Post op back pain?

[Dockie]

Hi,

I donated my left kidney to a friend on 1-27.  Surgery went well, and we have both been slowly recovering.  Most of the bloating is gone now, but I am still suffering pain at the incision site, as well as severe lower back pain.  I am unable to sleep more than 2 hours at night, due to the pain. Have been taking Tylenol religiously with no marked relief. 

My question is, does anyone know how long this pain will last, and is it completely normal?  I have had my 1 week post op appointment and was told everything looked good.

Thank you!!!

[lawphi]

I had something similar.  It was muscular in nature and I think it was related to the surgery and muscles having to work harder.

Try a heating pad and talk to your center about when you could get a massage. 

[SugarMonkey]

Hi!! I donated on 12-28 and within 3 day of laying in a hospital bed, I had terrible, terrible back pain. I was in the hosiptal for 5 days, then went home. I could NEVER find a comfortable position to lie in. If I was on my back, it hurt. If I laid on my stomach, well, I just couldn't do that. If I was on my side, it hurt. I had to lay in child's pose quite often. My back is still hurting only not as severe. Tylenol sucks. I'm sorry. I know how bad that is. I did learn that if I continued to lay around because I was in pain, I was just hurting myself even more. Although it really sucks, you do need to get up and move, move, move. I also had chronic fatigue, which I'm still suffering from but just a little bit now. It was really hard for me to get up and move, but if I wanted my back to feel better, I had no choice. 11 days is still really early. Give yourself some time. I'm 6 weeks post-op and still having some not-so-good days.

Good luck in your recovery~

[dodger]

Hi Dockie, congratulations on the surgery!  Bummer about the bad pain.  What kind and where are your incision sites.  Was it a hand assist or mechanical collection of the kidney and on what side?

I will say walking as much as you can without tiring yourself is very important. It will help move the CO2 gas out of your body.  Nice long warm showers if you are able to help.  Be sure and drink 2 qts of plain water a day.  You really need to flush all the meds out of your system and assist your lone kidney to function as best it can right now. 

You need a diet that will help you heal.  Try to get about 25 grams of protein per well balanced meal with good healthy snacks throughout the day.  Nuts, not peanuts, and fruit for snacks are great.  Dried apricots and prunes are high in potassium and help with healing.  Be sure you are having regular bowel movements.  Prunes are helpful as are probiotics.  Stool softeners and colace just were too harsh for me.  Lots of green leafy veggies, raw or cooked, or any bright colored veggies are great for healing.  Stay away from salt, for swelling, and sugar, slows healing.

I had a lot of sleeping problems after the surgery.  Try this, no tv or computer 1 hour before bedtime and keep regular sleep and awake hours like before surgery.  Reading is great.  Take a nice warm shower before bed because it heats up your body temp and as that drops you will sleep better.  Make a nest of pillows to tuck in here and there to make you comfy.  If on your back, use one under your knees.  Drink tart cherry juice or eat a handful of walnuts before bed as they contain melatonin to help you sleep.  I used a 10 mil timed released melatonin tablet for about a month and it helped.  If you wake up at night, don't stay in bed and toss and turn, get up, drink some warm milk, read, but no tv or computer.  E readers are ok however.  But, get up at the same time you normally would and try to not nap during the day other than for 15 minutes if possible.  The more you sleep during the day, you are messing with the seratonin, melatonin in your body.  I went to my PCP and basicly begged for sleeping pills, but this is what he told me.  I also bought a book, No More Sleepless Nights and it re-enforced what the doctor had told me.  It finally worked, at about 8 weeks after surgery, 2 weeks after I had gone back to work! 

[Fr Pat]

     Some donors have observed that after surgery we tend to unconsciously use a different posture (e.g. more stooped) in order to try to avoid pain at the incision site. A different posture than our normal one strains the muscles, etc. in a different way. Consciously trying to maintain your normal posture standing, sitting, walking, etc. might help. Also gentle bending and stretching exercises. Please let us know how it goes.
   fr. Pat