hello there,
I made it, I finally had my double jaw surgery one week ago. The recovery during the days is quite allright, I am patient with myself the swelling is still there but I know it is temporary so it is bearable. The one really unbearable thing is the pain that starts at night and last until the next morning. Though I am on top of my meds I cannot deal with the raging pain every night. it might be also good to mention that I was lucky enough to have almost all of my feelings back so the doc did a great job at avoiding to disturb my nerves. So I thought the pain might be the down side of it: I get the full experience.Do you have a similar experience? if yes, how long does this pain last? there are great guidlines for swelling peaks etc online but when it comes to pain noone told me how painful it could actually be and how long it lasts.
thanks
post-Bimax: how long does the pain last?
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kplatt2010
- Posts: 260
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:26 am
Re: post-Bimax: how long does the pain last?
Hi Tomm31,
Has the pattern of your pain always been this way or is this a new onset? Timing is key with the meds and what type of meds that you are taking. I found that my pain increased with more activity to include talking and drinking my shakes / soups.
My surgeon was of the opinion that there would be no pain and that a few Tylenol would do the trick post-operatively. The rationale provided was because the nerves are stretched and the entire surgical area is numb. This was true but I still had pretty serious pain. I felt as though someone had taken a baseball bat to my face. I was so concerned that something was wrong that I followed-up with my internist who ordered CT imaging that revealed that I had orbital fractures.
This pain that you are describing could be due to a number of factors. Timing of medication, transitioning your medications, increased activity as you progress in your recovery. You should talk about your pain with your surgeon.
Karla
Has the pattern of your pain always been this way or is this a new onset? Timing is key with the meds and what type of meds that you are taking. I found that my pain increased with more activity to include talking and drinking my shakes / soups.
My surgeon was of the opinion that there would be no pain and that a few Tylenol would do the trick post-operatively. The rationale provided was because the nerves are stretched and the entire surgical area is numb. This was true but I still had pretty serious pain. I felt as though someone had taken a baseball bat to my face. I was so concerned that something was wrong that I followed-up with my internist who ordered CT imaging that revealed that I had orbital fractures.
This pain that you are describing could be due to a number of factors. Timing of medication, transitioning your medications, increased activity as you progress in your recovery. You should talk about your pain with your surgeon.
Karla
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nowiseethemoon
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Sat Oct 21, 2017 9:09 am
Re: post-Bimax: how long does the pain last?
Hi Tomm31,
I am 4 weeks post op tomorrow. I had, and have, significant pain. One week + post op it was at a 7 or 8 out of 10, and that's with round-the-clock treatment with codeine and tylenol and advil. It was searing, jabbing, burning pain all the time and worse at night. It actually hurt inside my mouth, including tongue and throat, as if I had blisters all over but it all looked relatively normal inside. It made me into a zombie-like creature for a few weeks. The pain is diminishing, however, and has never been as consistently bad as the first few weeks. The inside of my mouth is normal now, thank goodness. Currently I take advil and tylenol during the night (once in a while codeine), and usually nothing during the day (sometimes, though). I did not expect this level of pain at all after surgery, and the surgeon said it was not usual. She attributed the pain to over-reactive nerves and that I just got a double whammy with the nerve pain occurring so intensely in the first week of recovery (with the peak of swelling/congestion etc.). Ironically, I also have numbness and altered sensation, and also have the typically tingling/zinging/buzzing nerve sensations.
I am 4 weeks post op tomorrow. I had, and have, significant pain. One week + post op it was at a 7 or 8 out of 10, and that's with round-the-clock treatment with codeine and tylenol and advil. It was searing, jabbing, burning pain all the time and worse at night. It actually hurt inside my mouth, including tongue and throat, as if I had blisters all over but it all looked relatively normal inside. It made me into a zombie-like creature for a few weeks. The pain is diminishing, however, and has never been as consistently bad as the first few weeks. The inside of my mouth is normal now, thank goodness. Currently I take advil and tylenol during the night (once in a while codeine), and usually nothing during the day (sometimes, though). I did not expect this level of pain at all after surgery, and the surgeon said it was not usual. She attributed the pain to over-reactive nerves and that I just got a double whammy with the nerve pain occurring so intensely in the first week of recovery (with the peak of swelling/congestion etc.). Ironically, I also have numbness and altered sensation, and also have the typically tingling/zinging/buzzing nerve sensations.
Re: post-Bimax: how long does the pain last?
[quote=kplatt2010 post_id=506339 time=1546134137 user_id=32146]
Hi Tomm31,
Has the pattern of your pain always been this way or is this a new onset? Timing is key with the meds and what type of meds that you are taking. I found that my pain increased with more activity to include [u]talking [/u]and [u]drinking[/u] my shakes / soups.
My surgeon was of the opinion that there would be no pain and that a few Tylenol would do the trick post-operatively. The rationale provided was because the nerves are stretched and the entire surgical area is numb. This was true but I still had pretty serious pain. I felt as though someone had taken a baseball bat to my face. I was so concerned that something was wrong that I followed-up with my internist who ordered CT imaging that revealed that I had orbital fractures.
This pain that you are describing could be due to a number of factors. Timing of medication, transitioning your medications, increased activity as you progress in your recovery. You should talk about your pain with your surgeon.
Karla
[/quote]
Hey Karla,
the pattern of my pain was quite the same from the beginning. I took your advice on checking my daily activities to minimize exhaustion and the pain at night. I was on all kind of meds depending on the time of the day and the pain level.
One thing that I did observe though was the difference in pain, swelling and bruising on the left and the right sides. At the beginning my doc blamed the use of nasal spray for the increased bruising and swelling on my right side. He thought I had an allergic reaction. However, during my post op consultation two weeks later, he revealed that a blood vessel had burst during the surgery which increased the bleeding. So incradible pain on my right side was due to this complication. I wished he had told me earlier. I find it better to be preped and know whatever one goes through is normal and the reasons etc instead of suffering and not understanding the circumstances. I guess straight after the surgery they don´t want to make the patient nervous and choose to say everything went well instead.
I am now 3 1/2 weeks post op and most of the pain is finally gone. I take one ibuprofen every two days which is quite ok.
Hi Tomm31,
Has the pattern of your pain always been this way or is this a new onset? Timing is key with the meds and what type of meds that you are taking. I found that my pain increased with more activity to include [u]talking [/u]and [u]drinking[/u] my shakes / soups.
My surgeon was of the opinion that there would be no pain and that a few Tylenol would do the trick post-operatively. The rationale provided was because the nerves are stretched and the entire surgical area is numb. This was true but I still had pretty serious pain. I felt as though someone had taken a baseball bat to my face. I was so concerned that something was wrong that I followed-up with my internist who ordered CT imaging that revealed that I had orbital fractures.
This pain that you are describing could be due to a number of factors. Timing of medication, transitioning your medications, increased activity as you progress in your recovery. You should talk about your pain with your surgeon.
Karla
[/quote]
Hey Karla,
the pattern of my pain was quite the same from the beginning. I took your advice on checking my daily activities to minimize exhaustion and the pain at night. I was on all kind of meds depending on the time of the day and the pain level.
One thing that I did observe though was the difference in pain, swelling and bruising on the left and the right sides. At the beginning my doc blamed the use of nasal spray for the increased bruising and swelling on my right side. He thought I had an allergic reaction. However, during my post op consultation two weeks later, he revealed that a blood vessel had burst during the surgery which increased the bleeding. So incradible pain on my right side was due to this complication. I wished he had told me earlier. I find it better to be preped and know whatever one goes through is normal and the reasons etc instead of suffering and not understanding the circumstances. I guess straight after the surgery they don´t want to make the patient nervous and choose to say everything went well instead.
I am now 3 1/2 weeks post op and most of the pain is finally gone. I take one ibuprofen every two days which is quite ok.
Re: post-Bimax: how long does the pain last?
Hey,nowiseethemoon wrote: ↑Wed Jan 02, 2019 8:16 am Hi Tomm31,
I am 4 weeks post op tomorrow. I had, and have, significant pain. One week + post op it was at a 7 or 8 out of 10, and that's with round-the-clock treatment with codeine and tylenol and advil. It was searing, jabbing, burning pain all the time and worse at night. It actually hurt inside my mouth, including tongue and throat, as if I had blisters all over but it all looked relatively normal inside. It made me into a zombie-like creature for a few weeks. The pain is diminishing, however, and has never been as consistently bad as the first few weeks. The inside of my mouth is normal now, thank goodness. Currently I take advil and tylenol during the night (once in a while codeine), and usually nothing during the day (sometimes, though). I did not expect this level of pain at all after surgery, and the surgeon said it was not usual. She attributed the pain to over-reactive nerves and that I just got a double whammy with the nerve pain occurring so intensely in the first week of recovery (with the peak of swelling/congestion etc.). Ironically, I also have numbness and altered sensation, and also have the typically tingling/zinging/buzzing nerve sensations.
sorry for my delayed reply. Went back to work a week ago.
I had the exact same kinds of pain. Though most of it is gone, I still have a light constant pain which would be a 3/10. I choose not to take pain meds as I have been quite excessive about them during the first two weeks and they do harm your stomach and your liver: so unless the pain increases which it does every once in a while, I just sit it out at this point.
I think it is also important (for those who are still waiting for their surgery) to know that even though the pain can be quite strong in some cases it is not the case for everybody, it is almost certainly not gonna last for too long and you have the pain meds which can provide a lot of comfort and relief. So don´t get intimidated by my previous descriptions, once the first ten critical days of recovery pass you will feel and look increasingly better every day.
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kplatt2010
- Posts: 260
- Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:26 am
Re: post-Bimax: how long does the pain last?
Hey There-
Regarding the post where your taking tylenol and codeine for pain; codeine only works on 30% of patients. With the Opioid crisis the providers have gone from one side to the other side of the spectrum. You do have to be very careful when taking narcotics but if used properly for a very limited time; you should be ok unless you have a history of addiction.
Tomm31- sounds like you had a hematoma which will cause pain. With hematomas you just need to make sure it's not growing (getting bigger) otherwise you've got problems. It sounds as though things are progressing. With regards to pain meds; motrin and Naproxen are usually ok for two weeks. After two weeks the providers may want to get lab work to evaluate your kidneys. The Tylenol is the one to watch with the liver and most of those cases are because patients do not realize how much Tylenol they are actually consuming in a 24 hour period. That's because Tylenol is in so many different cold products and other over the counter products.
Karla
Regarding the post where your taking tylenol and codeine for pain; codeine only works on 30% of patients. With the Opioid crisis the providers have gone from one side to the other side of the spectrum. You do have to be very careful when taking narcotics but if used properly for a very limited time; you should be ok unless you have a history of addiction.
Tomm31- sounds like you had a hematoma which will cause pain. With hematomas you just need to make sure it's not growing (getting bigger) otherwise you've got problems. It sounds as though things are progressing. With regards to pain meds; motrin and Naproxen are usually ok for two weeks. After two weeks the providers may want to get lab work to evaluate your kidneys. The Tylenol is the one to watch with the liver and most of those cases are because patients do not realize how much Tylenol they are actually consuming in a 24 hour period. That's because Tylenol is in so many different cold products and other over the counter products.
Karla