During the few days after a c-section, some people experience pain in one or both shoulders. I’m one of those lucky ones. Apparently, it has something to do with air, lining of the uterus, transferred pain…or something. All I know is it kills. Oddly, it hurts horribly when you take a deep breath. (Shoulder pain + incision pain = I’m dying if I need to cough). I can’t even imagine the pain without the pain meds.
With that said, ice has always been my friend, post-op. With #1 and 2, getting an ice pack was no problem. This time, however, there were issues. When I asked for one, I received a few “insta” packs that were part of a pad. (I’m assuming they are used for an episiotomy or related happenings? I wouldn’t know.) Anyway, they are small, awkward, not cold enough, and essentially useless for my needs. Thus, I went without until I couldn’t stand it. I knew exactly what I needed, but every nurse looked at me like I was crazy when I described what the perfectly sized, refillable ice pack looked like.
One nurse brought me a gel pack from the freezer. That was great but after 20 minutes it was done. Finally, I just asked, yet another nurse, for those useless pad packs. A few minutes later she came back with this beauty.
The pack that I had been asking for the whole time and it arrives! I told her how I asked three other nurses for it and no one knew anything about them. She told me their supply closet was out of them so she got one from a neighboring unit.
She’s a thinker, that one.
Girrrrrl, I feel you. XO