Woke up in agony....just tired of it all

No, if you have severe pain as you described toughing it out is not going to makew it better or make it go away. You treat the pain, whether its medication or whatever it takes to calm it down. Trying to ignore the pain will only lead to more and more pain it is a viscious cycle. In order to stop pain you must break the pain cycle first.

Hope you get to feeling better.

I agree with with straydog. Treat your pain. I tried to go without because I thought that I could just tough it out. Does not work that way. Pain gets away from you and ends up a lot worse. Can I ask what kind of abdominal pain you had that put you in the hospital?

Thanks so much, everyone, for your replies! I appreciate your input and your good wishes....it helps to get someone else's perspective on things. I have this really bad problem with brain fog anyway, and when I'm in severe pain my brain almost totally shuts down (at least it seems that way!).

I was ONLY thinking about pain pills when I started this post, but when straydog said "whatever it takes to calm it down" suddenly I remembered (DUH!!) that I had other options. And of course the rest of you reminded me of the same things....my TENS unit, hot packs or ice, etc., etc.....WHY is it so hard to think clearly?

I've had a talk with my husband and asked him to help me remember ALL of my options for pain relief when I'm really in trouble with pain....and I should make a list and tape it on the bathroom mirror!

I have fibro and other issues; feels like my IQ has dropped 30 points at least in the past 6 months.

I'm feeling a bit better today (used the TENS unit and some heat on my lower back).

Hydrangea, I've been having really severe pain in the right upper quadrant (RUQ) of the abdomen. I have autoimmune hepatitis and my gallbladder was removed in 1992, but it feels just like gallbladder pain; sharp RUQ pain radiating to the right shoulder. I was in the hospital 2 days last week because it became unbearable. They put me on morphine (which barely touched the pain), did multiple blood tests, an ultrasound and a CT scan and found nothing.

The current working theory is that it was "capsulitis"; the capsule is outer skin of the liver, and sometimes it can cause pain if the liver swells and stretches it a bit. I don't know why my liver would be swelling (!?), but they didn't seem to be too worried because my liver enzymes and other markers were OK.

Thanks again to all of you for your support and encouragement!
(((hugs)))
JoAnn

JoAnn, sometimes with the pain meds the effects tend to lessen after you have taken it for awhile. The Darvon is a relatively mild pain narcotic, of course everyone is different, but maybe if you could try taking it on a regular basis like over a 3 day weekend your body could have a chance to get used to it and the sleepiness would subside some. Then save the morphine for after your done working.

Ultram, generic is Tramadol, may be another option for you. It is non-narcotic pain med that helped me alot when I was working in a factory & no doctor would prescribe me narcotics because of my job. Some people do have side effects from it but I never noticed any. This also has an extended release form of it but there is no generic for it and can quite expensive.

Let your doctor know about the sleepiness and maybe between the two of you some other form of medication can be tried.

Thanks for the suggestions, Chutz and Jag! I have noticed that the Darvon doesn't really do very much for the pain anyway....I don't take anything unless the pain is pretty bad. Darvon mostly just makes me sleepy.

But you're right...I shouldn't wait until the pain is bad! I should anticipate and take something before it gets bad. That's been my problem; I haven't been doing that.

I've heard of Tramadol but thought that it might be a problem because it's metabolized in the liver? But I could ask my doctor....I know my son-in-law has taken Tramadol for his fibromyalgia pain and it did help him.

Chutz I relate to the driving issues (falling asleep), but when I told my doctor about my symptoms (falling asleep at the wheel, vertigo, double vision, blurry vision) she immediately told me I couldn't drive anymore and actually ratted me out to the DMV! So my license has been yanked! :(

My husband drives me to work now.

Thanks again!
(((hugs)))
JoAnn

Nasalady, Hope you get some relief soon. Sounds like you have a lot going on. I use the old stand by rice in a sock. Just put white rice in a tube sock and put in microwave. It works great.

I also had abdominal pain that I was hopitalized for a couple of years ago. It turned out to be crohns disease. i am in remission, but still had the pain, after pushing my doctors for more test.... they finally found a tumor in my bladder. So if the pain does not stop, make sure you push your doctors. you know you body better than anyone else. And one something is not right you know better that anyone.
Good Luck!!

Be sure to get a copy of the written MRI report. I say this because drs are famous for saying things like "no significant findings", when in fact something has shown up. It may not be a big problem, but the fact of the matter is it could develop into a bigger problem. Its always good to have a copy of your own medical records, never know when you may need them. You can obtain a copy of the MRI films & report from the facility you went to for it. Hope all turns out well.