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Abdomen nerve pain 10 weeks post colon resection
10 weeks post laparoscopic robotic colon resection surgery for diverticulitis I continue to have abdomen swelling and nerve pain across my abdomen. My surgeon said it could take 2 to 3 months to get better. Any advise to relieve the discomfort?
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@dormor321
Is your nerve pain within your abdomen or more toward the surface of your skin or both?
What has your surgeon suggested for pain management while continuing to heal?
Do you have any swelling/inflammation? Have they done any imaging post op to make sure you do not have any issues with healing?
What medication was prescribed to you after surgery? Did they prescribe pain medication? Did you take gabapentin or Lyrica for nerve pain?
Nerve healing definitely can take a li g time but you shouldn’t need to suffer while waiting for things to get better. Definitely talk to your surgeon and primary doctor about pain management options.
PT suggested a TENS unit for me to help with my chronic constipation and abdominal pain. You can purchase them online, they are not expensive, but it would be best to have a health care professional fo over how to use it for your case.
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@dlydailyhope
Nerve pain mostly on skin surface although occasionally a deep sharp pain with a sneeze for example. I do have quite a bit of swelling still. I also have been increasing fiber and per surgeon taking Metamucil daily. I have been increasing very slowly but thinking it’s still causing bloating and more swelling. So not sure if I should back off the fiber for a bit to see if it helps the nerve pain by reducing swelling / bloating? I have no pain meds other than Advil. And I have not had a follow up ct scan. Per surgeon I still have pockets in colon. He just removed the diseased part so I worry about having diverticulitis again especially if I don’t get going on high fiber. Surgeon said the risk level of getting it again is low but still a chance. I do take MiraLAX as needed to help keep things moving. And bowel movements have been ok with the fiber increase, Metamucil, and MiraLAX. But I hate the swelling and nerve pain situation. And concern about future episodes. Just unsure how to move forward on diet focus at this point. Maybe I should focus on what seems to be working for healing and then worry about the diet. I am reaching back out to my surgeon this coming week in hopes for some help. We shall see! Thank you for your help as well !
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2 Reactions@dormor321
You may want to use some cool compresses on your abdomen near where you had surgery for tissue inflammation. Lidocaine cream/patches can help with nerve pain. Voltaren gel can help with pain from inflammation.
You may want to focus on the healing and reduce the fiber a little but want to keep things moving. Make sure to drink lots of water to help the fiber move through your GI tract.
Once you have healed, you may want to work with a dietitian/nutritionist to review diet/supplements to make recommendations to prevent future problems.
It’s good you will follow-up with your doctor on next steps for continued healing and pain management.
@dormor321
I meant to also mention that inflammation and bloating may put more pressure on small nerve fibers in skin which causes more pain/discomfort. Managing inflammation and bloating may help reduce the nerve pain.