Anyone had this surgery? Tomorrow is one month since I had it and it's been the worst experience of my life. The pain has been horrific.
Has anyone else had this surgery?

Janet

I hope you feel better soon!

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

I'm so sorry you are so uncomfortable. Does your doctor say this normal? It doesn't sound normal. Perhaps you need a second opinion.

I had a hysterectomy and bladder sling and I have never had a problem, and once out of the hospital, had little pain, just very very sore. Something does not sound right!

Please talk to your doctor. If what you are experiencing is normal, you should have adequate pain relief medication. If it isn't, the doctor needs to be aware.

I agree -- have you been in touch with your doctor about how much you are suffering?

Yes, I've been back to see him a couple times. His response is that no one else has these problems. Its been 32 days now since surgery and I am still incredibly uncomfortable. I had to make him remove a stitch that was making my life misery more than a week ago and now i've got ANOTHER one coming out. Which means I'm going to have to go back and fight with him again to get him to cut this one. They get pokey and it's not a place you wanta be poked.
He just doesn't believe me that I'm in misery. But his explanation is that they did so much "reconstruction" and that involves cutting and restitching the muscle so it's going to hurt for a while. I'm down to just motrin--nothing stronger any more but geez. Plus I've had a ton of other complications from the surgery (blood clots in my hands--reactions to medications). I am so sorry I had this done. Just wanted to comiserate with anyone else who had it done.
Thanks for your kind words everyone!

Have you been to any online bulletin boards?

I think I would get another opinion .... good luck

Him blowing you off with "no-one else has these problems" would send me straight to someone else!
I hope you feel better soon!

I agree w/ Loribean and Nightowl--you should seek another opinion.

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

I have tried to get another GYN doctor to see me. The first appt available was in like 3 weeks. Seriously!?? Good grief. Nobody wants to mess with what somebody else has done. My doctor keeps telling me I am completely healed and told me that Sept. 15th is my "released" date (although before surgery he told me it would be Oct. 1st). I have good insurance and he gets paid more than $120 every time I go in there for a follow up so he should just shut his mouth and deal with this. He was upset that I had to stay in the hospital 2 nights because this is an outpatient surgery and that messed up his batting average, I guess. I'm not just a whiner--this 2nd stitch is just like the first one he already removed --it's like as wide as a piece of yarn and is several inches long. Imagine that poking you in a place you don't wanta be poked.
I have been to message boards for this particular sugery and everybody goes on about how happy they are they did it. Can't find anybody who had complications or the horrific pain I had. One board has just dozens and dozens of women who post on there and all of them are so happy they had it done. I cannot imagine ever being happy I did this. Even when its all behind me. I will remember.

I suggest you get an opinion from a urolgist. ASAP

What type of sling did you get?

My doctor is a GYN/Urologist. The sling isn't the problem (although it was totally worthless in my opinion as I am just now leaking in a whole new and special way that everyone talks about after surgery but nobody mentioned BEFORE it). The problem from pain is the reconstruction they did to my whowho (also only mentioned as a sidenote before the surgery). It was horrifically painful and extensive. It's how justify charging an extra $10,000 for plastic surgery and making insurance pay for it. They call it medically necessary to hold the bladder in there---everyone talks about it on message boards and websites but nobody talks about how unbelievably painful it is. They cut thru the muscle and stretch it and then sew it back up. NONE of this was mentioned before I had the surgery. It was a sidenote that they might have to do some reconstruction.
My main problem now is the continuous stitches coming out. They are huge and iritating and annoying and painful and the only way to get rid of them is to have my doctor remove them for me.
I have called a number of GYN's and Urologists and cannot get anybody to see me for a 2nd opinion. Nobody wants to mess with what somebody else has done. I've found a couple who will see me but their next appt for a new patient is 3 weeks from now!! ugh!
I appreciate everyone's advice!

Most hospitals have an "Office of Patient Advocacy". Contact them. Sometimes it's called "Patient Relations" or something else along those lines.

I can't guarantee that it will get you action, but it might. At least it will put your issues on record and put your doctor on notice that you're not going to put up with his dismissive attitude.

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If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition, and then admit that we just don't want to do it.

- Stephen Colbert.

I'm not an expert on hospitals and don't even know what a bladder sling is, but could you go to the Emergency Room or an Urgent Care? That would be a different doctor that would have to look at you immediately versus waiting 3 weeks for the appointment. Just an idea...

Lisa

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It's wanting what you've got"

How are things going I offer my sincere healthy wishes keep us posted . Peace. Catherine

I am not an advocate of visiting the ER for things that aren't "emergent"--that said: I have to agree with the posters who said go to the ER! Demand (politely) to be seen. Excruciating pain is an emergency because it can indicate a serious problem.

Sometimes, a "new" doctor on the case can offer a set of eyes or opinion that the "regular" doctor hasn't considered, is to pompous to think about, or doesn't know about!

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

I am doing somewhat better now. The pain seems to be getting better daily and Yesterday I had to go BACK to my doctor and demand another stitch be removed. He told me he was going to remove "all of them now" since they are giving me such trouble and a week ago when he removed the first one, I was healing so nicely. Well, he removed 2 and those were easy but the 3rd and 4th were horrific. I'm screaming and crying and he's telling me he's not even doing anything! I told him somebody was stabbing me wiht a knife down there and if it wasn't him--then who the heck else is down there! But anyway, after the rest of the day having really bad cramping from it, I am feeling much better and so very thankful those stitches are supposedly all gone. He said there are still ones inside that will desolve (he said these would too-HA!) but those won't come out of me like these other ones did and cause problems (he still doesn't see what all the fuss is about).
I tried to talk to him about the leaking problem and he couldn't even wrap his tiny little mind around it even though last week--HE is the one who told myself and my husband about it possibly happening. He had no idea what I was talking about yesterday so I threw up my hands on that issue and left. I will try to get another GYN to see me eventually and talk about this problem. The leaking is a zillion times worse than before I had the sling put in which makes me a zillion times worse off than before. Now, instead of leaking if I sneeze or cough..it's every single time i go to the bathroom and I stand up afterwards. So, like 6-8 times a day.
Please be wary of this surgery and tell all your friends. I live in a small town of 10,000 and everybody I've talked to, has seen this doctor and knows somebody he is trying to talk into having this surgery! It may work great for some. It's been horrific for me.