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Ow! Muscle pain following minor surgery

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
I had some relatively minor surgery yesterday that required general anesthesia. Although they weren't intending to intubate me, after surgery the nurse said I'd probably have a sore throat since they had to intubate me twice -- during a 45 minute surgery (??) In post-op they gave me a nebulizer treatment before I was even conscious.

Today, I find I have a terrible sore throat and roof of mouth, blisters on the inside front of my upper an lower lips, and burning bronchioles/lungs. I've had to use my inhaler more in the past 36 hours than I had in the past year. Okay, so something went outside the original plan during anesthesia. I'm not happy, but I can cope.

What's really throwing me for a loop is the intense muscle pain and stiffness. Not ME/CFS pain. This feels like overuse pain in my upper arms, thighs, muscles in my rib area and back. The area where the surgery was done -- not a twinge. o_O

I'm so stiff and sore I can barely move. Could this be some kind of systemic inflammation over-reaction? Why would areas of my body that had nothing to do during surgery feel like they've been through a pentatholon? I have a very high pain threshold, so this amount of muscle pain is highly unusual for me.

Any ideas about what's going on? Any suggestions?
 

Kati

Patient in training
Messages
5,497
You could have had a reaction to the anesthetics. Not the allergic type, otherwise they would have told you.

for instance i had a 2weeks relapse after a simple apt to the dentist, I was given freezing with epinephrine. The same procedure without epinephrine a month later did not give me relapse.

In regards to your general anesthetics, and intubation, sometimes the anesthetist misjudge which endotracheal tube to use,so they have to do it again. i would suggest you do deep breathing exercises to maintain good muscle tone, since general anesthetics can make it worse. ( i am a nurse, so this is nurse's order!!!)
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
I had some relatively minor surgery yesterday that required general anesthesia. Although they weren't intending to intubate me, after surgery the nurse said I'd probably have a sore throat since they had to intubate me twice -- during a 45 minute surgery (??) In post-op they gave me a nebulizer treatment before I was even conscious.

Today, I find I have a terrible sore throat and roof of mouth, blisters on the inside front of my upper an lower lips, and burning bronchioles/lungs. I've had to use my inhaler more in the past 36 hours than I had in the past year. Okay, so something went outside the original plan during anesthesia. I'm not happy, but I can cope.

What's really throwing me for a loop is the intense muscle pain and stiffness. Not ME/CFS pain. This feels like overuse pain in my upper arms, thighs, muscles in my rib area and back. The area where the surgery was done -- not a twinge. o_O

I'm so stiff and sore I can barely move. Could this be some kind of systemic inflammation over-reaction? Why would areas of my body that had nothing to do during surgery feel like they've been through a pentatholon? I have a very high pain threshold, so this amount of muscle pain is highly unusual for me.

Any ideas about what's going on? Any suggestions?

Do you know how they positioned you during the surgery? That can sometimes cause muscle pain afterwards. And do you know what they used in the nebulizer?

Sushi
 
Messages
1
SOC - I'm in a similar boat as you are. Surgery (cystoscopy/ureterscopy - basically means no incisions) yesterday of bladder & ureter to get a couple specimens for biopsy. Was done under a general anesthesia. Kidney & bladder pain has completely faded although still some blood visible in urine and uncomfortable urination which is normal and to be expected. However, my surprise is the extreme muscle pain in thighs, abdomen, arms, shoulder, neck etc. Feels like I did an over-aggressive workout. After sitting for 10 minutes, problems getting out of the chair and walking. I also have a high pain threshold and your description of having been through a pentatholon is fitting. If it makes you feel any better, you have company!!

When the surgery clinic did the followup by phone with me today, the nurse said it sounded like I had been given scoline. She checked and said YEP. Only suggestion was for me to call the on-call surgeon (which I may do tomorrow if symptoms are not resolving). Vicodin and Percocet are not touching the pain.

http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/anesthesiology/musclepain.cfm

Check out the above link managed by Ohio State University, University of Cincinatti and Case Western Reserve Univ. (Either click the link or copy and paste it into your web browser). Anyway found this a few minutes ago and it is exactly what is happening to me (and sounds like to you as well). I also found a lot of info just doing a web search for "muscle pain following surgery". Somewhere in there I saw that the use of cortisteroids would help resolve the muscle pain more quickly. I'll see how I feel in the morning - and may well call to see if I can get any relief.

Good luck to you!!!!!
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
Thanks, Kati! Some kind of rxn to the anesthetic sounds likely. I'll have to ask at my post-op appt in a couple of weeks. Misjudging the endotach tube explains the multiple intubations. I did wonder about that. :)

Yes, nurse, I'll do my deep breathing exercises. :D Thanks for giving me the heads up on that -- I wouldn't have thought to do deep breathing right now, but it's something I can do while the rest of me hurts.
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
However, my surprise is the extreme muscle pain in thighs, abdomen, arms, shoulder, neck etc. Feels like I did an over-aggressive workout. After sitting for 10 minutes, problems getting out of the chair and walking. I also have a high pain threshold and your description of having been through a pentatholon is fitting. If it makes you feel any better, you have company!!

That's it exactly! It is kinda reassuring that I'm not the only one. :)

When the surgery clinic did the followup by phone with me today, the nurse said it sounded like I had been given scoline. She checked and said YEP. Only suggestion was for me to call the on-call surgeon (which I may do tomorrow if symptoms are not resolving). Vicodin and Percocet are not touching the pain.

http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/anesthesiology/musclepain.cfm

Check out the above link managed by Ohio State University, University of Cincinatti and Case Western Reserve Univ. (Either click the link or copy and paste it into your web browser). Anyway found this a few minutes ago and it is exactly what is happening to me (and sounds like to you as well). I also found a lot of info just doing a web search for "muscle pain following surgery". Somewhere in there I saw that the use of cortisteroids would help resolve the muscle pain more quickly. I'll see how I feel in the morning - and may well call to see if I can get any relief.

Good luck to you!!!!!

Thanks for that info! I'm off to check it out. Sounds like you've found the problem. :D