Pain management before surgery?!

Hello,

I was just wondering what those that are waiting for surgery and are in pain is taking to ease the pain to get through the day? I'm in pain everyday all day but i still go to work! I'm currently using Extra Strength Advil 2 tabs a day up to 4 tabs a day but no relief! I was also prescibed Naproxen and that is no use to me anymore! I just need other suggestions! I've also used Tylenol, Alieve and Extra Strength Tylenol for Arthritis... HELP!!!!

I too have been trying everything and it only gives little relief. I had a cortisone shot that lasted 1 1/2 weeks when I had no pain. I can't take ibuprophen since I was a kidney donor. I do ice sometimes it helps. Also when my whole leg hurts I see my massage therapist and it does help. I feel your pain. Our only hope is surgery

I have found that as my hip deteriorates, pain meds become less effective. I tend to use over-counter paracetamol and a TENS machine. When things are really bad, I reach for my perscription co-codamil (sp?). Problem with taking them is I need to take two for them to be any good, but they make me feel weird and interfere with my concentration and I'm not happy driving, so I tend to avoid taking them.


T-minus 72 Days 0 Hrs 18 Mins.....

Yes I took a good deal of prescription narcotic pain meds prior to my surgery's - all of them in fact. Call your Dr or a pain management Dr. if your's won't help you - there should always be someone willing to assist you - In my opinion life is to short to live in that kind of pain if something can be done about it or at least try...good luck
xoxo,
Linda.

Hi All

I'm due to have RTHR 22 May and I find that taking medication regularly (whether I feel I need it at that particular time or not) helps a lot. Both my GP and my physio advised me to do this. I take paracetemol 3 times a day, gabapentin (for nerve pain) 3 times a day and codeine at night.

Best wishes
Chris

Hi, I used to take co-codamol which knocked me out and diclofenic. My GP then gave me Tramadol and Naproxen. That was much better. Initially, the tramadol caused stomach upset then became better. However, the best for me was regular massages and seeing my personal trainer and doing my own exercises. I felt it helped stretch my muscles around my hip and leg so gave more room there. Sounds odd but the pain would reduce for a bit then as I walked throughout the day it began to hurt again. I know it is dependent on how much you can do and to be honest I didn't do loads but it all helped.
Stretches are great for the muscles around your hip.
Good luck.
Jyoti

What helped me the most 1st THR pre op was Yoga, ice, TENS and using walking aides. I used 2 crutches to keep weight off of the bad hip as much as possible. I know many OTC pain meds dont touch OA pain , so sometimes it helps to find alternatives to the meds.

How much longer til your surgery??

I also found that over the counter meds weren't enough for my pre surgery pain. Really, nothing did much for the pain when I was trying to walk on the joint. The resting pain and referred pain was eased by Percocet.

Tylenol did nothing for me; it never has for anything in the past either so it might be just me. Aleve/naprosyn or Advil/ibuprofen worked the best of anything. I hadn't thought it was doing anything at all, but when I had to stop it during the week before surgery, I noticed that the pain was much worse. So I guess it was helping me, although it was far from enough.

Using a cane helped me get around better and gave me something to lean on.

The last couple of months pre-surgery were pretty nasty with pain and I was quite drugged up a lot of the time. I got a handicapped parking sticker and kept my activity to a minimum--the more I tried to do, the worse I felt. It felt like I was in survival mode. I kept working, but it was an absolute struggle to get up and go there every day, but I had to do it. My job gave me a lot of special considerations, like flexing my hours, my supervisor helped me with my work here and there, decreased my workload somewhat, and it was still tough. I wasn't sleeping very well either and was tired all the time--I fell asleep at my desk a few times (yikes!). I had (and have) a wonderful boss and one time he just let me sleep for a while. They really did try to help me out as much as they could.

Unfortunately, though, the pain really isn't relieved until you get that awful joint out of there.

Good luck and hang in there.

Dorothy

Hello!

I'd suggest speaking with your doc/surgeon on ways to manage your pain. I have surgery in 2 weeks and have been taking Meloxicam (NSAID) and Vicodin (Hydrocodone/paracetamol) until doc just stopped the Meloxicam. I have to say that these two together did help my pain quite a bit. The thing about pain is that the worse it becomes, the smaller our worlds become and the slower time moves. It becomes very difficult to focus on anything else when pain is unmanageable. I hope you find some relief. Good luck!

See your pcp or a pain mgt. Specialist and try to get scripted some opiates like hydrocodone. If you get some, take as few as possible. The reason for this is because if your receptors are too used to narcotics, post op pain mgt. Will be more difficult.
I already go to pain mgt. And the only pre op concern the os had was that I was taking oxycodone. I weaned myself down to a minimum before surgery and it seemed to help.
Does this make sense Jo?

I keep forgetting that I have a tens unit. That might be good for my pain as well as waking up the numbness around my incision.

I am in the same boat as the rest of you! The pain is SO unbeliveably persistent and intense. Oh how i miss a full nights' sleep! I use the cane at work and am off the leg as much as possible when im home. If I could indulge in ice and massages 24/7, i would. In the meantime, I go to work and try to stay as positive as I can. I know this trial is only temporary. It's also comforting to know we're all in this together!

Truthfully, the only thing that really gets me through the night is an Ambien (low dosage, only 5mg). During the day, 1 - 2 or 3 50mg tramadol. Plus the occasional Vicodin. I have been avoiding getting a cane, but now, I'm having really annoying referred pain in my so-called "good" hip, and my knees. So I think I'll be looking at that, and getting my handicap parking permit sooner than later. Sigh. June 8, hurry hurry hurry!

Prior to my first hip surgery, Celebrex worked well for a long time. But once I was bone on bone, it wasn't as effective, although it did take the worst edge off. I supplemented with Tylenol occasionally, but mostly just waited it out.

With my other hip, I was managing well without anything until about a week ago. Now I'm back on Celebrex, with almost two months to go. It wouldn't be a big deal except I have a trip to Costa Rica planned just before surgery. I'm hoping the meds will keep me comfortable enough. Fingers crossed.

Haldox-I haven't been given a date as yet but hopefully sometime in June they say!

Bobslp- yeah, it does make sense what you're saying but i'm trying not take too many prescription drugs....i'm too scared of the side effects. i just want one thing that works! I was given Tylenol #2 which helped for a few days but now its useless on my pain!

Interesting note on Tramadol: it doesn't seem to help the pain as much as it changes how I feel about the pain. I am less annoyed, more able to go back to sleep after waking up to shift pressure off my hips, and in general more able to COPE with pain. As I've been doing some reading up lately, I've heard that Tramadol is sometimes prescribed for depression. I can see that! I often feel like it lifts my mood. Anyway, it does work for me and is the only alternative I see that I can take during the day while at work, etc., and still function pretty darn well. No dizziness or disassociation. My two cents!