Checking with your pm dr. and trying to get them together on post op pain is a great idea. When I had my last surgery, I was promised that my pain would be taken care of post op. However, that did not happen, as I was in a new hospital, new surgeon, and new hospitalist, all of whom had no idea about
my normal meds, let alone what it would take to control the post op pain. I guess they could not read, as we are all asked what are your daily meds, upon admission. Evidently post op in recovery, I began to scream, and carry on and my surgeon went out and told my friend waititng, that I needed to stop cursing at him. WELL< I did not know. What I found out later is they kept givin me versed, a hypnotic, instead of adequate pain meds. I woke up screaming from the placement of a knee revision with stems halfway up my leg to my thigh, and six inches into my calf. I had told them no blocks, as they never worked for me, but without my permission, evidently they put one in, that gave no pain relief. Eventually after SEVEN hours in the recovery unit, I was on a dilaudid pca, turned up enought after multiple IV pushes to get me to the room. The anesthisologist told me: "Do not worry, Ihave orderd enough breakthrough pain meds, and covered everything and you will not be in pain." NEVER SAW HIM AGAIN> AND no pain control . within two hours, I was begging my nurse for pain meds, and she told me: "YOU HAVE THE PUMP"< NOW remember I had not had my regular methadone, all day and they were givng me VERSED> Anyway, she was only conscerned that I could not move my foot. I finally screamed at her I WOULD IF I COULD> and she said you could right after surgery. WELL< then comes into play, that DA** block, they tried, It did not provide pain relief, but it sure as heck disabled me from moving the bottom of my leg, and foot. Imagine that nobody passed that info on. as because it was 8pm, everybody in recovery just wanted to dump me on the floor. I spend the majority of that night crying in pain. When the am nurse arrived, she bawled me out: YOU are a RN, you know that it is better to keep up with pain, and not let it get our of control, WHY did you not ask for pain control last night?" DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. She got a bolus of dilaudid, called my orthopod, got a days worth of meds, gave them all to me AT ONCE> WELL needless to say I slept for three hours, and then it was back to pain. PLUS , I was to be dismissed the next am. I lived four hours away. I was given one oxycontin to take home and 30 percocet. The percocet said to take every 4 hours. SO, in, one day, if I actually took two every four hours, twelve would be gone. and I was dismissed on a Friday. I tried to tell them that these would not last, and I would have to call and have a script
mailed, but nobod listened. SO, on Monday I called, and they promised to get me some in the mail, but I got that script
the next Sat., and my regular dr had tole me the surgeon would handle post op pain. SO, since I had used 2 three times a day, on Friday, Sat, and Sun. I had 12 or less for the entire week. IT WAS HELL
This is a reminder Please get it set up ahead of time. Promises do not mean alot. From now on I will always take meds with me, and NOT Tell the nurse. I am a Nurse, but it takes what it takes to survive.