morphine pump question?

okay supposedly after my surgery i will be getting a morphine drip (but i don't think i get a pump)

anyway..my concern is..i have seen some people post on here about having hallucinations on morphine....

i am afraid that would be even worse for me because i will not be able to take one of my antipsychotics for a couple of days before the surgery (so i already might be leaning towards psychosis) and i have schizoaffective disorder and am more prone to hallucinations anyway.....

what can i do about this? is there another pain medicine that would be as effective as the morphine? without that risk?

i obviously will bring this up with my doctor..... i already spoke to the nurse about it.... but she didn't have any answers...

she said to talk to the pre-op nurses about it.....

anyway....that is not til March 4th and i like to plan ahead and i'd like to resolve this issue before then......

i feel better when i have a plan..

my husband is like..i'll take care of you while you are psychotic and make sure the nurses are aware...
but quite frankly i'd rather not be psychotic in the first place....

any suggestions? as far as other pain relief?

jamesgirl

I had a morphine pump a year ago when I had my uterine artery embolization. They will not use a morphine drip without a pump. (I am an RN) What they usually use is called Patient Controlled Analgesia or PCA. When you have pain you press the buttton, and a tiny dose which is preset by your anesthesiologist is released into your IV. You can't overdose, the pump is set to only deliver the dose at a predetermined time interval. Talk to your MD- they can also use other narcotic pain relief in the PCA pump, some other med may be better for you. The advantage is that you get what you need, when you need it, and don't have to wait for a nurse to go get it when you ask for it. Patients use far less pain med overall when they can control their own dose and timing. Usually after the first night they switch over to a pain control med in a pill form. Best of luck- hope the background info helps. I also need to feel in control of what is going to happen, with a plan, and being informed makes me feel better too.
Sugar&Spice

I would talk to your doctor and make sure they realize the concerns you have.

I didn't have any problems, but I am not predisposed to them either.

I am going in on Monday for my procedure and have had all my questions answered by my doctor. I was extremely anxious and now I feel better. I am a layman at this but my gut says to speak to your doctor in advance. Don't wait a minute longer because these well-trained medical pros can HELP you. There is a lot that can be done for you. Good luck and be well.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by myheartisjames okay supposedly after my surgery i will be getting a morphine drip (but i don't think i get a pump) anyway..my concern is..i have seen some people post on here about having hallucinations on morphine.... i am afraid that would be even worse for me because i will not be able to take one of my antipsychotics for a couple of days before the surgery (so i already might be leaning towards psychosis) and i have schizoaffective disorder and am more prone to hallucinations anyway..... what can i do about this? is there another pain medicine that would be as effective as the morphine? without that risk? i obviously will bring this up with my doctor..... i already spoke to the nurse about it.... but she didn't have any answers... she said to talk to the pre-op nurses about it..... anyway....that is not til March 4th and i like to plan ahead and i'd like to resolve this issue before then...... i feel better when i have a plan.. my husband is like..i'll take care of you while you are psychotic and make sure the nurses are aware... but quite frankly i'd rather not be psychotic in the first place.... any suggestions? as far as other pain relief? jamesgirl

I would suggest talking to a pharmacist. Doctors know a great deal about prescription medication, but pharmacists are truly the experts on drugs.

I had the PCA & it worked great. I did not have morphine. What I had was called DILAUDID I had no hallucinations, just a little nauseous. Best wishes.

thanks everyone i will check with my shrink and my surgeon and my pharmacist..... i have heard good things about Dilaudid.... from other schizophrenics....

hugs to all,
jamesgirl

I was supposed to have a PCA but when I expressed my concerns I was told it would be up to the surgeon, and when I came out of surgery I was on oral morphine instead. The only downside to the oral morphine was I was on extra oxygen administered through a tube hooked over my ears and going up my nose. I was just very sleepy with the oral morphine. I dont know if oxygen is given with a PCA and sleepyness being a side effect as I wasnt given a PCA.

Jamesgirl,

I would suggest that you speak with the anesthesiologist. There are a lot of meds that they use for anesthesia and you may be able to take all your anti-psychotics right up to and after surgery. Talk to your surgeon and find out who the anethesiologist will be and ask for an appointment. Trust me, the hospital doesn't want you to be psychotic either, and that would be just another trauma that you don't need. I work in psych and we send people for emergency surgery and they don't have to wait days for the meds to clear their system. There is a way to keep you well all through the process. Pain meds included. The anesthetist will be the one to make all of these decisions, so that is the doctor that you need to talk to. Your psychiatrist will be able to give you the questions that you need to ask.

This must be a huge ordeal for you. Hang in there. Let us know how it goes.

thank you ladies, i will talk with the pre-op nurses and ask if i can meet the anesthesia person......

yeah this has been stressful..and i don't want to be psychotic......

my psychiatrist said not to take the geodon for a couple of days before the surgery since it can mess with the QT interval of the heart....

but i will still be on my abilify......

so hopefully i will be okay......

huugggggssssssss
jamesgirl