@momweb, just read your recovery thread for first time today. My surgery was two days after yours.
I read with much interest your struggle with/for pain meds, specifically oxycodone. My experience was somewhat similar to yours. Although I was very reluctant to take the oxy offered me in the hospital, by the end of the first day - and a brutal DOUBLE session of physical therapy - I gladly took 10mg of oxy prior to each session I had to attend the second day. I have the same sensitivity as many here have stated - made my stomach upset, constipation, wobbly, etc. very uncomfortable.
The third day , while I was still in the hospital and still felt great pain despite the 10mg doses of oxy prior to PT, my husband asked my OS for a greater dose for me while he visited, as my pain was significantly uncontrolled at 10 mg.
Well I thought the surgeon, who everyone seems to think is a very kind and excellent person, looked at him as if he was trying to obtain heroin for me. He patiently explained why more oxy would be a very bad idea, but then left hurriedly. Getting my pain under control became an open question.
To confuse things further, I had a visit from the PA who told me “ not to be afraid of the oxycodone because it differed from oxycontin with the implication being that - because it exited the system in 4-6 hours, there was less chance of addiction.”
So I went home, like you, with a prescription for what appeared to be a decent amount of oxycodone, but at a dosage of 5-10mg every 4-6 hours, I quickly realized I’d be done in about a week. And I was armed with a paper in my “take home” portfolio warning me to NOT request a refill when my prescriptions leaving hospital for any narcotic pain relievers were exhausted.
I took the oxy for a few days, but it made me nauseous and extremely weepy. My therapist urged me to use the Tramadol I had from a previous surgery and the PA seemed to think that might be better for me instead of the oxy. However, it also made me a little tearful and very blue, without taking away the pain more than a little. Even with Tylenol!
So, I thought I would suck it up, do less harsh exercising and try to ride out the worst of the pain with Tylenol and the relief that Celebrex gave me. I concentrated instead on simple exercises and normal walking around the house. The home PT worked with me on this and never approached the horrid exercises forced on me in hospital. And my progress appears to be decent even through some pretty bad pain.
My emotional state this week was much better as a result of that decision but my pain - especially at night remains significant. But after all the narcotic turmoil I just don’t want to go back there. My home therapist was also much gentler and kinder than the Nazi therapists in the hospital; so she gave me hope I’d get through this week without the narcotic medicine but words cannot express n the middle of the night how relentless that pain can be.
To put icing on the cake, I was told today by my therapist to not get too attached to the relief I get from the Celebrex, as it has its own dangerous side effects and must get discontinued shortly . SIGH!!
Telling you this whole story because it’s obvious there is a real confusion and quite an inadequate plan - in general- for many surgeons in the US in dealing with controlling the pain of their patients after this surgery right now. Mixed signals are provided and even conflicting messages from all the members of the “team” in the whole area of medication. Similar mixed messages are present when we try to figure out how much and what type of therapy is optimum. The therapy message seems to vary by each therapist. Each one has his or her own private dictate as to what one should do to rehabilitate.
When we are already in a state of quite long and debilitating PAIN, too often the messages about therapy and pain control are so varied as to make us even more fearful of a “wrong” decision.
I know I am going on for too long already but the reason I trust the advice of people here is that we have all been through it. And frankly the confusing messages from a lot of professionals who have not “been there; done that” just aren’t quite as meaningful as the messages from the people on this forum who have gone through - or are still going through- the same issues as I am.
So I hear all the opinions - from everyone - but I usually give this forums' members ideas more weight because I know they have gone through the same thing as me.
But the current state of there being all kinds of opinions among professional medical staff about the best route to recovery - whether the question be which therapy or what drugs or even whether to use a CPM for ROM - is just frustrating.
Best of luck to you momweb, enjoy your little trip. You’ve earned it!- Kathy
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United States
