Painful Operation Ahead, Advice Needed ?

[Elderflower j58]

Hello all , my husband was diagnosed with mesothelioma (asbestos cancer)
On Wednesday .It came on quite suddenly, and the prognosis is not good.
He's having a pleurectomy on Saturday ,which I believe is a very painful
Surgery.

Due to emotional upset and shock I didn't take in everything the dr said,
But I believe he'll have some sort of morphine pump that he will control.
What if anything can I do aid his recovery from this surgery,he could be in considerable
Pain for many weeks after,thanks in advance.

 

[lindsay]

First of all, I am very sorry to hear about your husband's cancer. I cannot imagine how upsetting this must be, especially with a quickly scheduled surgery! I wish the very best for both of you and hope that the procedure will go well and safe!

Regarding the pain from such a surgery, I am guessing they will open up the chest cavity, similar to heart surgery? I definitely suggest following the recommended breathing device, as breathing into it after a surgery is very important and recommended. Additionally, I've had two major abdominal surgeries during a two year timeframe and the biggest complaint is always constipation following the stress of the surgery and the pain killers. My dad experienced a similar frustration after heart surgery years ago. If you can find an opiate alternative for when your husband returns home, this will help with that. I used Motrin shortly after my second surgery and it was just as effective as Percocet and allowed me to use the toilet.

Also, I would apply as many fat solubles to the scar area to help it heal. Progesterone may help to numb the pain. I used that on my incision for my second surgery and it healed much better.

Again, I know very little about pain following a chest surgery, but I think anything to help his breathing and elevate Co2 would be beneficial. And I would ask the doctor about infection risk, as this is always high after surgeries - one of the reasons they send you home with a breathing device.

I hope you will find some better answers on here! If the surgery was further out, I would suggest your husband gain some weight, but I would feed him well between now and then. I did much better following surgery number 2 when I had an extra 15 or 20 lbs. on me from the previous surgery.

 

[What-a-Riot]

I think ray peat has talked about the use of antihistamines before / during / after surgery, someone else might know where

EDIT

I recalled wrong, that was in the context of protecting someone from the effects of morphine administered during surgery.