Like Jenny and Melan, YMMV... Don't worry about it so much.

You'll be uncomfortable, but probably not distressingly so.

Actually there are fewer nerves down there than there are elsewhere so it will be fine.

You'll be fine.

-Sandy

is it true that pain threshold can be trained? 

Like Valerie, I had awful pain the first 48 hours.  They gave me morphine and still I was ready for someone to just come in and shoot me. 

By the time I left the hospital (day 4) it was 4-5.  I have never taken anything more than ibuprofen after leaving the hospital and then usually at night so I can sleep.  Three weeks later the pain has suddenly dropped from 3-5 to 1-3.  I am constantly aware of the area, and sometimes I get a stabbing pain or cramps, but that usually goes away after a little while with no medicine.  (It's a little obvious when it happens in public, as I grimace and try to walk it off.)

I didn't vote, but if you mean immediately after surgery I would say 8-9.

- Kate

The pain was probably a 2 or 3 for the first 4 or 5 days. Once I got the dressing off though the pain seemed to get really bad, I'd say a 6-8, for the next 2 days until I got the stent out. Once the stent was removed the pain went back down to 2 or 3. Overall I'd say the average pain was about a 4.

~Sarah

I was so comatosed from the morphine, I actually don't recall any pain related to SRS.
The pain from breast augmentation was unbearable though.

It was a LONG time ago but I do not remember any "pain" as such - more a dull soreness. I don't remember any pain-killers as such but I don't know exactly what pills they were giving me. The only IV was saline.

I had surgery on a Monday and by Wednesday I wanted nothing more then to get out of there and go shopping but they wouldn't let me go until I had passed water on my own (without being catheterized) - learning to use new muscles. That happened Thursday and Friday they turned me loose and Saturday I was on the plane home.

Sitting was "tender" but that is the only real discomfort I remember. SRS was the only alternative to suicide and I think the brain simply turned off the pain receptors.

I'd say some discomfort, I used the morphine pump mostly for back pain from laying down for so long. After I got out I only used 4 vicodin, three for hip pain/ sleep aid, and one for discomfort from the stent. It's been just over two weeks since surgery, and a week since I last took pain meds. That was my experience.

6-7 after the surgery. It rised to 8-9 about 3 months after the surgery. Now it has been stable 4-5 for a quit long time.

Hi everyone.  I might be one of the few but I had almost NO pain whatsoever after surgery.  When i woke up all I felt was a little (and I mean little) pressure down there.  When they would come in to take my vitals they would ask "on a scale of 1 to 10 what is your pain level with 10 being highest" and I would always say 1 maybeeeeeee 2.  I didnt have morphine at all and I only took a percocet the last 2 days due to being in that damned bed so long I was miserable.  The biggest pain i remember was the drain because i was lying on it for 2 days and it got sore, but after that was removed that was a bigger relief than when they removed my packing and catheter.  Dilation for me, hasnt been bad at all and the 2nd week I was already up to the 2nd one and 3 days after that I tried the biggest one and it went it easily.  Now Dr. Bowers told me that she was able to give me almost 7 inches and that I would be to the biggest one much sooner than most and all of it was true.  i thought she was feeding me a bunch of BS but she wasnt.  My first dilation took all of the dilator.  Now what they dont tell you is that it goes in easily due to the fact the packing was removed but 2 hrs later that sucka tightens up damned near closed.  Now it was a struggle getting it in but nothing excruciating and it took about 3 mins to get it in.  Now I was told to dilate 3 times a day for 15 mins.  I sometimes leave that sucka in for an hr.  Maybe that is why I am further along than others.  The only pain I can tell you is that when i left the office right after the packing was removed, it felt like i had a penis and someone was pulling me upward by it.  Well I was told that would subside and it did. 

I am exactly 4 weeks post now and I send videos and pics to the nurse and she says everything is healing faster than normal.  Also i was a vegetarian and ate organically for 5 yrs now and I was in excellent shape. 

I went back to work 2 weeks post of surgery and my life is normal again.  I am NOT having sex for a while and it is contingent on the appearance of my vagina moreso than the 6 weeks dr bowers said I have to wait to have sex.  I met a lady at the morning after house who had surgery 5 days prior to mine and she had absolutely no pain also.  So all in all I think it is a mind set and what I did was NOT read any forums until AFTER my surgery because I knew that I was going to do it and I didnt need any discouragement.   Just start running, exercising, eating organically and stop eating fast food totally and you will see how well you do post surgery because we are what we eat.  I took a bag of tangerines with me and when i was discharged from the hospital, I immediately went to the grocery store and bought FRESH pineapple, grapes, apples and more tangerines because REAL VITAMIN C heals not that stuff in a pill or bottle. 

If you take my advice, you will fair very well but GET IN SHAPE is the key.

Quote from: missyzanta on June 01, 2010, 11:43:58 PM
I sometimes leave that sucka in for an hr.

I would be careful about leaving it in too long.  If the gel hardens (dries), you will have difficulty getting that sucka back out.  Just sayin...

- Kate

Quote from: missyzanta on June 01, 2010, 11:43:58 PM
Just start running, exercising, eating organically and stop eating fast food totally and you will see how well you do post surgery because we are what we eat.  I took a bag of tangerines with me and when i was discharged from the hospital, I immediately went to the grocery store and bought FRESH pineapple, grapes, apples and more tangerines because REAL VITAMIN C heals not that stuff in a pill or bottle. 

If you take my advice, you will fair very well but GET IN SHAPE is the key.

Hi Missy.  Yours is the lifestyle I lead except I'm not totally veg--I do eat fish and eggs--workout lots and supplement.  My surgery is in September.  Let's see if it works the same for me as it did for you

Quote from: K8 on June 02, 2010, 06:02:54 PM
I would be careful about leaving it in too long.  If the gel hardens (dries), you will have difficulty getting that sucka back out.  Just sayin...

- Kate

It makes a popping sound when you take it out after leaving it in that long...

not that I know anything about that.

-Sandy(who falls asleep while dilating)

No, I am a pescitarian, I eat seafood and eggs also.  Trust me, if you are in good shape, you will be fine with minimal problems.  Just stop reading too many posts because you will hear more problems than success stories because people who have problems usually post more than people who dont.  It can go either way but there are more success stories than failures, you just dont hear about them.

YOU WILL BE FINE and dont make the mistake I did, reading all these forums telling me that i need to purchase a whole lot of stuff.  half of the things i bought werent even opened.  you will be able to go to the local store and get what you need when you are released from the hospital.  i drove myself from the hospital to walmart then to my hotel.  i had some discomfort because it will be hard to sit upright but i reclined the seat in the car a little but i could stand straight up or lay completely down without any pain at all.  Dont be scared, if this is what is intended for you, you will be fine and when u wake up you will say, "was that it?  i should have done this a longtime ago".

Quote from: missyzanta on June 02, 2010, 10:45:50 PM
  Dont be scared, if this is what is intended for you, you will be fine and when u wake up you will say, "was that it?  i should have done this a longtime ago".

That's what happen with my orchie. Sweet Post!

Quote from: missyzanta on June 02, 2010, 10:45:50 PM
you will hear more problems than success stories because people who have problems usually post more than people who dont.  It can go either way but there are more success stories than failures, you just dont hear about them.

if this is what is intended for you, you will be fine and when u wake up you will say, "was that it?  i should have done this a longtime ago".

I agree.  I was pretty rough for a few days, but since day four I've taken nothing but an occassional ibuprofen.  Even with the pain of the first few days, what I got in exchange was worth ten times the hardship.

If this is what you need, it is worth any difficulty.

- Kate

whoa whoa whoa!  I did not belittle anyone and I didn't say that if it is intended to be taken in a bad way.  Wasn't insinuating anything, but was offering encouragement.  I said "there are more problems posted than success stories".  Of course pain is different to everyone but, i read all of the horror stories for years and opted out of surgery, but I couldn't take it anymore and had to STOP reading all of the horror stories because there are more successes than failures.  There is a greater chance of NOT experiencing excruciating pain than experiencing it.  Now that's the truth. 

Some experience a lot of pain and some only a little, but I think that the prospect of pain should not deter someone from doing what they need to do.

What I have received – peace, a feeling of being "right" for the first time in my life, and being able to live fully for the rest of my life – is worth all that I had to go through to get it.  I was lucky in that it didn't cost me a lot, but I would have paid any price for it.  The pain was temporary, but I get to be Kate forever.

- Kate

From a couple of past experiences I know already that I can withstand intense prolonged pain, but of course I'd rather not. Actually I'm looking forward to posting again in this thread in a couple weeks or so whether it hurts or not

Yes, I was worried about the pain before I finally had my surgery, its was a concern but it did not rule my life.  I heard that some girls, when they had surgery ended up on drugs and I was worried in that sense that I was going to need drugs to take care of the pain and that some girls took a long time recovering.

However, after surgery, it was not a big issue, because I only had spasms of pain post two weeks for a few months afterwards

I realized at the time and afterwards that I have a high threshold for pain.  So in a sense I took the pain in my stride.

I would go through it again without hesitation and no reservations.   Why? because of the surgery I was able to live my life freely and openly and any pain that was associated with the surgery was inconsequential to my happiness.

FairyGirl, you will be all right and like others before you, you will come through with flying colors. Like K8 said, "but I think that the prospect of pain should not deter someone from doing what they need to do." and that is, live your life to the fullest, regardless of the pain level.

Kind regards
Sarah B

I think you will be fine FairyGirl.  For me it wasn't so much pain as it was discomfort.  I was aware that something had been done down there, kind of hard not to be.  But, as for acute pain, not so much. 

I'm excited for you, it's fun to watch you girls get ready for surgery because it makes me remember mine.  I remember the butterflies.  Kind of like a wedding of sorts