Does a dr have the right to tell a c-section patient...

I know, I know...pain is all relative and some people experience more or less pain than others. No one told me I wouldn't experience pain...in fact, no one told me about the pain I would experience from my uterus shrinking and contracting....yowch! This hurt even more when breastfeeding and pumping. But I knew it was a good thing.

A friend of mine is having an elective, planned c-section this week. This will be her 2nd child and 2nd c-section, but her 1st planned one.
She recently posted in her blog "....i will feel no pain from start to the time we are discharged...". I questioned her on this and she got quite defensive, saying that the dr told her that she won't be in any pain.

I am sure it will be alot different than her last c-section experience, but really, the question is, does a Dr have that right to say "you won't have any pain!!" WOOHOO!!...no pain...really??

I had a planned c-section. Due only to the fact that both twins were breech.
I was up and walking around within about 2 hours of delivery. I felt pain around my incision area, so when I walked, I felt better hunched over - big mistake! Within a day or so of walking like that, I was SO sore, so stiff and standing up straight was torture!! Sitting up in bed often left me yelling in pain or in tears, I had to learn how to sit up without using any stomach muscles - the nurses helped me through this.
Quick or sudden turns or movements were a big no no...owie, owie, owie.
I took every drug they gave me, every sleeping pill, and every stool softner.

After I was discharged, I never went home, but rather roomed in with my kids in Ped's. I was not a patient anymore, but I was helped out alot by the the nurses and staff. One night, nurses rushed into my room when I woke up yelling in pain. They wheeled me down to the ER and I was checked out by a Dr, who gave me some pain killers. This was 8-9 days after the twins were born.

We were home at 10 days - the same day we got home, we actually took the kids to church and put them in nursery. I went to church that night and felt pretty good - aside from a few dizzy spells and sorness. Some would say I had a quick recovery...but those 1st 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 or 9 days....lol...if someone had told me I wouldn't feel any pain at all...well, I would be ripping them a new one...lol.

So, tell me if I am crazy....but is it possible for someone to "not feel any pain from the start to when they are discharged" after a c-section?
Or...is it right for a Dr to tell a patient that?

eta: I forgot to mention the FEAR and PAIN I felt when I had to cough or sneeze...or even laugh!! On my gosh...I though my stomach was going to EXPLODE!! I used to think, I sure hope I don't choke on any hospital food...that would be a nightmare!

 

Did he mean that her vaginal area wouldn't hurt? That's the only thing I can think of! Because that's just a mis-communication. I strongly doubt that any doctor would make that claim! It's SURGERY! Pretty major surgery!

 

I have never had a c/s but just the thought if it scares the he// out of me. I would NEVER even believe a dr. that said I would not have any pain after having my stomach cut open. C'mon.

 

I sure hope there was a miscommunication! I won't scare anyone with the amount of pain I had. You know, epis, spinals, and other pain meds can fail! I sure hope that she gets that miracle of no pain. But, I would doubt that one!!! Crazy!

 

I had both an ER c/s (but I was young) and a planned one later. (And a VBAC between.) I did not have an inordinate amount of pain (but I heal very well and someone told me redheads have high pain threshholds). I was able to take just ibuprofen after the duramorph wore off the day after surgery. (I am allergic to narcotics and cannot take them.) I would not say I had *no* pain, but it wasn't bad. It was better than the oral surgery to remove my wisdom teeth.

I bet the dr told her she'd have "significantly less pain" or something like that and she's just rewording it to be less scary in her brain.

 

Well, I am glad I am not crazy for thinking that. She said she didn't have any post pregnancy contx pain at all after her 1st CS, and that her 1st one she had a very quick recovery.
But no pain....I thought that was a bit too presumptuous. I am all for her trusting God that things will go smoothly...but pain in child birth of ANY sort comes with pain...I don't care what you do...there is pain. It's a fact of life (read the book of Genesis!). Medical advancements are great, but with any surgery there will be pain and there will be discomfort...no meds can take that away 100%.

 

you know, I agree with you that the doc was wrong in saying that ... b/c I had a C/S and I had some post-op pain ... obviously ... I mean really, MAJOR abdominal surgery and no post-op pain before discharge? My pain was well controlled with glorious meds but there was still pain, no less.

On the flip side ... my husband in an Anesthesiologist so I know some about different kinds of pain blocking during surgery ... in a non-planned C/S (as in laboring for what seems like forever with little progression, or with an emergency C/S due to fetal distress), most of the time, the patient is wheeled to the OR with the epidural still in place (if she chose to have one) with no time to change it out to a spinal and spinals are WAY better for blocking pain for a C/S ... in a planned C/S they almost always do spinal blocks ... also, in a planned C/S you won't have a lot of the pain you get from labor (sore abs, sore back, sore arms from clenching the bedrails for your life =) ... I still had back pain after the surgery but I think it was because of a vast shift in how my weight was distributed and not from pushing since I didn't labor at all.

That all being said, it is really her choice. She has had a C/S before ... and from what it sounds like ... maybe had a worst case scenario C/S ... with the fear of having to go through that again ... labor for hours and hours then have a C/S ... I would probably choose an elective C/S also ... From what my husband says (and he has seen LOTS of C/S), if you have an emergent C/S ... they really just slice you open as quick as they can and get the baby out ... for a planned C/S they are much more careful and deliberate with making sure you have the best case scenario.

I had a friend who labored for 30 hours then had an emergent C and she was not well blocked with her epidural and felt most of the C/S ... for her second child, she had the fear of God in her for that happening again so chose the elective C and had a MUCH better experience so she is who I think of when I say that it is her choice and maybe her previous situation has her chosing one way or the other.

 

I had a C-Section after about 12 hours of trying for a vaginal birth. Little stinkers wouldn't have anything of it. Anyway, I think I had minimal pain. I only took ibuprofen, but my dh (who had a major trama to his abdomen) FORCED me to walk up straight, otherwise, I would have probably been just like you.

I hope your friend does come through with no pain, but maybe the doc is going to keep her medicated until discharge and send her home to suffer ardon:

GL to her and her baby!!

 

Oh I have 2 sisters who labored for as long as 24 hours then ended up getting a c-section...and I would most deff choose a planned over emerg c-section ANY DAY...I can only imagine having to recover from labor AND a major surgery - not easy at all!!

She was glad that this time around, she would not have and "tubes" meaning an epidural/spinal tube...but rather it will just be a regular spinal...I had one...no tubes.

I know it is entirely up to her....but I would not say that c-section is "easier" than a vaginal...it is major surgery and with it are risks to both baby and mother... and a different pain can be expected, as with a different recovery.

But a Dr shouldn't make those sort of statements - I hope she is just exaggerating.

 

I had my epi in for two days after the surgery and could use the pump on it to administer more drugs as I needed them. The pain was not that bad at all. But I surely went home with some good pain killers once the epi was removed!

JMTC

 

A doctor should never say that.

But...I honestly didn't have any pain. I had a planned C-section and never went into labor. When I heard a baby cry I was shocked because I didn't even know he has cut me, yet. After, I was on some good pain killers and never had pain. The only pain I had associated with the c-section was when the staples were removed a few days later. That made me feel like I would pass out. But, other than that, I simply had NO pain. So, it is possible. But, I don't think it is the norm and shouldn't be "advertised" as such

 

I don't believe her doctor said any such thing; that would be asking for a malpractice suit. My guess is that she's overstating her doctor's assurances that she'll be able to receive effective medications for pain management.

 

I think you're probably right, Debi...

My recovery from my c-section was much easier than I expected, but "no pain" would have been a total joke!

 

I don't think telling someone they will have "no pain" after such a surgery is not being very reasonable. Even on painkillers you are still going to have some pain. I had an emergency c-section and refused all pain meds except 4 pills. I was in A LOT of pain but didn't want to pass on the drugs through my breastmilk to my kids so I chose not to take any. I guess we will see how pain free she really is after her c-section

 

Maybe I should be smoking whatever that doctor is. I sure felt pain!!

 

I had some pain as well, usually when I had to get in or out of bed. I would imagine that most everyone will have some degree of pain related to a c-section /shrug.

 

I had a whole heap of pain once with an emergency and once with a planned c-section. Im so glad the doctor never told me I would have no pain

 

Ugh.... she HAD to have misunderstood something, because there is DEFINITE pain involved!! They are CUTTING you open for cryin' out loud!!! Shoot, my incision STILL hurts at times, 18 months later!

 

I have quite a high pain threshold. I don't know why, but not a lot stops me. However after the planned c-section, the moment when I had to get up was very very very painful - I don't think the opiate drug they gave me did anything except make me woozy. 12 hours later they gave me something else (viacane or something) and it worked well for another 12 hours. But after that all I took was acetaminophen as I was breastfeeding. The post pregnancy contractions were uncomfortable, but manageable, for several days afterwards.

QUOTE
She said she didn't have any post pregnancy contx pain at all after her 1st CS, and that her 1st one she had a very quick recovery


The contractions are worse with twins and worse with each subsequent child. So it may be that she didn't have any problems with the first one but will with this one. I hope not for her sake.

 

That is such a lie. I sure hope there was a miscommunication. Even in Stacey's great c-section experience above she had some pain when the staples were removed. I had a lot of pain and I didn't have any complications and was very, very good about taking my pain meds. The aftermath of the VBAC was a whole lot more "comfortable".