pain meds

[lyn]

It is 4 weeks today for my knee replacement and i still need pain pills, I take 3 a day of darvocet as it is all I can take that does not make me sick, I don't think it is very strong. Are others still on pain pills or I am I being a wuz. Like my son says suck it up , rub dirt on it and all is well, he is teasing of course. Lyn

 

[SusieSW]

Hi Lyn - My impression is that you're not at all unusual in needing some pain medication at only 4 weeks post-op. Have you had this discussion with your doctor? My doctor recommended Naprosen, but my stomach won't tolerate that. Medically trained co-workers have advised me to listen to my body and to manage pain proactively. That can include pain meds, exercise, icing. I would encourage you to speak to your doctor or doctor's nurse about what to expect with pain management (if you haven't already) - I suspect it would be reassuring.

Susan

 

[Josephine]

You kidding? If you said you were still taking them at 4 months would I still say that's fine!! Some people are taking them even longer than that. But 4 weeks is nothing. And Susie is quite correct. Don't wait until your are IN pain before you take them.

[Josephine slips into lecture mode!]
There are some facts about pain control. Think of pain as a spiked line similar to an ECG ...

If you take the meds at the blue arrow when the pain is minimal, then it has less pain receptors to subdue and is more effective more quickly. But if you wait till the red arrow, when the pain is peaking, then it takes much longer for the meds to get all those angry little nerve endings subdued!!

Therefore, watching the clock at taking the meds at the appointed hour should mean that you never reach that "I can't stand it anymore" point.

 

[lyn]

Thank you for response, I don't know why I am so concerned about everything for this surgery I had the other knee done 2 years ago and remember very little about pills and low energy. thank you again, Lyn

 

[edk]

I thought the interesting thing is I take 3 OTC Naproxen daily just to
get through the day (I'm 2 months to pre total knee) with an occasional
tylonol3 if I can't sleep through the night. So I see that as normal and
if you can get by on less than that post-op you're ahead.

 

[Bev55]

Like many others, I too have reacted badly to just about all pain medications taken and kind of look at them wondering each time it's time for the next lot. I've recently given up Tramadol - just one 50g tab a day seemed to be enough to make me quite ill - and have moved on to Panadeine. Am managing with minimal quantities - just two morning and evening. Pain in between is minimal. But if you stick with your theory Josephine, how on earth do you know when to stop taking them??

 

[Josephine]

Good point! Sorry about that! I think I overstated the "watch the clock" bit which would apply in the early days, of course. But there will come a point when the intervals between the initial pain breakthrough get longer and longer. So it will be 4 hours, then 5, then 6 and so on. After a few weeks I would be going more on the initial breakthrough than the clock!

 

[elcammeno]

Elcammeno again- Thanks for the encouragement everyone with your replys. Someone asked when I had my TKR. I had the surgery March 5. I'm on Tylanol 500 mg & I take 2 at a time 2 x a day. It only helps for a couple hrs. Darn!! I'm still sick to my stomach & am wondering since I got off of tramadol which I was on for a wk & I got sick from, is still making me sick, or if it is now the tylanol, or if it is the pain itself. I feel like I am on a roller coaster or merry-go-round. I really am so afraid of trying any more dr prescribed pain meds for fear of staying sick & then the pain is so bad at times. I feel like darned if I do & darned if I don't. Am so perplexed as to how to get through this. I feel so weak from all this. I'm thinking I need protein for strength but can't handle dairy products & meat yet with this upset stomach. Mabe I will try some peanut butter on toast. The pain in my knee feels like sandpaper rubbing against raw flesh to me & also such a tightness. Drives me insane. My other knee is suppose to have surgery after this heals, which I hope it does, but am terribly afraid going into that, beings I have found out now that I have such a sensitive stomach to pain meds.

 

[Skeet]

If it helps any, I'm at 19 weeks and I still take pain meds off and on.

 

[Jamie]

It is 4 weeks today for my knee replacement and i still need pain pills, I take 3 a day of darvocet as it is all I can take that does not make me sick, I don't think it is very strong. Are others still on pain pills or I am I being a wuz. Like my son says suck it up , rub dirt on it and all is well, he is teasing of course. Lyn

Lyn, I'm 8 weeks out and I took Darvoset for pain also. I was certainly taking a LOT more than you....2 at a time 4-5 times a day at 4 weeks out. So you are fine in my opinion! I got down to 2 pills 3 times a day at about 6 weeks and then decided to stop taking them completely as I was having trouble sleeping. I quit okay, but had "withdrawal" symptoms for about 5 days - sort of like the flu. But I think you should take your pain meds as long as you need them. Pain is counterproductive to your good recovery. And tell your family to CHILL....you are definitely NOT a wuss!!! I still take 1 Aleve a day most days for the inflammation that is still in my knee which causes swelling.

 

[dw6928]

Has any of your orthopedic surgeons prescribed Voltaren gel for your pain. It was recently approved by the FDA for osteoarthritic pain. It is a NSAID gel that you apply to the painful area (your knee) and it rids you of the pain w/o all of the stomach bleeding oral NSAIDs can cause. I have been using it for months and it works as advertised. There is another version (that I use) Solareze that is the same gel but stronger.

 

[jb94102]

They may be kidding about suck it up but its not a funny thing to go through and i feel for you im 8 weeks out and i sure had a rough time at first and im still taking pills when i need em so what your doing is normal ..... you have my Prayers and God bless you ...
JIM

 

[JenniferG]

Has any of your orthopedic surgeons prescribed Voltaren gel for your pain. It was recently approved by the FDA for osteoarthritic pain. It is a NSAID gel that you apply to the painful area (your knee) and it rids you of the pain w/o all of the stomach bleeding oral NSAIDs can cause. I have been using it for months and it works as advertised. There is another version (that I use) Solareze that is the same gel but stronger.

DW, is this for before or after TKR pain?

Being so new even if the doc prescibes it, half of insurances probably wont cover it. (OOOps, my synic is showing!)

 

[texassissy]

I too struggled with pain.. the pain meds were not particularly effective at the 4 hour intervals.. my dr had said take them 1 or 2 at a time.. so... my daughter, who is an RN and was Director of Hospice for 2 years.. told me.. to take 1 and 2 - 3 ours later take 1 more.. that helped tremendously.. it kept the pain meds on board for a longer period of time and it was much less upsetting to my stomach... but the biggest relief for me was when I could take ibuprophen.. I had not been able to do much in threapy because of break thru pain.. but again.. the daughter told me that ibuprophen is great for bone pain..(I did take them 4 at a time) and it worked much better than anything else..my attitude improved and my therapy was a roaring success..i know nothing is the same for everyone.. but getting off scrip meds was the best thing that happened to me after my surgery.. good luck... and 4 weeks 'aint nuttin honey'! hang in there... success it around the corner!
Blessings Linda

 

[dw6928]

DW, is this for before or after TKR pain?

Being so new even if the doc prescibes it, half of insurances probably wont cover it. (OOOps, my synic is showing!)

Oxford covers it here in NY. I am unclear what you mean about before or after.
Do you mean surgery? I have used it pre and post TKR with great results. It's on right now.

 

[Pattipoo]

I want some!.....

 

[beachcomber]

I see my rheumy on Wednesday and I am asking about it....

 

[dw6928]

and none of the side effects of things like Percocet or Vicodan.

 

[dw6928]

if you get a Rx from your doctor, make sure it is for 300gm (3 tubes). it is the same price from your insurance co. as the 50gm tube (learned this the hard way)

 

[Doug]

You wouldn't want to give me a gel that you could rub on for pain...I would get in so much trouble. It was bad enough when they gave me mace.
Imagine rubbing it around the rim of a glass.