Post op Pain

[irishman331]

I am an insulin dependent diabetic (Type II) and after 7 years, lost my erections nearly overnight. They tried all the usual things to no avail. Cialis, Viagra, penis injections, vacuum pump, etc. Therefore the only thing left at this point appears to be a penile prosthesis
I am scheduled for surgery on March 1st. I would like to know from anyone who has had this surgery what kind of pain to expect post-op. The reason I ask is that in the past, whenever I’ve been given an analgesic that contains opiates, I have a bad reaction. For instance I was in the ER once and they gave me Morphine and it made me throw up a lot and my legs cramped up and in general felt pretty bad. That happened one time after that as well. Vicodin gives me headaches, so does Norco and Tylenol #3 (codeine) makes my face itch so bad I almost feel like pulling the skin off.
I have had two surgeries in the past three years (a pacemaker and spinal stenosis) and I only took Tylenol after those and did well. But the lady that called me from the hospital to get information for the upcoming surgery told me that this one will be more painful than those post-op.
My urologist told me that there are other pain meds that are not opiates and said they will come up with something. But I have a fairly high pain threshold and I’m wondering if this will even be an issue. After watching the videos of the surgery it looks like most of the pain will come from the scrotum and maybe from the removal of the erectile tissue since it looks like they core it like an apple.
Can anyone tell me basically is there a lot of pain post-op. And if so, for how long? Like will I be able to motivate around after a week? Any information will be helpful. Thanks

[omega52]

Hey Irishman, you have some good questions. It sounds like you have a general reaction to all opioids. They will probably shoot you up with some fentanyl or some kind of narcotic during the surgery. Analgesia is a significant aspect of general anesthesia. You may want to ask the anesthesiologist about this before the sugary. He may be able to manage you with propofol, midazelam, ketmine, a volatile agent and not use an opioid. It will be in your system awhile after the surgery. They will also probably hit you with some IV dilaudid or a narcotic immediately after the surgery. You can react to any of these surgical narcotics. There is even the choice of block anesthesia. Again a discussion with your anesthesiologist may be good to discuss your various choices.
Post op is a little different. The pain the day of is one thing. The pain/discomfort in the ensuing weeks is a different matter. I personally don't care for narcotics but I did not refuse them immediately post op. The day after and on I may have taken three percocets. Otherwise I used a combination of acetaminophen and NSAIDs. My favorite is naproxyn. The two in combination can rival that of percocet or hydrocodone. I felt that the pain was manageable without a narcotic. Everyone is so different with respect to their pain tolerance. I don't like the constipating side effect of narcotics either. It was nice to have normal bowel movements.
I would say there could be some reasonable alternatives during surgery and post op. My problem would be in immediate recovery. Discuss it with your surgeon and anesthesiologist.
Omega

[Techman52]

Hello Irish,
I had my implant in November 2011 and I was able to comfortably get by on Tylenol type pain relievers. I was given a script for stronger but never really needed them and never got the script filled. Your friend will be ice packs and really taking it easy. Listen to your body and if you get tired, don't be a hero and get lots of rest. The scrotal swelling will be pretty much gone in a week and the bruising on your penile shaft will be gone within 2 weeks.
If you have any questions or if I can help in any way please don't hesitate to ask

Best regards
Larry.Arnold@gmail.com

[Dave92014]

After watching the videos of the surgery it looks like most of the pain will come from the scrotum and maybe from the removal of the erectile tissue since it looks like they core it like an apple.
Can anyone tell me basically is there a lot of pain post-op. And if so, for how long? Like will I be able to motivate around after a week? Any information will be helpful. Thanks

My doc told me before the surgery that he would "push the sausage meat" out of the way to make room for the implant cylinders. This would seem to cause less pain than "core it like an apple". I have no idea what he did as I was asleep at the time.

I stopped using the narco pain pills 5 days after surgery and used ibuprofen only after that. I'm pretty sure that your doc can fix you up with pills that will give you pain relieve without the allergic reaction you have had. Also, ice packs the first day or two, a heating pad after that, warm water baths with epsom salts or a hot tub help a lot too.

You have a special situation but most likely your doc will be able to take care of it. Best wishes for success.

[Dave48003]

Hello Irish! Good to have another Michigan guy in the group. I'm not sure where u r located, I'm up in Almont halfway between Flint and Port Huron.

I just had my urologist visit yesterday. He put an LGX in me 2 years ago on St. Paddy's Day. I have a lot of info already on this site under "LGX Log" which u r free to browse, but I'll address the pain issue here, which seems to be your major concern right now.

My doctor was Randy Chudler. Great guy who the nurses in the hospital told me has 2 pet peeves post surgery, infection and pain. He prescribed morphine for me, which I was reluctant to use, but my nurse encouraged me to try at least a half dose in my IV and then I could pass judgement. In my case it was wonderful, took care of the pain with minimal side effects, I just got a little tired.

Pain post op was mostly stabbing pain in the penis. Nurse called them spasms. They weren't all that bad, but I can imagine I wouldn't sleep very well if I hadn't taked the morphine, which made them go away.

The next morning, the nurse got me out of bed and we took a stroll down the hall. Penis pain was minimal, I had the catheter yet which caused some discomfort, but once I was up, no problem. The scrotum was the issue. I had major swelling and trying to get into a sitting position, then to stand, then to sit, etc. was painful. The pump was sticking to everything it could and caused a lot of discomfort. The doctor was unable to deflate my implant later that day because the swelling was so bad. According to him, the worst he had seen and the only time he was not able to get to the magic button to let me down. I walked around with a pretty good erection for the next 3 weeks.

However, I did return to work the next Tuesday (surgery was Thursday). I used nothing but ice and ibuprofen. It was fun keeping him pointing up and concealed, but that was another story. In short, I think you will be fine after that first night, normal OTC pain relief worked for me.

I'll be happy to share some other advice for post surgery issues. You can give me a phone call, we can do it here, or if we're close, we could meet for coffee and conversation. Let me know!