How long on pain meds?

TVH was on 6/12, and I came home from the castle on 6/14. The first day at the hospital I was on IV-morpheine. After that, I was switched to Percocet (oral).

I have a high tolerance to the meds. I ran out of Percocet today, and started with Darvocet this evening. I am really unhappy because the Darvocet doesn't DO much for my pain. Anybody ever call their doc and ask for a stronger rx? Should I require something stronger at this point or is it all in my mind?

HELP! I am in pain!

Hi Robin. Everybody's tolerances to pain and pain meds are different. It's not unusual at 5 days post op to still have quite a bit of pain, and I would think your DR ought to be willing to help you manage it. Why don't you call and see? I can identify, because I have a very high tolerance to meds also, and ended up having to call and get another prescription. The only hesitation many DRs have is that many of the stronger pain meds can be constipating, and it's time for you to be getting things moving. Still, you shouldn't have to be in pain all the time. I would call the DR's office in the morning and see if they'll prescribe something more for you for a few days at least.
s,
-Linda

Dr.s hesitate in prescribing Narcotics for two reasons, one they are addictive. And two, they can and do, make your gut
"sleepy" and set you up for GI problems.
I was told that I could come home with Tylox(?) but I don't do well on codine and I was sent home with Demerol and Phenegrin.
I was given 20 and I tried really hard not to take them except for when things were bad.
I never used but a 1/4 of the prescription.
I had a really rough 1st weekend and I was started immediately on other things that would help with long term pain management
that was not addictive or hard on my GIsyst.
You might ask for another type of pain med to suppliment and
do a shift to something less hard on the system as you go along.

I didn't hesitate to call my DR for a refill when my Tylox ran out, however I'm 90miles away from the office and being a narcotic they aren't allowed to call it in over phone, or fax...I ask about that, they called in Vicodin, which I don't like, it makes me hyper. So I didn't take, but at my two week check up they refilled the Tylox, I was still in pain, I actually had overdone it and got a big lecture from my DR. But Kamie112 is right, there are many reasons they don't send home alot of narcotics for extended periods. My biggest problem was the constipation, after I got off the Tylox which I never used it all, My BM's went back to normal right away. But don't let the pain get ahead of you....call your DR.
Good luck...Trailblazer

I told them the morning after surgery to unhook the morphine drip, it made me sick. They switched me to Vicadin in the hospital, which I took 2 at a time with a glass of milk or food. They tend to upset the tummy, also.

I found when I went home that I only needed them for sleep, so they lasted quite awhile. In fact, at 15 days post-op, I still have some.

For me, it was easier to guage how much I could/should do and not do by how much pain I was in. The pain meds masked symptoms and made me want to do more than I should. I drove several days in a row (not on Vicadin, but on Tylenol3) at 1 week post-op, and regretted it. It set my recovery back a week being too active too soon. Maybe not the actual driving, but the walking, etc. while shopping, running errands.

Use your own judgement, but as others have posted, the pain meds are constipating. I never thought I would be soooo happy to have a painfree BM! DH thinks I am crazy.

I'd say call your doc......it is true that narcotics are constipating, but to counteract that, you should drink lots of water, take walks, eat fruits and veggies, and perhaps take stool softeners......but you shouldn't have to live in pain. I have a low pain tolerance, and when I ran out of Vicodin, I was upset, cuz I just figured I wouldn't be able to get more. I was worried about constipation too, as it is chronic for me anyway, pre-op even. I was about as far post-op as you, and decided to call.......and yes, they did give it to me. Just tell them the Darvocet is not helping! If you are not allergic to ibuprofen (advil), and are not taking aspirin, you can also take that, even while on narcotics..........I alternated advil and vicodin.(however, if taking vicodin, percocet, darvocet, tylenol#3 regularly, you shouldn't supplement with tylenol in between, as all those maeds already have tylenol in them).........in my case, I hit some pretty bad pain at 3 weeks, at which point I'd gone to taking vicodin only perhaps once a day if that..........Dr told me at that time to actually take it more regularly for the next 4-5 days, to get on top of the pain, in addition to my advil. He gave me another prescription with a refill. I am now 5 weeks, and have a whole bottle left......I take it only if I've been out a lot, and am very sore. As for addiction, of ocurse, we know narcotics can be addicting..........but if we take them prudently, we decrease that chance.

I agree that you should call your dr if you're still in that much pain. You may want to ask if you should take something with an antiinflammatory such as Motrin or Aleve in case the pain is caused by swelling. Sometimes that will help more than a narcotic. Also, try a heating pad and rest with your feet up.

Hope you feel better.

s