Yeah, the pain sucks for sure and can be really hard to deal with. I found that my pain was not controlled well at all even with a multitude of things like lortabs and percocets. If your friend really isn't responding well to whatever meds he is on, call your surgeon, tell him the problems and ask to work with him on better pain control. If your friend is NOT having problems with constipation or nausea but is having trouble with pain, ask for a higher dose. Everybody responds differently to pain meds and docs start out slow with them which can be frustrating if the patient does not respond well to them.
For me, the first week after surgery (laproscopic assisted right hemi-colectomy) was pretty painful, especially going from sitting to standing, and spending too much time in a straight-backed chair. I felt like my insides hurt and were "swishy". I couldn't tolerate long periods in bed cause the pain meds always wore off and my belly did not like the bieng stretched out in a flat prone position. I actually slept better in my recliner than in bed. After the first week my abdomen all of a sudden started feeling tight instead of swishy, a different kind of pain. By then, I could tolerate walking pretty well, but sitting upright still hurt after about 20-30 mins. Then exactly 2 weeks post surgery I felt a million times better. Pain was much less to the point where the meds started working and I managed to get out of the house and go to a Sabres game (hockey) right at the 2 week mark. After that it was like I turned a corner and felt much better.
Mostly, rest, occasional walking around the house and taking as many pain meds as I could helped me out. Oh, and do NOT eat a LOT of food at once. Once my appetite came back, I piged out once and boy was that a mistake. My incision hurt for a good 2-3 hours till I crapped
