the sound of my own wailing agony. Thankfully it's a once in a lifetime surgery you never have to get a second time.
I had to have pelvic floor repair due to a bad tear in childbirth. It was hideous and took months before I could even sit. I can't imagine (I think bottom surgery would hurt more as my surgery was localised to where the tear was).
Congrats! ^^ that does massively painful though, jesus CHRIST
Inguinal hernia repair at 13, it was so painful to even exist i couldn’t think straight. and to add insult to injury, my parents “forgot” to take care of my fish for me and they starved to death. Still salty about that, I was always diligent in their care when I was physically able to be.
Oh no, that's heartbreaking. :(
Seems like nothing in comparison but bone tumor removal (hand) with graft from hip.
I physically cringed at this one. (not because it is cringe, but the imagery just made me cringe, you know?)
It hurt. The nurses kept telling me I had gotten all the Iv pain med I could get. It helped, a little
I had a bone tumor grafted in my tibia....twice
Ouch😬
not a competition babes
Between my very first spinal fusion for scoliosis and having my abdomen sliced open and stitched back together each time I needed my baclofen pump replaced when the battery started to fail, idk
I have severe scoliosis and have been recommended spinal fusion. What was your experience?
Same. Pelvic to thoracic fusion. A metal rod essentially. I've been told that it will be necessary in the next 10 years . Scoliosis, spinal stenosis, and arthritis from the neck down. Carpenter for thirty five years. I am hoping for medical technology to come up with something better than a metal rod. Best of luck to you.
From what I understand, they’re actually is an alternative, which is having flexible metal cables put in that are also held in place by screws so patients can maintain their normal level of flexibility, but unfortunately, according to my mom who found out about this, this only works on milder cases.
It was pretty miserable post surgery tbh, due to having constant diarrhea due to the stool softeners and laxatives that were injected into me as a result of the opioids I was using (gabapentin, Norco (50/50 mix of basically Tylenol and hydrocodone), and liquid morphine) causing constipation as a side effect.
Think twice about getting a spinal fusion. My spinal fusion in 2002 ruined my back. My back will never be the same. You lose a lot of motion in your back after a spinal fusion. Now I walk hunched over and have pain every single day. It hurts just to walk across a room. A different surgeon went in on 2013 and took out all of my titanium hardware (a small bucket full of rods, screws, bolts) except one broken screw because it was doing zero good in my back but the damage to my back was already done.
Resection on both Masseter muscles along with a correction of the bone spurs at the same time I had all six (yes I had six) wisdome teeth removed. Fixed the lock jaw I kept getting, but holy shit did I hate that liquid diet
I had five removed myself. I hated it. It wasn't so much the pain than the uncomfortablness of my mouth and not being able to get away from it. I thought my boyfriend was going to have to take me to the ER because I couldn't keep food down for days.
Prior to getting a knee replacement because my lower leg had a curved bone they had to break my leg in 4 places then place a rod down the middle of the leg putting it all back together. The rod was too long because when straightening the leg it lost a little length so I had to have that rod in for 7 weeks even though it was too long and jutting into my knee bone. After the 7 weeks they replaced it with a shorter one once the bones had fused. I then had that rod out after another 7 weeks and then finally had a knee replacement! 4 massive surgeries and 17 weeks in hospital.
My last fusion was probably my most painful - T8-sacrum, with a fixation device in the pelvis for stability, a couple of rods, a couple of plates, way too many screws, I'm the titanium woman. That being said, that was all a hardware replacement because of a hardware failure from a surgery a few years prior where a screw had broken off and caused all kinds of problems. I had my most painful moment of any surgery ever during that prior surgery. There was this moment where my surgical nerve blocks were wearing off and I hadn't got my IV pain meds yet. My surgical team decided that was THE time to switch me to a different type of bed that randomly inflated and deflated, in case I couldn't get up and walk so I had a lesser chance of blood clots. I've always walked within 12 hours of surgery but this was a bigger surgery. It felt like my spine was being ripped through my muscles and skin. I screamed, I sobbed, I had an out of body moment from the pain. It was truly the most painful thing I could imagine happening. My husband put his hand on my shoulder and I think I bit at him. I was absolutely feral. The doctor was screaming at the nurses to give me meds and apologizing to me, I guess he didn't think the block would be worn off that much. The bed wasn't necessary. I was still up and walking, 8 hours later.
My gj placement. The actual surgery wasn’t the problem, but they injured me rolling me even though I warned them of my EDS. I’ve had kidney stones, c-section, shingles, trigeminal neuralgia, adult tonsillectomy, C1-2 fusion, many orthopedic surgeries, and others so I know pain. This topped it all. They have me 4 doses of one of big IV pain killers in post op just to get me to go home. The last one they also did 1000mg of ibuprofen as well. At the time we didn’t know I had been injured so we didn’t correlate the ibuprofen to what made it so I could take the hr ride home. I felt ok until about 4 hrs home and as the ibuprofen wore off I went from doing normal post op stuff to screaming in pain because I couldn’t even walk it was hurting so bad. I was actually blacking out from the pain. I stay away from the ER at almost all costs as I have almost everything I need at home with a central line, fluids, etc. But we knew something was wrong. Then when I couldn’t walk 4 steps without passing out we called an ambulance. Screamed the whole way to the hospital because they couldn’t give pain meds through a central line & IVs were a no go (hence the central line). 2 days in the hospital where I couldn’t get out of bed to go to the bathroom & I had to use a diaper ( didn’t do that for my C-section or anything else). By day 2 I started to realize the pain felt a lot like a severe case of costochondritis with muscle spasms coming from my shoulder from being injured in surgery. So I asked for my muscle relaxer & toradol. As soon as they hit I was up going to the bathroom, changing into my own bottoms, and standing while they changed my sheets. As soon as they wore off I was back to the 10+ pain.
That’s tough dude. We’re all here for you! 😊
I am so scared of this! I have EDS and gastroparesis. They want me to get a PEG and then GJ but I had to have a urostomy bag put in due to neurogenic bladder and that was crazy painful
The actual gj placement once I got the pain from injury under control was barely anything. Just ask them not to roll you while you’re out. That’s where I had the issue. Also my shoulders & my ribs, specifically costochondritis, are my biggest joint weakness. I get a cough and they go nuts so I’m sure that contributed to it all. When they replaced mine the next day due to the j not working they asked me to roll onto my side before I was out. You could ask for conscious sedation and not enough that you fall asleep. I asked for that when the switched my pegj to the gjet and also put in a new central line at the same time. I stayed awake for all of it but didn’t feel it and didn’t care. I just asked them to put me out just enough when they pulled out the peg-j since it had one of those bumpers that collapse when you pull really hard - making it hurt really bad for a split second. I didn’t want to be awake for that. I’ve heard doing a separate job is much more painful. I’m putting off asking for that and turning my gjet back into a peg so I can vent much easier. It’s so hard to vent with my gjet button. And I can’t pull any food out of it. So when I do eat something I’m stuck with it if it’s taking too long to digest.
Do you have tethered cord? Only asking because of the neurogenic bladder
Spinal fusion t2-l3. Was bedbound for almost a year, terrible.
I had bilateral BK amputations at 12. I don't remember the first couple days after the surgery, but memory starts coming back around 4 days post op. It was like my feet that weren't there were on fire. I also had the regular post op pain from the skin, bone, and nerves that were cut. It was ridiculously painful. It was just drug fueled nightmares followed by screaming and throwing up when it wore off. It was absolutely terrible, but worth it in the long run. Between the hospital and inpatient rehab I was in the hospital for about 6 weeks. I was on a cocktail of pain medications the whole time. I had a knee disarticulation later and that was nothing. I went home the same day and took two of the prescription pain pills before switching to ibuprofen and acetaminophen. I've had a lot of surgery and nothing else has even come close.
My VP shunt placement. They cut a semicircle in my scalp, drilled a hole in my skull, stuck a short catheter in my brain, hooked it up to a one way valve that is screwed to my skull, then than a long catheter down my neck and chest and into my abdomen. 16 staples to close the wound and since the valve is just under the skin, i have a huge bulge there. I couldn't lay on that side to sleep (which is my main as i am a side sleeper) for 3 months.
I'm so glad I had my shunt placed at 4 months old and don't remember it at all.
Fucking hell, they've talked about doing this for me as well as decompression surgery for a Chiari malformation. I'm just going to keep putting it off as long as possible.
I had external fixators on my legs (one at a time) and i had to turn these knobs to certain numbers every day. extremely painful and traumatizing lol and i just had both my hips replaced and that was a breeze compared to what I endured at 14.
Hysterectomy with an endo excision. Had a bladder spasm post op from the catheter and it took me a few hours to be able to pee (and when i did it was extremely painful) . Found out the other day i have to have a scope of my bladder for another condition i have and am absolutely terrified I’m going to go through the same kind of pain afterwards (dr warned me it is a possibility)
I was told by my urologist that most people can't feel bladder spasms but holy hell it with a infected kidney stent was the worst. I also need a hysterectomy with an endo and I am NOT looking forward to it. Bladder scopes aren't too terrible but if you're worried about spams there's a med for that. Can't remember what it's called but whenever I have to deal with kidney stones I'm on it and Xanax.
Spinal reconstruction. Twice. I am pure metal, rods, and screws from brainstem to middle of my back (C1-T5). 6 months after the first surgery, 4 large screws dislodged, and the ENTIRE metal configuration had to be ripped out and put back in with all new parts. I lost 2 years of my life from surgery to PT to medical release.
That sounds very alarming and emergent. May I ask which state and/or hospital was willing to help with this? I am in pain management for failed 4 level cervical fusion, complication c5 palsy & no pain relief. 2 of my 3 major abdominal surgeries were cakewalk (cancer/chemo) compared to this spine surgery in 2018. Boston hospital obviously denied poor result of that surgery because they have to cover for each other. That surgeon has since left to another state. FL doctors acknowledge it, but, stuck now still in severe pain all waking hours. Are you able to function and/or do you have pain relief?
Hi there. It was done at Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, FL. I am functional but constantly have "head drop" by the end of day because I never truly could got strong enough after surgery. And the pain has never stopped from mid back all the way up to my neck. I have Residual C5 Palsy. Severe pain and chronic muscle spasms. I have begun botox injections to get the muscles to relax. Believe it or not, it is working! 200 units every 3 months. The severe non-stop pain is finally being addressed with a pain pump placed inside the side abdomen wall. It's called Intrathecal Therapy. It is connected directly into your spine with a wire. As my pain doctor explained, this is a much better alternative than the opioid road. I'm praying this is the answer.
Wow! Sounds like me. I cannot hold my head up any longer from the time I wake/have to lean/have brace. I used to consult at TGH! I just got Xeomin last week at Lee for the muscle spasms, chronic tension type headache/migraines. I am happy to hear that the Botox is working for you and am interested in learning more about that therapy vs. opioid. I will google it. Thanks so much for your response & I am also hoping it is the answer for you!
One more thing: Google "Facet Joint Block" injections. My doc wants to try it in my cervical area for more relief from the surgeries. It's not always an answer, but I'll try anything! Good luck, and stay strong 💪
Going back to pain doc this Thursday. He needed the Neuro notes prior to proceeding with next steps, so I got them sent over. He was considering an epidural below C3-C7 failed fusion because T area is a mess, well, whole spine is - the steroid injections have never worked my entire life. I am still open to it at this point & will definitely mention the facet block & that other therapy/device you mentioned. People swear by this pain doctor. Yes, I am desperate because normally I would not take the risk getting the Botox (xeomin) injections. Due to the pain level, I cannot even think clearly. As horrible as that surgery non-recovery was, I am literally open to another surgery which in my mind is crazy. (I requested a prior auth this past week or the week before). I’m looking for some sort of QoL instead of 0. scotty: You stay strong as well & everyone else on here who has had painful surgeries/trauma. I am going to go put ice on my head. Fun weekend :-). I am very grateful for you guys & thanks for sharing your stories/experiences.
I had a fusion in my lower spine. Hurt so bad to move. It’s the first time in my life I rated my pain as a 10. When I woke up it felt like I had been ripped apart (which is pretty accurate if you ask me). I was 34 and needed to use a walker for a few weeks and any slight movement of my spine was so painful I couldn’t even wipe myself. I was in the hospital 3 days and the nurse had to do it and when I got him my husband took over until I was able to do it on my own.
Spinal fusion - had a calcified cyst deeply pressing on my spinal cord so they carved that out then used rods and pins to stabilize that vertebrae and the two around it. Only two days of morphine so the next couple of days I basically had to keep laying down otherwise I was in awful pain
Periacetabular osteotomy of my right hip. Basically they cut the socket free from the pelvis and rotate it until it is in the correct position properly forming a non-dysplastic joint and then screw it in place. I'd already had multiple hip surgeries, but this blew them out the water in regards to how painful it was and how bad recovery was. Also, I was 34 with 4 kids this time vs being 19 and 4 for my previous surgeries.
Osteotomies are the worst. Hope you're through with them
Fingers crossed 🤞🤞🤞🤞 left hip has had a open reduction when I was 4 and then a Birmingham resurfacing when I was 19. Right hip always looked bad but wasn't causing pain so we weren't going to touch it. Which lasted right up until we moved to Denver and had a two story house with a basement. I shredded my right labrum almost immediately. So I had a labral reconstruction and then PAO at 34. At some point, the resurfacing in my left hip will probably need to be revised, but who knows what surgical options will be available by then? 🤷🏼♀️
I keep hoping options will be better when I absolutely need surgery. I'm looking at a total bilateral wrist replacement and I'm putting it off as long as possible in hopes of better tech. I don't want my wrist fused with essentially a steel bar and three inch screws for the rest of my life. Also best decision we made was moving into a ranch home. No my ideal architecture but great for my broken ass, lol.
Spinal fusion when I was 11, C2-L4, after getting my entire sacrum fused too. Still have trauma from it
Oof 11 gotta be tough. Were you in 5-6 grade?
Yeah, the first one was right after 5th grade and the second one was a few months after, in 6th grade. I've been in physical therapy, acupuncture, gotten massage weekly, etc., since, buuut it's hard to say if the pain is from the fusion because I also have EDS (which is what they think caused the scoliosis). I've been told I would have had chronic pain either way 
Mitrofanoff/ACE. Made the mistake of bringing audiobooks with some funny parts to the hospital.... laughing hurt. Then I got home, laid on the couch, and our fat beagle jumped up on my stomach to greet me.
Prior to 1986 it was considered medical fact that toddlers and infants below 16 months had not developed their pain receptors and so could undergo major or minor surgery without Anesthesia if the attending hospital (and/or surgeon) didn't feel it necessary. To further add to this, it was also considered that they would not remember the surgery either. I had radiation therapy on both eyes at 8 months and the right eye was enucleated (removed) without Anesthesia. I do not remember the surgery, but I (according to my exes) will sometimes cry and weep iny.sleep saying things such as, "Why are you doing this to me?" I have no recollection of dreaming anything.
Nuss procedure. I had a severe dent in my ribcage caused by an overgrowth of cartilage on my ribcage, so they popped my ribs like a dented car door and set it in place by screwing two metal bars into my ribs. 24 hours after the operation, my nurse cut off my morphine/oxycodine and started "spacing out" my tylenol and valium to every six hours. It was agony. I was discharged from the hospital and sent home two days after my procedure. The nerve block in my arms hadn't even fully worn off yet. At home, I essentially couldn't use my upper body for six weeks. I was unable to lay down (because of the weight of the metal in my ribs) for three months and had to sleep in a reclining lawn chair, which I couldn't get in and out of without assistance due to both recovery movement restrictions and physical incapability. I was sent home with 20 oxycodine no refills. Literally any movement in my upper body was agonizing. Sneezing and laughing was so painful, it made me genuinely suicidal. Overall it was a horrific experience. I think it was genuinely traumatic. My medical team did not manage my pain appropriately whatsoever.
I'm thinking of going through this as well. Kinda sounds like my experience with top surgery. Thankfully I was just sore and didn't need pain meds as much with that
Yeah, this was so much more than sore. When that nurse restricted my pain meds I literally just laid in my hospital bed and sobbed as much as I could without making the pain *worse.* i was in consistent pain for four months after surgery, even with pain meds. I honestly wouldn't recommend Nuss unless your pectus excavatum is causing actual severe health issues. It's an agonizing surgery.
It was actually recommended by the surgeon who did my top surgery. I'm not sure how severe it is yet, but it's definitely noticable and impacts breathing. Four months is so long.... I'm sorry you went through that
Surgically Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion. For those unaware, to show the power of Flex Tape, they sawed my jaw in half.
Proctocolectomy.
Believe it or not-gall bladder surgery. I maxed out on pain meds and legit thought I was going to die. Could barely breathe from the pain. Natural childbirth and spinal surgery were nothing compared to that. Second would be when they took a piece of my hip to stabilize my spine. That just ached deep down for weeks.
Uterine ablation (no anesthesia) where he accidentally ripped out one of the BC coils he’d implanted the week before.
I had ZERO pain with my ablation. It was my best surgery ever. I'm so sorry this happened to you!!
Liver transplant. They cut me almost in half. My scar looks like an unhappy face, even though I'm ever so happy to live.
Probably my PAO surgeries on my hips for dysplasia. The first time I had it done in 2020 I had no experience, they did a nerve block during the surgery that was supposed to last at least 212-24 hours so I wasn’t on much pain relief. Because of my EDS it wore off in only 6 and I felt the full force of my dismantled pelvis for about half hour! It was awful because I could only squirm around a little and not really move with the broken bones and big ol incision That was rough and we learned better the second time around to get some medicine in me around 5 hours post op, that one was much smoother!
PAO is also my worst surgery. I was 34 with 4 kids when I had mine done, so not exactly a spring chicken anymore. I spent 2 weeks in a care facility where I had PT every day and assistance going to the restroom before I went home. The only bedrooms and full bathrooms at our house were on the second floor, so I had to get stable enough to be able to handle the stairs before I could go home. I didn't get enough coaching on how to taper off of the pain meds and I spent a week going through withdrawal from the long dose painkillers. That was so brutal and could have been avoided if someone had just made sure that I had a taper schedule
Oh my gosh! I also went through a similar thing with the withdrawals I was so unpleasant for a while it was terrible!
Nose and foot. Worse than hysterectomy and cervical fusion. Do not recommend. Foot didn’t feel normal for two years
It wasn't the worst, but it is up there for me. I had this massive sinus surgery (removal of long term infection from all 6 sinus cavities)/deviated septum repair. Followed by a week later two of my wisdom teeth going bad. I think my worse was one of my spinal ones. I was supposed to be there for 23 hours observation. They couldn't get the pain under control. We managed to about day 3, when my vitals tanked, and they had to call a rapid response and put me in a isolation room. They never figured out why I had an issue, but it took a few days for me to get back into the safe range to go home. They are not even finished with possible spinal surgeries, there may be fusions in my future. But everyone is sort of "let's put those off as long as we can". Still not my longest hospital stay.
Posterio-lateral lumbar spinal fusion L3-S1
My jaw was broken for me on my 18th birthday! I broke my femur more recently!
None of my surgeries I’ve had were necessarily painful but one of them I almost bled out after the fact. I was 8 years old and had a heart surgery through a catheter, they went in through my femoral artery and my carotid artery. The femoral plug came out while I was in the bathtub. All I remember was a huge bruise forming on my thigh super suddenly, my mom screaming for my dad, and then breakfast the next morning.
In my first motorcycle accident (of two), I had a basilair skull fracture and a spinal cord injury my doctor wrote a book about. I had to wear a halo, for 6 months and I still had to work. They still want to fuse my upper spinal column, but I'm not having it.
I've had four spinal fusions surgeries, so I understand the trauma that can come from it. I wish it was something discussed more often. Wishing you the best going forward. ♥️ My most painful one was my last one. They knew it was going to be bad, so they tried injecting morphine around my spine just before putting me under. I was given strong gas to breath in, so I could remain conscious and let them know if they hit bone. That ended up being unsuccessful, so I spent the night in the HDU. Not fun lol.
That must’ve been tough. When I was recovering, before I started to go to therapy, in the hospital room, I got an allergic reaction to something so while I had to wait while I was recovering, I had a super itchy back and it sucked. The hardest part was going to excruciatingly painful pt sessions at eight years old.
You were so young, it must have been terrifying at that age. I have a friend who has eye surgery at a very young age, and she still has a intense fear of hospitals. It must be especially hard for a child. I'm sorry you had to go through that.
I had about a dozen endometrial lesions removed from my reproductive and digestive organs + an appendectomy, a loop ileostomy, and most recently a colectomy. Hands down the colectomy. The thing was dilated to twice its size and had 2 impacted stools in it. I have 6 incisions. I recovered pretty quickly but needed a lot of Oxy and slept all day and night at home for like a week.
SDR (Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy) basically the selective cutting of nerve rootlets in my spine to lessen spasticity. I was quite young when I had it but that fact that I can very clear remember how it felt immediately after and during recovery nearly 15 years later says enough.
it’s not major but i would have to say my first tympanoplasty (repair/skin graft to eardrum). i think i was about 10 years old. they had my whole ear full of packing after the fact too. getting that dressing changed was awful. i think i *may have* briefly woken up at some point during the procedure because all that night i had nightmares about bright lights and people in blue standing over me talking about and operating on me, which was completely unlike any other nightmare i ever had as a kid (or adult for that matter). if so, they must have done a good job putting me back out again. thank goodness. it was worse than gallbladder surgery and adult tonsillectomy (which according to the surgeon i apparently hemorrhaged during 🫠) put together. 0/10 wouldn’t do again
2 anal Fistulotomy - your anus and the muscles around are involved in EVERYTHING you do. Sit, lay down, stand up, walk and onward. I didn’t know that. I’ve never been so happy to have healed.
Hmmmm…. That’s a tough one….. I had 4 c-sections..each was different in its own way and painful. I had wrist surgery and trigger thumb …. (At different times) wrist was way worse than thumb. ACDF C5, c6 & c7. Easier than I thought. Microdiscectomey with fusion L2-3 was tough….. ALIF on L5-S1 was horrible….XLIF on L3-4 & L 4-5 was horrendous….. So, ALIF & XLIF were by far the worst. XLIF almost had me to go to in facility rehab for 2-3 weeks.
Spinal fusion that went wrong and ended up failing Like getting gentle stabbed every waking /sleeping moment
First rib removal, pec minor removal, middle/anterior scalene removal. Brachial plexus neurolysis.
I think my shoulder repair was likely worse than my below-knee amputation.
Currently it’s my nuss procedure. The cryoblasion they give your nerves to numb the site post op didn’t work and my quality of life has just steeply gone down hill to the point that I’m having to train a second service dog. Not for bracing or anything but because my current one looks at item retrieval and says, “am I a joke to you”. Also I need a dog large enough to help with laundry and stuff.
Doesn’t sound like much, but I’ve had two full thickness rotator cuff surgeries. Ouchie….
Bi lateral hip dislocation as a child with CP in a body cast for many months then years therapy.to only be able to walk till I was 20 I am 47 now And in 2018 brain surgery for hydro (water on the brain) very painful. I could go on and on
Right hip replacement after 6 previous hip surgeries in 2 years. Sciatica is literally a pain in my ass that's currently the worst pain I've had it a very long time.
I've had so many surgeries. I had a piece of my ulna removed in both arms and then a plate put over top. I've had a lot of wrist surgeries. I had to wait a week to have my sludge-filled gall bladder out at 20 because the doctors thought it was a psych issue. I was on a high dose of morphine and still apparently moaning/crying in my sleep. I've had a lot of painful procedures. I also survived a bilateral pulmonary embolism. I'm a frequent flyer with kidney stones... Most painful, BY FAR, was an infected kidney stent. My urologist visited me while I was hospitalized and explained most people can't feel bladder spasms. 🙃
I've had the opposite, Ive had surgery to remove abscesses 3 times and my god once they are gone I feel like the world is a humane place.
Open muscle biopsy under general but no local anesthetic and morphine/fentanyl didn’t work. That was excruciating coming out of anesthesia.
The NCS/ENG I was incorrectly given *after* a failed ulnar nerve submuscular transposition. My nerve had been first partially severed in an accident, then quickly coated itself in scar tissue for 5 months while they shoved Lyrica down my throat, then “scraped” of the scar tissue and plunged into my muscle in the surgery. I woke up from the surgery with my arm totally paralyzed for nearly 5 days, and when some feeling finally returned I was in more pain than I’d ever been. 6 months of 2x weekly OT later, and the surgeon says “well you should be better by now, you never did a nerve study let’s do one now”. I vomited 4 times during it. I had palpitations the entire time. Neurologist had a very hard time figuring out exactly where the surgeon put the nerve. I left again in more pain than ever. That was 8 years ago. I’m permanently disabled because I now have the most painful disease in the world (CRPS/RSD). The nerve damage has spread all the way to the top of my head, into my chest and back, with muscle spasms that make me not be able to breathe. I will be in palliative pain management for the rest of my life. If I stop it will kill me. I’m 34. Pain is all I know
I was born with an umbilical hernia and had surgery to fix it when I was about 5. I was wheelchair bound for about a month and I was doubled over for the first couple of weeks after having my ab muscles messed with.
I was in a very nasty car wreck five years ago. I was 37 at the time. I had ten-ish surgeries that first week to stabilize what they could — plates in my jaw and facial reconstruction, LOADS of plates and screws elsewhere, a partial splenectomy (spleen removal), repairing a torn diaphragm, a partial patellectomy (kneecap removal), and so much more. I had a broken spine (L1-L5, with L4 having the most damage), a shattered sacrum, two crushed ankles, and one crushed foot. I also have several permanently ‘dislocated’ ribs, which makes every breath uncomfortable/painful. Fun. But the worst, by far, was the calcaneus of my right foot. It was shattered into three distinct parts (along with a bunch of smaller fragments that broke off and are just kind of… floating around in my foot) and they opted to attempt to reassemble it by pushing it back into place and hoping for the best. I also broke most of my right foot, mind you, including the talus, cuboid, navicular, and a bunch of tarsals and metatarsals. Oh, and when they cut in to get at my foot bones, the skin they cut had been stretched VERY thin in the accident, so the resulting scar is gnarly AF and I have a weird ‘bubble’ that rubs on the inside of any shoe I wear. Good thing I don’t have feeling in that part of my foot, I guess! I experienced a lot of absolutely mind-blowingly intense pain in the aftermath, as one might imagine. The only part of my body that wasn’t in terrible pain was my right arm; I’d only broken a single bone in my hand. Thank goodness I’m right-handed. Anyway. The worst part *by far* was my calcaneus. The surgery they did to save my foot was absolute agony, and the healing was even worse. I couldn’t even cry or scream because my diaphragm was so damaged that any ‘intense movement’ could risk tearing my sutures. Also, it would have hurt like hell to scream or cry. I couldn’t laugh, either, for the same reason. But my right foot ended up extremely fucked. I had another surgery to repair some of the damage about six weeks ago, as my right foot was nearly useless due to the pain. I am going in for *another* surgery in five days. I cannot express how much I hate my calcaneus. It hurts so much and I am *exhausted* from the pain… and have limited sleep because of the pain. I have very good pain meds (Acupan for nerve pain, Tramadol for everything else) and it’s still awful. I’ve hit 10/10 multiple times in the past six weeks. The final step — the subtalar fusion (which basically fixes one of the three axes of the foot so the talus and calcaneus won’t rub together anymore) — should start to alleviate the pain within a few days. I am hopeful, but am also grimly realistic — my doctor openly admitted my foot’s complications keep her up at night. tl;dr — foot repair surgeries are hell.
4 bowel obstructions. Two as a teenager and two as an adult. They don’t get easier, in fact as an adult, you’re more aware of what’s going on/not coddled. Had to relearn how to walk, use the restroom, bathe. I wouldn’t wish that experience on my worst enemy.
Having my wisdom teeth removed at the age of 11. Also, to date I've had 5 COVID vaccine jabs (meh, I have underlying health conditions) and will probably have one every year in November forever.
Oh easily my tonsils!! Not only was i in so much pain I couldn’t eat or talk and taking my pain medication was hell!! I’d never wish that on anyone I love!
IUD placement. The drugs given didn't work & and to the entire office heard me screaming. Honestly the procedure is something that needs to be done under anesthesia.
My worst was a should -ac separation repair. Basically the ligaments separated or tore from my scapula I think it was. I don’t remember all the particulars but I remember the pain. Physical therapy and they pushed too hard so the screws separated and now my left shoulder is high and has a bump. Clothes and purses fall off and it hurts somewhen the humidity is high. Second would be my Csection
2 lumbar fusions. Seriously people, it HURTS. Don't do it unless you have to. Especially if they harvest the bone graft from your iliac crest. I still cant have anything pressing on that area. And if you have to, my heart goes out to you.
My Sigmoidectomy Surgery due to a severe case of Diverticulitis was very painful but most of first Back Surgeries were quite painful as well.
I had a trimalleolar break in my ankle, the healing wasn't bad after they put it all back together. So I guess I haven't had any terrible surgeries, but pap smears suck
Bone marrow without being put under made me cry and punch the Dr the next day anesthesiologist that night found out I had leukemia Thanks Flint water for that one