Today, I finally spoke with my surgeon, who has not spoken with me since the surgery on my neck, 6 days ago. The only thing I remember about him from that day was my saying hi to him from behind my oxygen mask. Today, I let him know that I was not pleased with the procedures in which I was discharged from the cockroach laden hospital he had me in down in New Rochelle! One of the members of "the surgical team" told me to take what medications I was taking before the surgery along with the percacet for post operative pain management. Well, hmm, when I told him one of the drugs I was taking, he said, "oh you can't take that drug, it will make your blood coagulate & prevent healing!" The inadequacy is absolutely phenomenal. The short of it, I get another prescription of percacet with a new frequency & dosage from what was under prescribed. Upon discharge, I was taking 2 percacet every four hours plus a shot of some pain medication after I got off the morphine button. So, one percacet, every 6 hours was NOT going to cut it. I've been writing down the dosage & frequency and pain level every time I treat my pain. I can say that I've cut back on both, frequency and dosage, so things are looking up. I will come out of this NOT a junkie... despite my body's current dependence on the drug. I'm much more lucid because I've been on them so long but anticipate the day I am pain free without taking any tablets, prescribed or OTC.
The surgeon moved my first post op appointment to this Thursday instead of next Tuesday, when I'll probably get my staples out. I will also be getting a prescription for a sleeping pill because I have difficulties sleeping & my other doctor told me at our appointment just prior to my surgery, that whatever I needed after this surgery, my surgeon was responsible for it & he, (my GP) wouldn't write me another until this is over. I spoke with my insurance patient advocate & she assured me that it is the surgeons responsibility to make sure I get all these types of drugs from him. Now my blood pressure has been raising a bit ... I wonder why? ... so will have to see what he wants to do about that since I'm already on a blood pressure medication, (maybe raise my dosage).
Perhaps, I need to take a tranquilizer, but I'm too concerned about taking too many drugs at this point. Making my point blatantly clear to him and my insurance advocate probably helped it raise but otherwise I've managed to stay relatively calm. The funniest part was when I told him that I am not a stupid woman and have questions that I want answered. He responded by telling me, "I know that, you're too smart, you're learning all these things, getting yourself all worried. We'd like it, if you weren't so smart." And my reply was, "I'm sure you would!" I proceeded to get my list of questions answered to my satisfaction until we have a more formal meeting in his office on Thursday.
And the saga continues....
Ro - fighting for proper care
