Day 8, wake up and still have a good deal of pain in the donor area

[Vinny1980]

Every morning I wake up and my scar(donor area) still really hurts a lot. Throughout the day the pain isn't that bad. But every morning I wake up, it really hurts. I still still with 2 pillows at like a 30+ degree angle.

 

Is this sort of pain normal at this point, as it really hurts a lot?

 

And if so, if it subsides throughout the day, is there something I should be doing prior to sleeping?

[Ahairdown]

Hey Vinny, I'm on my eighth day too. For myself, no pain/soreness and the tightness has dissapated with the swelling. The area itches some, and is tender to touch when shampooing - but no pain.

 

From my experiences I'd say no, having pain in the donor area at this point isn't typical.

 

That being said, it looks like your donor was taken a little higher from the back than mine so maybe it's around different nerves. Who is your doc? Do you live close enough to them where you could drop in a make sure you don't have an infection?

 

Good luck man hope you start feeling better.

[Thehairupthere]

It's normal to still have some soreness in your donor area as you still have your stitches in and they can be uncomfortable. If you are in a great deal of pain you should contact your surgeon and let him or her know and they can perhaps prescribe another pain killer, or possibly check your incision for any possible infection or any other underlying issue. If your pain goes away after a while it most likely is nothing, possibly just pain from sleeping directly on the incision since you're putting pressure on it. Since it's day 8 you do not need to sleep at an incline anymore, you can sleep laid back, on your side and even on your stomach at this point as your grafts are secure. Just to be safe speak to your doctor.

[aaron1234]

Yeah, it's normal to feel pain 8 days out. I'm 9 days post-op and soreness in the donor region is still there a bit, but it's probably more due to the staples.

[orlhair1]

That is normal. My donor area was uncomfortable when sleeping until I got my staples out. After that it improved significantly, but was still sensitive when laying on the pillow for a few days.

[gillenator]

For most patients, the area is tender and can be painful to the touch for the first week post-op.

 

Post-op discomfort really does vary between patients and even within this thread. The decrease in pain once you are up and about may be from less pressure on the sutures and the overall area.

 

At this point post-op, contact your doc and they may just want you to use an over the counter pain product like Tylenol, etc.

 

If the pain persists, or gets any worse, certainly have it looked at.

 

After the sutures are removed, and the healing progresses, an itching sensation can be experienced as well.

 

Overall, you should notice a reduction of the discomfort as time passes.

 

Best wishes to you...

[Vinny1980]

Thank you for all the information guys, this has been very helpful. I have absorbable sutures, I guess I will try to sleep in a way to take the pressure off the area now.

 

Thank you all again for your responses/advice, since I haven't told anyone really, this community has been invaluable helping me through the process!

[orlhair1]

You might want to try one of those travel/airplane pillows. That helped me a lot in those first few days.

[gillenator]

Vinny,

 

I think you will be surprised in how much another week or so will make in overall improvement.

[TakingThePlunge]

I remained tender with mild discomfort for at least a couple of weeks. Nothing to worry about. Eventually it will pass.