The only time I ever needed pain med's (other than ibuprophen for fatigue) was after falling about
12 ft.' and trying to catch my 212 lb. body with my arm. Needless to say, I suffered the 'terrible triad" to my elbow, two broken ulnar shafts, and three fragmentations of the distal radius. I was a problem for them, due to all the injuries in the same arm at the same time. The course of time in the hospital was 11 days due to damaged tissue removal and drainage that ensued before sewing me back together. I was on morphine or oxycodone every 3 hours at the push of a nurses button until the very last minute before I was signing out and wheeling it on out the door. (I was offered and given a complimentary shot of morphine)
Immediately my prescript
ion was cut by 80%, on a Friday afternoon, so over the weekend I was entrusted to my experience of low-dosages of oxycodone and FIT TO BE TIED, but glad to be in my own bed again. The pain meds simply weren't enough...ne'ertheless I suffered through it at the same dosage.
I guess my experience in construction gave me a stronger threshold than if I had been accustomed to easier work. I used to run a sawmill (yes, I still have all my fingers) and other dangerous machinery, and frequently had to wait til the end of the day to remove my splinters at home.
I got off the necessary oxycodone after about
three months of therapy and have my medication reduced to librium for nerves and tramadol due to chronic pain from nerve damage caused by an exiting ulnar shaft through my skin, and "underlying tissue removal". Likewise, the instability of my elbow injuries (a lifelong after-effect of "the terrible triad", and the nagging woory about
the common osteo-necrosis thar comes later in life) cause much of the actual "pain", according to my daily activities. Having "osteo necrosis" to look forward to does not bode well for your anxiety levels either.
I have good extension in my arm now, due to doing my home therapy properly, and hardly anyone notices my large scars anyore, nor the skin graft added to the 10" incision from the operating room (added skin graft to accomodate permanent hardware holding my bones together)
When it comes to chronic pain, my experience is that people think you are "all fixed up", and especially do orthopedic surgeons: young people who are proud of their work and should be.
But nobody who has never suffered injuries or illnesses causing pain knows Jack Squat about
Bo Diddly what we go through from one day to the next, and my comaraderie with others who need pain meds legitimately yields expressions of wishfulness to never have to take pain meds at all. For most, it is just that...wishful thinking, and I personally despise fakers and recreational drug users. Their dealers should do many years in jail.
It seems to me that the medical field is becoming even less capable in telling the difference, while the recreational abusers and their dealers get more sympathy for their supposed "cultural disabilities" as if they are victims. They ruin things for everybody.
Post Edited (JackLegofAllTrades) : 7/27/2014 5:23:26 AM (GMT-6)