Caregiver - post op meds

[PAgrandma]

My husband, John's TKR surgery was just over two weeks ago. In general, I think he's doing quite well... but pain meds and side effects have been a concern.

He went two weeks on Oxycodone 5-325 - two every 4 hrs. Side effects - VERY dopy, no appetite. Pain was under control

He's now on Tramadol (no indication of strength on container but I'm guessing 50mg) - He's taking one or two every 6 hrs. Side effects- vertigo and constipation. Pain is under control.

He's had shortness of breath since surgery and don't know the cause. PT at rehabilitation center starts tomorrow and I'm hoping these side effects will not put a crimp in his progress.

From previous posts I've learned that he should take pain meds an hour before therapy. My question is.. which med? We have some of both. (and do those side effects ever go away?)

Thanks for your past and future help. Couldn't have got here without you!
Joyce

 

[NJLOU]

Welcome Grandma ,

alot of great people in this forum . I too had surgery in Pa . where did he have his?

Pains meds do make you kinda -of dopey and oh boy do they ever make us constipated but MOM(milk of magnesia) will help alot with that trust me i know (whew) lol

the shortness of breath i would tell you call the dr or go to the ER and get him checked out .

Our moderator and friend jo will answer you shortly i am more than sure on that . as well as the rest of my trusted family here in the forum

I hope and pray for all the best !!!!

NJLOU

 

[JudyS]

Hi Joyce
I am a hippy but recently had back surgery and issues with pain meds. I do not any experience with tramadol, but lots with percocet . Percocet makes me drowsy , sometimes. Constipation is a definate with any pain meds that I know of so stool softeners are a must.
I actually use one dose of Miralax every am in coffee, and 2 dulcolax stool softeners every evening. It works for me.
As far as which one to take. Are they both prescribed by the same doctor to be taken at the same time ? Or is it take one or the other?

As far as being short of breath. That could be a medical problem. Lack of stamina and being very tired is due to the major surgery he just had and will last quite a while. I was taking naps at least once a day early on.
Good Luck
We are ready for any questions
judy

 

[ship4]

I had no problem with my meds. I am allergic to the "new" medications based on codeine. I took dilaudid (hyrdomorphone) a very old drug along with Visteral a medication dealing with allergies. It also helped to relax me rather than being tense. I was very happy with those medications. Sorry I can't be of more help. I did take OTC generic stool sofeners and they worked just great. Definitely a must!
I hope he gets it straightened out.....
Best,
Crystal

 

[PAgrandma]

Hi NJLOU ~ We're in Chester County. And you?
I don't expect any reply from Jo for awhile... have been following her "procedure" for some time. She'll probably have questions for us to answer!

Judy ~ I do have Miralax and docusate sulfate in house. Visiting Nurse swears by the Miralax (as do I since my botched routine colonoscopy) My hard-headed husband (don't tell him I said that!) prefers laxatives or Fleet.

Both meds were not prescribed at the same time... just had Oxy left over from first Rx.

Thank you both for quick response
Joyce

 

[Sandy R]

After surgery, I took Vicoden. It did make me "dopey" or as my husband said "stupid". I had very little appetite but it controlled my pain. After a month, I split the Vicoden in half... it still helped with the pain but made me much less dopey. My appetite still wasn't great but I didn't mind at all... losing weight was an added plus!

At about 3 months, I started on Tramadol 50mg. Since my pain had lessened, Tramadol kept what pain I did have, under control. As long as I was taking pain meds, I had to be careful with constipation. Prunes helped along with an occasional stool softener. In my opinion Tramadol isn't going to help much when there's a lot of pain... especially when first beginning PT.

The vertigo and shortness of breath would worry me. Since you're husband had surgery a mere 2 weeks ago, and pain and meds are probably affecting his decision-making processes, you are your husband's advocate... and should probably call his doctor to let him know what's going on.

Good luck... Sandy

 

[calling_all_angels]

Hi Joyce,
Nice to hear from you. I wonder how things were going for YOU!! I know that taking care of a Hubby is not easy!! They can be just alittle hard headed! I too would be worried about the shortness of breath. Do you have a GP that you can call and ask about it?
And the pain meds do effect the appetite, and cause constipation plus they can make you dopey! But you should have him take the stronger pain meds be for PT. And then I really think you should talk to family GP about all of your Hubbys Side Affects. It surely won't hurt anything and it will put your mind to rest. Plus I bet if the Doc tell him he needs to xbrand to help with constipation he will take it because, it was not you who told him. LOL
Hang in there Joyce. It will get better (I think. LOL)
^i^

 

[CG'sknees]

I woke up last Sunday about an hour after going to sleep and couldn't catch my breath. This was very scary to me as this is what happened to my father when he had a heart attack in the middle of the night about 20 years ago. My husband drove me to ER and they put me immediately in EKG triage based only on my breath issue. The EKG ruled out any heart issue pretty quickly, but because of surgery 4 months ago, the doctor on duty called for lung x-ray and blood tests to rule out blood clots. That old DVT pest!

After 4 hours, and several re-tests, the doctor assured himself and me that all was OK. I guess my point is that shortness of breath is taken very seriously in the ER. Even if it turns out to probably just be an anxiety attack. I left hospital with a prescription for Xanax, and a referral for MRI if I felt that I needed additional assurance about any clots. The doctor said I was probably just having anxiety.

On a slight side note, I find that my body gets a huge anxious nervous feeling if I'm on-line too long. I've found this to be true for years, not a recent development. I had been on-line for several hours before bed last week, and I think that added to my mid-sleep panic attack.

 

[ship4]

You might want to ask the doctor about Visteril. I took this too. It also is a very old drug, a precursor to benedryl. It is a pain pill and a relaxer as well. Also fights allergies....
Best,
Crystal

 

[HopAlong]

One of the side effects of Percocet is shallow breathing. But shortness of breath is not something to take lightly, I would definitely see a doctor just in case.
Hop

 

[Jamie]

PAGrandma, I agree completely with the posts above!! If your husband continues to feel short of breath, get him to the doctor or an Emergency Room to be checked out - WHILE IT IS OCCURRING (that's why Emergency might be best).

You need to get him on stool softeners while he's taking pain pills. He needs something that can be taken daily for extended periods of time. It is NOT a good idea to use Fleet or laxatives like that. If you read the labels, I believe they would say they are for infrequent use only.

The most important thing with regard to his pain medication is whether or not the pain is adequately controlled. He can use whichever med he prefers, but be sure it does the job. If he was feeling "dopey" on the Oxycodone, maybe he doesn't realize that he needs to take more naps....that's the point of the pills in addition to pain control is to allow you to rest and heal. The vertigo would not be a good thing as he needs to be stable on his feet. There are MANY different types of pain meds, so you may need to contact the doctor and try another until he feels comfortable with one.

He is still VERY new to the recovery process at only 2 weeks out. He has lots of healing and PT to go. He will have good days and bad days. He may have trouble sleeping through the night and need to get up and walk around a little to exercise his knee and get sleepy again. Some people get restless leg (leg moves by itself or feels like you need to keep moving it). That is normal and can be helped with tonic water, heating pad on the lower back, or walking around the house (even at night).

Once he starts PT, be sure he ices and elevates upon return home. It is not unusual for his knee or leg to swell some after PT and this will help.

Please continue to post whenever you have concerns or questions. You know at least one or two people here will have probably been through the very same thing!

Hang in there and take good care of yourself too! Caregiving is hard work.

 

[PAgrandma]

A lot of good advice to absorb. I will read and re-read all of your advice and see our GP today to get things ironed out.
Trying to do the right thing is overwhelming... John's not the only one feeling "dopey".
Thanks for sharing and caring ~ Joyce

 

[Jamie]

PAGrandma........I'm sending you a GIANT Kansas HUG complete with cheery sunflowers

for the wonderful caregiving job you are doing.
It's hard work....definitely enough to make a good person feel "dopey" but we're ALWAYS here when you need to talk, or vent or whatever!

 

[PAgrandma]

Jamie,
The Sunflowers gave me my first "chuckle" in a long time !!!!!!!!!
Just loved 'em.
Those sunglasses are hilarious.
Gotta print that out and save it on our "jamie table"

PT therapy for John this morning was just OK... Nothing new that we didn't (or couldn't) already do at home. They did push him harder, but I can do that too. At $120 for 3x a week I can really learn to give him a shove! (I've managed to talk him into the stool softeners).

Don't have an appointment yet with the GP (next on my list) and that will come soon. I appreciate knowing that I can come on board and just vent.
The novelty of this situation has worn off... now, it's just hard work.
Joyce