Mamahawk

I found out today I will need surgery. I have to see a plastic surgeon about having a part of my armpit cut out. Please God I pray to find a pain solution. Oh Lord I don't want any narcotics in my body. I don't want to wake up the demon. I'm so scared. I've cried myself sick. Does anyone have any advice for me?

Mamahawk

This is really my worst nightmare.

Mamahawk

My mom can't even face the fact I need surgery. She is is denial. She thinks it will get better by itself and I will be fine! She even went to the doc with me and heard it firsthand!

Dee74

I think fear of something happening before it happens is often the worst Mama.



Make sure your Dr describes what will happen - and make sure he/she knows about your addiction too.

I'm not sure whats involved so I can't speak to the pain,. but I've gotten through many painful things with ibuprofen (advil)

D

Mamahawk

Thanks Dee. As always, your words bring me comfort. I'm glad I have you.

Mairie

Hey Mama - I don't know you, but you don't just have Dee - you have ALL of us

purechaos

Mamahawk... tell your doctor your concerns every single one of them. Be 100% honest about your situation. .. I'm sure you're not the first person to go through this. It will be OK. You are incredibly strong.

Mamahawk

I'm going to tell all. I know it will be ok. I'm just scared.

Mamahawk

I've got 91 days and I don't want it to be for nothing!

ex D-Boy

Keep your head up hawk. Ive been lucky enough to never need pain medication since kicking dope many years ago but always fear that day will come when I have to handle it.

Keep us updated on how you handle this tough situation. I am rooting for you!

Mamahawk

I'm going to refuse any pain meds. I can't go back. I can survive this. People survive worse. I've made up my mind. Thank you all for the support. It's so important and helpful to me.

Tiredofdrugs

Hi Mama!

Congrat's on your 90+ days!

I'm so sorry to be reading of you needing to have surgery and what all is entailed for it.

Maybe there's a way to use a numbing cream on the surgical area to help with the pain after your surgery? Or some type of tube with a numbing solution you can push to keep the area numb? Like the dentist uses on our gums.

This too is a fear of mine! What to do for pain and not take pain meds for it. So I've really thought outside of the box on it.

Best wishes to ya!

TOD

Artful

Hey Mama Artful here ex dope fiend.
I've had 4major surgeries and I'll tell you right now your mind is playing tricks on you with fear. You will need pills and you will take them. You will learn that you value your
sobriety and serenity even MORE when you learn how to take meds as prescribed. Something I never even cared about learning to do ha ha ..
Eyes knows I know and thousands of others on SR know. You dont negate the process of being clean by acting like a wild animal ( a pig comes to mind) and eating pills every ten minutes. Everyone knows you have evolved so much allready. Ninety something days?
That doesn't dissapear cause you're looking at a bottle of your doc with refills.
You are running on fear right now cause its scary and the unknown is allways worse.
Surgeries are scary but drs and nurses deal with people like us every day and I can tell you they are caring and compassionate. You have a tolerance and or an addiction and they will work with you.
Stare down the fear girlfriend you have faced worse. It is time for Mamahawk to let go rest and heal.
Your pal
Art

Mamahawk

I've had three major surgeries so this just really scared me. All of them went wrong in some way. One of them badly. But like Dee said worrying won't fix it. I have to have faith that it will be OK.
Good points TOD.
Artful I really plan not to take narcotics.
My biggest fear is there is only one plastic surgeon here that does this. What if he refuses when I tell him I'm an addict?

Tiredofdrugs

Mama: Something to think about! Once we've been off our pain meds for awhile. It just isn't the same taking them again. And if you have to take them again? It won't require the amount of pills you were taking before. We will always have the memory of how good we feel off of them and how much more productive we are off them. So the battle of staying away from them will still be in that head of yours!

As Artful said: Surgery is a time of needing pain meds. And more than likely? The doctor will only give you a small amount of pills to take home. There won't be anymore after that.

As Dee said: Advil works really well too! That's one of the things I take daily!

I fully understand the fear of ever taking the pain meds again! You have your husband there to monitor the pills and to help you thru this period in your life! Your health is what matters now! Get thru this period in your life and then you can move past it all once the surgery is over with!

TOD

Dee74

There are a range of non narcotic and other kinds of pain relief treatments - I don;t know what would be suitable...only your Dr could say Mama...but it makes sense to me to investigate those before I went near my drug of choice again.

Noone should live in pain, but the idea that you can somehow learn to take your old drug of choice as directed just doesn't add up for me, or match the experiences I read here everyday.

D

Mamahawk

My plan is to go non narcotic. I can't take a Vicodin again. I'm going to tell the doctor everything. From how long I was addicted to how much I was taking at the end. Which as you know was A LOT. I know your tolerance drops and it doesn't take as much but my problem isn't with how much it will take, it's with waking up the demon. I understand and accept I will have pain. It will have to be controlled some other way or as best it can without Vicodin. I know y'all are thinking "wait until she is pain"...I will have to take it as it comes. As for now my resolve to do it without narcotics is strong. I know that will change when I am hurting but I know there are meds they can give me that will help me.

biminiblue

My most recent supervisor had ACL surgery. That's a pretty big knee surgery. She had a longish recovery - and she used non-narcotic prescription pain medication all the way through her recovery. She was able to work while using them - she also had substance abuse in her past.

You'll make it through this. Your surgeon will work with you.

Have faith. It is going to be okay. I know how hard you fought, and you won't have to go back there, okay?

Try some meditation today for the anxiety. It helps.

((eHug))

chicory

Mamahawk, rest your fears a bit. you will be ok!

It came to mind,,, if we women can do natural childbirth, we can take the discomfort of a surgery, while using non-narcotic meds for it

I did natural childbirth, the second and third time. It was the hardest thing, and very painful, but, mind over matter works!!! People scoff, but I nearly hypnotized myself, by saying to myself "It's an intense sensation, and I can bear this". It worked. our minds are more powerful than we know sometimes.

Can't say it wont be uncomfortable, but I think many things are more bearable than we think they will be, and on non narcotic meds, I bet YOU CAN DO THIS!

chicory

oops double post