Help - surgery! - Pain Management Message Board

momofsix · 04-15-2004, 09:03 AM

I'm having surgery and am worried about handling post-op pain. I am currently taking 40mg oxycontin three times a day with percocet for BT pain. I'm finding any extra at this point doesn't seem to help enough to make it worth it. It makes me feel sick to my stomache and extremely depressed and groggy. If I'm taking all I can handle now, what do I do for post-op pain? I'm terrified of being in pain with no hope of help.

Karla · 04-15-2004, 12:59 PM

I had been on opiates for over 5 years for pain. The last two years on methadone and duragesic patch. I quit taking my pain meds 3 weeks ago. I just had surgery last week and I told them that i was opiate tollerant and was going to need some strong pain meds because percacet and vicodin was like candy to me. They wrote it in my charts in my preop visit. The next day I wake up from surgery and they gave me vicodin for pain. I was at a level 2 in pain. I tried explaining that I was opiate depentdent and that I was going to need some strong meds to keep the pain away. By then I was a 6. They quickly met with a pain specialist who said they couldn't give me the patch becuase that would take to long to kick in. I don't know why they didn't want the methadone but what they gave me was dilaudid to get the pain under control which was a 10 by then and bought them more time. They decided to give me a hefty dose of oxycontin with oxycodone for breakthrough pain. I was discharged from the hospital with my pain under control and the oxycontin worked miricles for me. I am sure they will find something for you but mention it to them before you go under for surgery so they are prepared when you come out of surgery. Good luck!

carol632 · 04-15-2004, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lindawainwright

I'm having surgery and am worried about handling post-op pain. I am currently taking 40mg oxycontin three times a day with percocet for BT pain. I'm finding any extra at this point doesn't seem to help enough to make it worth it. It makes me feel sick to my stomache and extremely depressed and groggy. If I'm taking all I can handle now, what do I do for post-op pain? I'm terrified of being in pain with no hope of help.

Linda, you should discuss this with your doctor before your surgery. And the day of surgery, you will probably see him briefly before going under the anesthesia, so be sure and remind him of the problem. If he is made aware, he should order something that will take care of the pain...maybe IV morphine. Lots of things he can use to control the post op pain. Good luck.

Carol

rlcowboy · 04-15-2004, 09:55 PM

Hey it is a very good idea to talk this over with you doctor and when you go to pre-op. My second back surgery was awful! They went in from my front side, meaning they cut me open from right above my belly button to my private area and then went all the way back to my spine to remove part of one of my discs. I was taking oxycontin 40mg twice a day up untill the day of surgery. As soon as I woke up in the recovery room I was screaming because of the pain. I was given a oxy 40mg and demerol. They had given me so much demerol that I stopped breathing for a moment while in recovery room.I was in horriable pain that first night. When my doctor came in the following morning he said that he thought I must be addicted to the meds because he had never had someone that had been given the amount of pain med that I had been given and still hurt that bad.My third and fourth surgery were not bad at all. It was because I addressed that problem durring pre-op with the anesthesiologist. Those last two were better because they started giving me the pain meds while I was still asleep through my I.V. and the last two surgerys I was given dilaudid instead of demerol. If I could give you any advice at all about preparing for surgery that would be it. Make sure they have a good plan considering the meds you are allready taking!! Good Luck!

kvn60640 · 04-15-2004, 11:30 PM

Hi. I had a microdiscectomy/laminectomy January 26th. Before surgery, I was taking 60mg morphine sulfate two or three times a day and 15mg morphine for breakthrough pain for months. After surgery I explained how much I was taking and they just beefed up the amount in the morphine drip. Im pretty sure you'll be on a morphine drip after surgery. Im also wondering if you've tried neurontin. I just started it and it has helped tremendously. Its not a narcotic and Im now not taking anything for pain except the neurontin and also lidocaine patches which you can apply to areas of most pain. The neurontin is for nerve pain and attacks from the inside and the lidocaine gets it from the outside. It's nice to be off morphine which didnt kill the pain anyway. Good luck on the surgery.
Kevin