How often are you using pain meds?

Im just wondering how often everyone is using their pain meds, vicoin, percoset, etc. Im 12 days post op , using 2 at night, but thats it, an occasional motrin during the day. Im sitll in some pain, but i hate the way they make me feel so Im trying to take them as little as possible. My husband thinks im doing great in that department but thinks i should be moving more , I feel im pretty much where i should be at this point.
Just trying to get a comparison, even though i do know everyone is different.
Thanks all
Paula

Paula:
No one (including DH) should tell you where you should be at any point.
I myself did much better in 1 wk post op than last week. I was in a lot of pain, went back on Ibuprofen 800 and took stool softeners again so I woulnd't have to strain. I think at week 2 - 3 alot of the nerves are coming back and this seemed to add to my pain level. I had planned on having company this weekend and had to call them and beg off for a few more weeks. Don't feel like you have to entertain anyone and above all don't do more than you feel comfortable with or you will have repercussions.
Good luck
Pattie

Not nearly often enough for me. Pain meds rarely work on me as it is so when the pain is bad I get no relief and I never make it 4 hours before it is out of control. My doc took me off the percosets and put me on lortabs and cut those down to every 6 hours and only 15 of them. Twit! I really would like to know what book they read that told them that no matter what, all women should heal enough to be out of major pain within 2 weeks. All bodies and all situations are different and unique to each person. For me, I had barely recovered from hernia surgery and so this was a double whammy. Most of my pain is on the side that I had that done. Days like today I just want to cry. I am tired of trying to suck it up and just get through. I really wished I had either waited 6 months or just not done this at all. If I could get the pain under control on that side I would be fine and dandy. Everything else is going great except for the bladder spasms that make me want to swear off all liquids

I think it's awesome that you and so many of the others are on so few or no pain meds. Jealous here! Even though they make you feel bad, one of the keys to healing is being able to rest well and getting the proper nutrients our bodies need to replenish the damage surgery did. When the body is in pain, it cannot rest. Wish docs would get a clue. So I would say that if you need them to continue to rest well then do so as long as you have them. I just read this great article about how undermanagement of pain is almost an epidemic making it hard for people to heal properly and get back on their feet. Rest and nutrition is our friend right now and we really should do whatever it takes to do that. So for me, I know that if I can get mine under control so I can rest and relax and eat that in a couple of weeks I would feel SO much better. As it is, I am so tired from not being able to get comfortable and the pain makes me too sick to my stomach to get the proper nutrition my body needs. A losing battle unless I get my nice but oh so clueless doc to listen up and get on board .

Sorry to butt in on your post and go off. Just not a happy camper at all right now. Pain is a sore spot for me. No pun intended .

I had my last pain med 5 days post op. I do have some pain, but at the moment I prefer my bowels work so haven't been taking any meds. I find that taking meds dulls the pain to a point where I'm afraid I might move the wrong way and not feel it until later and then be sorry. If I can manage a little discomfort I can listen to my body better. I'm two weeks post op now and every day is a little different, for instance I feel better today than I did yesterday.......but took two long afternoon naps and think that helped.
I think you have to listen to your body, if you have pain and you feel more comfortable taking a pain pill then you should certainly do it even if other people might not. We all have our levels of tolerance.

i think i took a motrin last night before bed. yesterday all day i only took tylenol. I'm having a little pain when i pee, but i cant decide if its bladder related or something else. and the annoying back pain, which i have decided is my body's way of saying SIT DOWN!!
I am still trying to grab a nap in the afternoon, but then i have a hard time falling asleep at night, so i grab some tylenol pm or advil pm.
DH is very surprised at my pain tollerance, as i dont normally handle pain well.
Listen to your body, if you feel like you need it, take the smallest dose of the most gentle drug, and go from there.

Hi Ladies,

Well, I am still on Percocit and I'm 12 days post-op. I feel kind of wimpy that I'm still on pain meds, but I know I shouldn't... we are all different, and heal differently.

BUT, I will say that I am stretching out my Percocit longer and longer, SO I do see a light at the end of the tunnel. For the first 10 days, I HAD to take my Percocit every 3 - 4 hours. I was in a lot of pain. but, yesterday (day 11) I was starting to stretch it to every 5 -6 hours. Last night was a HUGE milestone for me. I went to bed at 1 AM, and took a Percocit. My body has just been waking up literally on the dot when my next Percocit is due... around 4:30 AM or so. But, this morning, I woke up at 6:30 AM! I couldn't believe my body slept that long without needing a Percocit. I was really happy.

And, when I woke up at 6:30 AM, I didn't have the radiating pain I normally have when I'm due for another, so at 6:30 AM this morning, I just took a prescription strength Ibuprofin instead (600 MG) and fell back asleep. I woke up at 9:45 and still felt good.... I was amazed... that is the LONGEST I've gone between Percocit pills.

So, at 9:45 this mornign, I got up, walked around the house, got some breakfast, but by 10:15, the radiating pain started again... oh my... I realized I NEEDED a Percocit. So, I took a Percocit at 10:15, and it's now 11:30 and I feel really good.

So, I basically went from 1 AM - 10:15 AM between Percocit. I am pretty happy about that.

I start my 3 week post-op mark on Monday, and am HOPING by then, I'll be off the Percocit, at least during the day.

Say... I have a question.... if you are on Percocit ONLY at night to help you sleep, but not during the day, are you still not supposed to drive???? I'm guessing you can't drive at all, even if you're taking it only at night.

Does anyone know this? I'm supposedly allowed to drive starting 2-weeks post-op, but if I'm still on Percocit, I can't. But, I don't know if that just means if you're taking it ALL day, you can't drive. Does anyone know?

Anyway, we all heal differently, and I shouldn't feel wimpy I'm still on pain meds.... but I'm an athlete, and I've run marathons (26.2 miles), raced in 1/2 Ironmans (triathlon) (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run.), I've sprinted 5K (3.1 miles) races and placed in my age group.... so I figured if I can handle the pain an athlete goes through during these types of races and the trainign involved, I should be able to handle this post-surgery pain easily. So, that is why I don't know why I am still on pain meds and I don't understand why my pain tolerance is not high now, but obviously, major surgery and removing organs is MUCH different than atletic events!

:-)

Take care everyone!!!

Loves to Run, My Dr. told me i could drive as soon as I was off the pain meds during the day. And dont feel whimpy about still being on pain meds at all! I cant stand the way they make me feel, groggy and loopy.. and very constipated, so im using as little as i can. But as a result, im not as mobile as a lot of you are.. a trade off but one Im okay with.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by PattieO Paula: No one (including DH) should tell you where you should be at any point. I myself did much better in 1 wk post op than last week. I was in a lot of pain, went back on Ibuprofen 800 and took stool softeners again so I woulnd't have to strain. I think at week 2 - 3 alot of the nerves are coming back and this seemed to add to my pain level. I had planned on having company this weekend and had to call them and beg off for a few more weeks. Don't feel like you have to entertain anyone and above all don't do more than you feel comfortable with or you will have repercussions. Good luck Pattie

BRAVO! PattieO

No one especially a man should be dictating advice on a womens body. this is why I love my doctor so much, HE has asked ME what I feel I need, want and will give me anything I ask for... I am going to start PT this coming wednesday right before my 3 wk mark, I want some slow massaging and get input on on how best to move.
I gave up percocet a week ago and even though I can get more, I opted for my doc's recomendation of vicodin/tylenol, I also still take the rx 600mg of ibuprofen and stool softeners.

Ladies I am a bit further out than you (almost 6 wks from TVH w/rectocle repair) and I just stopped this past week taking my Darvecet at night for bed. I didn't need it during the day but by 4-5PM my lower back and pelvic area ached badly. Also part of it was me not wanted to jinx the fact that I was getting a good night sleep if I took it. I think you need to get to a point where your pain is tolarable and you know that you can make it on tylenol/mortine if you need it. Until you are at that point I think you are setting your self up to be dissappointed. We had major surgery and they cut lots of nerves. Around 3 wks everything starts working on reconnecting and you get alot of twinges/aching and pain. We should not be made to feel bad if we need the meds. Now if you are taking them to be in lala land that is a different story:-)

Hang in there - listen to your body - take the meds when you need then or premptively if you know you over did it and will pay later!!

just remember that after a few days post op the source of pain goes from cutting/injured tissue to inflammatory pain and ibuprofen is actually more effective on that inflammation...I found by about day 5 that narcotics (I tried dilaudid and vicodin es) did nothing for my pain so I tried 800mg of motrin and almost instantly feel better - sometimes docs just blindly give out narcotic pain relievers which do NOTHING for the naturally occuring inflamation that settles in for most of the healing process...just a thought. I think someone else on this thread mentioned they had taken ibuprofen between the percocet and felt better...ask your doc...uncontrolled pain at 12-15 days out might be a sign something needs to be looked at.