Pain relief for sentinel node injections? Lidocaine AND Psalm 23!

[Guest guest]

Jan:

Thanks, you're in my thoughts and prayers also. Psalm 23 seems to

help universally.....I know a couple of versions of it in song and

sang them also. Despite knowing tons of 'modern' praise and worship

music, it was the old hymns that kept coming to mind on surgery

day! And that was fine. I did burst out with the chorus of ny

Cash's " Ring of Fire " ('and it burns, burns, burns, the ring of

fire....') when they pulled the catheter out after my last

radiation/mammosite treatment! It was momentary, but did burn, and

I had brought ny Cash in to listen to the day before during

treatment; the radiation oncologist started singing with me,

actually! Nice to know they are 'real' people too!

Suzanne

> > This afternoon I talked with the surgeon's NP -- nurse

> practitioner.

> > I have talked with her several times in the last few weeks and

> always

> > found her very empathetic and supportive. Now I have mixed

> feelings.

> >

> > I told her that I had discussed this with the doctor only once,

> and

> > that the doctor's response was that they are not set up to offer

> > anesthesia for the injections. The NP said that this may have

been

> a

> > misunderstanding, and maybe the doctor thought I was asking to

> have

> > the injections after I'm already in the OR, under general

> > anesthesia. I was thinking more along the lines of the stuff

they

> > give you for a colonoscopy, where you're out of it but still

able

> to

> > breathe on your own and be somewhat responsive.

> >

> > Anyway, the NP is going to talk with the doctor and clarify that

> and

> > call me back tomorrow, and maybe I'll get some encouraging news

> out

> > of that.

> >

> > There were a couple of things that bothered me, though. At one

> > point, when I was talking about how scared I am of the pain, she

> said

> > that sometimes in life, things just have to hurt. I find that

> rather

> > patronizing. She also made a couple of statements suggesting

that

> > there are people much worse off than I am, who have to bear more

> pain

> > than this will cause. I know all of that is true, but it strikes

> me

> > as not playing fair on her part. Know what I mean? When I read

the

> > experiences here, women saying they would do everything they

could

> to

> > avoid going through that again, I don't think I'm being

> unreasonable

> > to ask for substantial pain control.

> >

> > I know that medical professionals are kind and caring people,

and

> if

> > they could prevent all pain, they would do so. I also realize

that

> > in order to do their jobs, they have to develop a certain sense

of

> > detachment from their patients' pain, or they couldn't do things

> that

> > they have to do. I think sometimes patients get caught in the

> middle

> > of those two extremes. Doctors see this all the time and they

know

> it

> > will be over quickly. For the patient, it is a horrible

nightmare

> > she can't ever forget.

> >

> > Another thing ... mercifully, most women will go through this

only

> > once. Several of you have said that if you had to go through it

> > again, you would be much more insistent about having something

for

> > the pain. I think it's going to take that kind of insistence

> before

> > they DO realize that stronger pain relief needs to be offered.

> >

> > I guess I'm just venting. Thanks for listening. Please offer any

> > suggestions that you can. I'm not giving up yet.

> >

> >

> >

> > Jan Koelsch

> >

> > ---------------------------------

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