Pain management in breast cancer patients or "My dark night of the soul"

Another great post from Hollye.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hollye-harrington-jacobs/breast-cancer-and-surgery_b_823821.html

I too had terrible pain management in the hospital. In the AM when the surgeons made rounds I was on the drip. It was all good.

Then after having the IV removed it all went to hell. I called and pushed buttons. No help.

I called my surgeon's office sobbing. I waited agonizing hours for the doctor who had more important cases. Exciting surgeries. Why worry about some boring breast cancer patient.

I suspect they felt...oh it's just her breasts, no big deal.

So here is the only magic word I know.
Supervisor.
Page the supervisor.
In fact ask for the supervisor's name before you need it.

My worst memory is the first night at home.

I remember waiting all night, wondering if I would go to shock before 5 AM. I wondered if I would live.  I didn't want to wake up a surgeon in the middle of the night who would be operating the next day. Miraculously I fell asleep at 4 A.M. and woke, still alive at 7 A.M.

Why our pain is so disregarded I will never know. Ask your surgeon how your pain will be managed. Who to contact if the nurses do not do their job. Anne, the author of http://www.butdoctorihatepink.blogspot.com 
had a similar experience.

Enough is enough.

Image from maryvancenc.com