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after surgery pain control.

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Posted 11/11/2014 11:11 PM (GMT 0)
I posted about this a couple of times, but I just got a call to go over medications to order after surgery. She went over them and the pain medication they prescribe is tramadol. I'm currently on Norco and morphine ER/IR. Am I WRONG to think that not going to be adequate pain control? Don't they do a pain iv or something. I am getting increasingly nervous about the pain(and I've had 4 kids...unmedicated). I'm so scared the surgeon is not going to be ok with the amount of meds I'm on. I have to get this done very soon and can go hunting for another one. My GP, who I get my meds from said she is going to talk with my surgeon and pain management at the hospital. Maybe I'm just super nervous and having anxiety because of the surgery, leaving my family for a few days, recovery with small children....etc.
Posted 11/11/2014 11:52 PM (GMT 0)
Wow, laurabelle! Just tramadol, or on top of your regular meds?

Tramadol is no way enough for post op! It's good for fibromyalgia, but not indicated for after surgery. I would definitely get this straightened out, call to talk to the doc, not a nurse. You should be on IV pain meds until you go home. Do you know how long that will be?

I don't get any relief at all from morphine (had it 3 times), but I love dilaudid IV post-op. Only thing about dilaudid is it's only barely good for 2 hours and if you are tolerant, which I'd bet on with the Norco, you'll need a decent dose. After one shoulder surgery I had I was given .2mg - no, not 2mg - every 20 minutes, and was screaming and ignored. I got to my own Norco and was able to get the pain down some. I was being kicked out since it was outpatient surgery. I would have gone right to the ER, but my ride had to get home urgently. I'm mentioning this because .2mg - 1mg is only for "opiate naive" patients. You'll need 2mg, like I do every 2 hours - not a doctor, but a frequent flyer to the surgical suite.

When you go home you might be expected to make do with just Norco, so make sure they are going to raise your dose unless you are already at the top. I don't know what to say in that case.

I hope you can get this straightened out.
Posted 11/12/2014 1:20 AM (GMT 0)
I was pretty much going to say the same thing. This situation seems to be so common, especially now. I was on dilaudid every 2 hours post op after major emergency abdominal surgery, but it really only lasted 1 hour. I had the option for PCA from the hospital's pain management group, but the night nurse said I'd fall asleep, miss a dose & wake up in worse pain. He swore to me he'd come in every 2 hours during the night, but it didn't happen. I just stared at the clock during the night & told myself ok, this is not going to be a picnic but you're gonna get thru this...
If you can discuss it with the doc who does your meds, I'd look into PCA. It also helps if you can have an advocate to speak for you while you're in the hospital as it can be difficult to communicate while you're all hooked up. Can you meet with your prescribing doc & surgeon to address your concerns?
Posted 11/12/2014 6:43 PM (GMT 0)
I never got in depth with my post-op care and I should have.  I was in such pain and they couldn't get it under control after neck surgery.  I screamed my head off for hours.  They gave me one Perc 5MG every 3 hours, it was horrible.  I.V pain meds go through your system in minutes.  Dilaudid lasted like 10-12 minutes and it was gone.

I would suggest having a deeper discussion rather than just saying OK to everything, I wish I had.

Posted 11/13/2014 11:46 AM (GMT 0)
Last surgery I had a dilaudid drip where I could press the button every six minutes. I'm not sure how much medicine was released each time I pressed the button, but that was a very good interval.
Posted 11/14/2014 4:30 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I talked to my doctor once again, and she said the surgeon called her to talk about my surgery and aftercare. I'm so happy they r on the same page now, and I don't have to be so anxious about this. Although I still am...because it is major surgery, and I'll be away from my family. But hopefully when it's all over I'll be able to enjoy life a bit more. I have other issues, but this hip is the biggest one.
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