Pain Med Tolerance and Surgery - Pain Management Message Board

megss · 03-05-2009, 05:44 PM

I am having a spinal fusion surgery in a month, and I have been told by my doctor to cut back on my pain meds now in preparation. I am nervous because of the pain I am in, but I understand why.

Has anyone else worried about getting adequate pain relief after surgery because they have built up a tolerance to the pain meds? I was on Vicodin for 4.5-5 months, and now have been on Percocet for the past month. It still works for me, but not as well as they did when I first started them. The pain starts coming back about 2 hours after I take them. What have been others experiences with this and were you able to achieve pain relief after surgery?

Thanks

vicki19 · 03-05-2009, 06:40 PM

Hi Meggs.... good luck on your upcoming surgery. I was not asked to cut back on my pain meds before surgery and I'd been taking them for over a year...... seriously. Not the same amount, but still. I also was worried, especially because of a previous surgery when I did not get adequate pain relief...... same surgeon. He immediately told me that I would be having control of that with one of those buttons. It worked out fine. I didn't have to wait for a nurse to come and remember it was time. Maybe that might be an option for you. I guess I can see how cutting back before surgery would help, but I don't think I could have stood the pain. I was still working up until a week before, but that was mostly I couldn't stand for more than 5 minutes by then. Anyway, see what he says about the pump thing. It can't hurt to ask. good luck!!!

megss · 03-05-2009, 07:34 PM

Thanks Vicky,

I am sure I will have a morphine pump or something in the hospital, but it is at home that I am worried about. I will only be hospitalized for three days. The other thing about this surgeon is that he wants me off the pain meds by 4 weeks post op. I am absolutely terrified that that is too soon, especially with a spinal fusion. I guess we will see what happens.

marshrose · 03-06-2009, 07:06 AM

Morphine doesn't work on me so I was given dilaudid in the hospital which worked well, they tried morphine and I just laid there like ??? and??? lol.

I just had my pain meds changed/upped a month ago with my pain I was ready to take like 3 vicodens due to waking with pain it was so bad, now it's tolerable again.

Just because they want you off at 4 weeks, doesn't mean you will be. I try to not do much in the mornings, and avoid taking a pill if I can. Your going to the store stirred everything up I'm sure too.

Try taking a half, then wait an hour, see how you feel, then if you need to take the other half, that's what I do. When I came home as long as I could lay down and rest the pain wasnt as bad. I expect to be useless for the first 2 weeks after this fusion. If it's less then great, if it's more ohh well. But I'm anticipating 2weeks of my having to be laying more than anything else.

Some days I can take the pain, others I'm in bed all the time and taking a pain pill, sometimes it just stirrs up and I didn't even do anything. I see what really brings it on so I avoid that, or that time of the day, etc, and it helps me cut back on the pills. I've been on so many diff types, and now the vicoden for months I dont want to be dependant on it so I really try to tough it out on the 'easier' days, not that their truly easier, but I'm sure you get what I mean.

vicki19 · 03-06-2009, 08:07 AM

Meggs.... oh, I did misunderstand. I don't remember exactly what surgery you are having right now, but I had a two-level ALIF and a laminectomy, meaning I was cut in the front and then turned over and cut in the back. Sounds horrible, and it was bad, but not as bad as I thought it might me. Anyway, I had my surgery Dec 2nd and am still on several pain meds and a few muscle relaxers a day. But I saw someone in the office last time who was wearing the same brace and we started talking and he said he was four weeks post op and our surgeon wouldn't give him anymore pain meds. He said he had a one-level ALIF. I was kind of surprised but since we have the same surgeon I can only guess he was basing it on the surgery. I understand your concern though because I was very concerned too, and it just ended up working out okay for me. I hope it does as well for you. They make feel so bad about asking for pain meds and I've always just hated that so much. Good Luck!!