Upcoming hysterectomy: First post op follow up?

My doctor had me schedule my first post-op visit for two weeks post op, but only prescribed pain medicine for 5 days if I take as much as the maximum allowed dose. I may not need that much, but what if I do? I can't exactly drive on over to the office for another one. The one I received is oxycodone 5mg, 1-2 tabs every 4 hours, max 12 per day. I already have a bit of tolerance to this since I have been taking up to 2 per day most days for months. I'm having a hard time taking only two per day right now since I can't take ibuprofen or naproxen until after surgery, but I won't take more bc I'm afraid I won't have enough for post op. She even told me to "ration them out." I'm not complaining about my dr, I love her, I am just so afraid of the recovery and being in a lot of pain. So I guess my question is, how many weeks post op do most ppl have their follow-up?

My first post-op is 2 weeks after surgery as well. I would think your dr could call in a refill if you need more for pain. If you are used to oxycodone maybe you could ask for something different that might be more effective for you?

Yes, you would just call the dr if you need more, but many people here did not take narcotics for more than a few days. I never had any, not even in the hospital, and was surprisingly pain free. My post op was also at 2 weeks.

I wouldn't worry, she's probably basing it on her expectation of the surgery. Some women don't need pain meds. I was taking hydrocodone before the surgery for dvt. Afterward, they gave me oxycodone after removing my dilaudid pump. I had a 1-week follow up and asked for another prescription. My dr also spoke to me about rationing them, but I was already working on tapering off. He knew what he had to do to get my uterus out (long vertical abdominal incision with much pulling), so he gave me another one. My PCP didn't necessarily agree, but she hadn't been there.

Doctors are more aware of the effect of pain on healing, so if I were you, I'd call the doctor to let her know my concerns and wait to see how I felt after the surgery. You might find you do not even need meds.

Sending hugs!

My dr was willing to call in a bit of a refill before my visit, most will at least once. I found i only used the max dose for a couple of days anyway, and though i worried waa never in danger of running out.

I'm in Ontario Canada and the doctors here are very strict when it comes to pain medication. At least mine are. After surgery my OB only gave me 30 pills of tramadol, less potent then Tylenol 3. Thankfully I was able to stop taking it 2 days after I got home and over the counter Tylenol extra strength did the trick. I have an abdominal hysterectomy bikini cut.

I am 2 weeks post op and still very sore and tender. I would love pain meds to take the edge off but no suck luck.

Good luck with your upcoming surgery.

Beware of oxycodone, it is highly addictive (contains stuff similar to heroine), hence doctor (good ones) rationing those meds.
Many sisters were on prescriptions painkillers for a few days and then downgraded to ibuprofen.
Also note that a lot of sisters have reported that the gas pain from the surgery is the worst, so you'll some gas x to help, painkillers won't help!

I got prescribed hydrocodone after surgery and I still have a bunch left I took it religiously the first two days every 4 hours. But now I just take Ibuprofen if i need it and take my hydro at bed time to help me sleep.

They are very strict here too with prescription pills due to the high rate of abuse in my area. I am very aware of the risk of becoming addicted, I see it a lot in my line of work (I'm an RN on an obstetric unit). Fortunately, I have never been one to become addicted to things and am able to take only for pain not pleasure! I have certainly never ran out of my prescriptions before it was time, even though the maximum of two is rarely adequate for a whole day considering it only works for 3-4 hours. So difficult right now when I can't take Ibuprofen or naproxen with it. She is not able to call in refills of controlled substances, it has to be picked up in the office (which I won't be able to drive to). I am hopeful that I won't need much and for only a few days post op, it's just so hard to fathom, knowing how much pain I am in now, that having things cut and burned inside of me would be less painful after just a couple of days. Her plan for my pain control post op is toradol with a couple doses of dilaudid available then Percocet. I hope I am just surprised by how good I feel. I will have to be careful not to overdo when I am home if I feel good.

Your last sentence about overdoing it was key. Where I live, doctors can no longer give refills or call in prescriptions without a visit. As I was tapering my dosage, I realized that the Percocet was masking how much I was really bending, turning, etc.