What's morphine make you feel like? Looking for suggestions for a better med.

I also had morphine in a patient controlled pump but it was gone within 24 hours. The nurses who monitored usage remarked that I didn't use much of it and within 24 hours of surgery, I wasn't using it at all, so they disconnected it at my request. (I HATED being hooked up to all the tubing so I was on a serious campaign to get myself unhooked ASAP.)

I can report that in the recovery room I was hooked up to it but I don't think the pump was working correctly since that was the only time I experienced real, serious pain.

They replaced the unit almost as soon as I was in my room and I found it worked very well to control pain. I actually didn't use it that much overall but I found it controlled pain very well.

I didn't notice many side effects but I was also generally very groggy from the anesthetic so I slept a lot the day of surgery and into the evening.

In fact, I was a bit disappointed since I expected to feel "something" from the morphine and I really didn't feel anything. I just recognized I wasn't in much pain.

Keep well,
IslandScribe

I am 2 weeks post op from my third surgery. I wa hooked up to a PCA pump with morphine with this last surgery and I didn't like it a bit.
I felt completely out of it most of the time and all I wanted to do was sleep.
The day after my surgery I was being checked on by a respiratory therapist and when she came to see me I was sleeping. She checked my oxygen stats and blood pressure and then called the emergency button. My oxygen stats was down to 32% and my blood pressure was something like 80/50. (My blood pressure is normally 127/78)
The morphine can make your breathing more shallow and that was what was happening to me.
Needless to say, I asked to be removed from the pump immediately. After that I received Torodol through my IV and I must say, I liked it better.
I had a clearer head and could monitor my pain better and best of all, I didn't scare anyone after that with my breathing and oxygen intake.

Everyone is different, this was just my experience.

Karen

I had morphine after my two c-sections. It made me feel loopy but good. After my hyst, I had toradol. I was falling asleep eating ice chips! LOL I would nod off as I was trying to get the spoon to my mouth. It was a great sight, I'm sure!

Odd woman out (or maybe just odd woman). I had delaudid (sp?) and it was administered to me in my IV by very attentive nurses who would come in periodically and have me rate my pain on a 1-10 scale and ask me if I had nausea (which they quickly doused with anti-nausea meds whenever that was relevant). It all suited me just fine. After the IV was out, they I had Percocet and Motrin, also just fine. Those people REALLY knew what they were doing.
Fro-yo

Hi! I did great on the morphine - no nausea, felt like myself only more calm & contented.

The problem happened when the IV started leaking into my arm and they removed it BEFORE obtaining the oral meds! By the time I got them, I had a buildup of pain that couldn't be managed for hours.

Before I sign up for any future surgery, I'm getting the pain pills *in my hand* first!

Good luck!
Merrie

I was also given morphine in a pump, but it made me nausious. They tried two different anti-nausia medications in my IV before they found something that worked. It took most of the pain away, but I didn't like the way it made me feel. In the middle of the night they took away the pump and gave me toradol pills. Toradol is a WONDERFUL drug. It took vertually all of the pain away, even the arthritis in my knees!!! I was walking up the halls that afternoon with a smile on my face, and not stumbling around! No nausia with Toradol either. I wish they could sell that stuff over the counter!

My TAH was 4 weeks yesterday, so the memories are still fresh.

One lesson I learned at the Castle is that while you don't want to be a pest, if something is not right, by all means, let the staff know. They'll work with you to make sure you receive good care.

Good luck.

Mary Ann

I had oral Toradol after surgery a few years back and it gave me horrible stomach pains. I found out a while back it is banned in a lot of Europe as it can ulcerate you pretty quickly. I guess some people can handle it well.

I think it depends on your pain medication tolerance also.Toredol does NOTHING for me.I went to the Er with a migrane and was given Toredol,Stadol,Demerol and another shot of Phenergan and was able to drive myself home.
Morphine makes me mellow and feeling pretty good.I had a Nurse once tell my hubby while I was in the Hospital for a REALLY BAD kidney infection, that within 5 minutes of her giving me Morphine that he would have to leave cause it would knock me out.LOL!!! I was up walking the halls with my hubby.
Go with what works for you and what your anestesioloist (sp) thinks is best.

Thanks for all the replies, it means so much to have a wealth of information to help me make the best decision for me. I don't normally do well on any drug, so I'll make sure that the dr's know that about me! Thanks again everyone!

Also to add to this or to my first reply...

I was nauseated but it had nothing to do with the morphine I was on, I did get the itchies but it was after I was off the morphine and it also had nothing to do with the Morphine they had me on Keflex and I am highly allergic to it and I found out I am allergic to Occlussive tape the clear tapes they use for IV's I broke out in hives wherever the tape was and I was itchy all over due to the Keflex which they switched me right away to Macrobid, this time I was on Morphine for 2 days, most the time they keep you on morphine the first day of surgery and take you off by the end of the day or by the next morning but I was kept on it two days because I was still in a lot of pain and I had more work done than what was planned and for the first 2 hours after surgrey they accidentally forgot to hook up the morphine and thought it was hooked up and I was in pain to the point I was crying my eyes out. Even if you get nauseated from the Morphine they have anti-nausea medications (Phenergan) to give you to get rid of that side effect as for itching they gave me Benadryl.

Everyone is different and so is how they handle pain medications like I can't tollerate Vicodin it makes me puke uncontrolably because I am very motion sensitive. Morphine just made me feel better. For what it is worth you can always try the Morphine if you don't like it have them switch you, you are in control just make sure you are very clear about what you want and relay it to your doctor so they can order the medication!