Quote:
Originally Posted by ahabt 
My sister, who is an RN, says that probably what I need is demerol, but it's such a frequently abused drug that they don't like to prescribe it for anybody who knows enough to ask for it. Is there anybody who has been through this kind of situation, and has advice to offer?
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Your sister is right...To a certain point. Yes, if someone comes into the ER and says "Hey, I hurt my back and only Demerol works", then yes, that's a red flag. But in your case, not even close. With all due respect, she's comparing apples to oranges.
If it were me, I would make an appointment with the surgeon and tell them about what happened with the prior surgery. Tell him everything in detail and about how you're scared to death. Any good surgeon would be compassionate because having surgery without pain control is like torture.
If the morphine drip in the hospital worked, I wonder if they could try oral morphine pills...MsContin, Kadian, or Avinza? Or the Demerol as your sister suggested? Given what happened to you, there is absolutely nothing to worry about re: mentioning these meds by name. I would tell the Doc straight up that you are concerned and you went to the internet for help, talked to your sister, and others.....And this is what you've come up with. You're asking for adequate pain control following surgery, not for long term maintenance. Two different animals altogether.
Quite frankly, it's up the surgeon, and the anthesiologist to figure this out. No one can be expected to go through knee replacement without adequate pain control. From what I know about it, you'll need reasonable pain relief for several weeks following the procedure. Sounds like anything dosed with Oxycodone, hydrocodone, or codeine is out of the picture. That leaves oral morphine, demerol, or fentanyl. I would ask about the fent patch, altough it's not recommended for acute pain. But in your case, your options are severely limited. This is where the expertise of your Docs come in. You may need a special consult with the anthesiologist. I would....Because he will be the one controlling your pain immediately after the surgery, and then your Doc takes over from there.
Best of luck with this.
Regards,
Ex
