Originally Posted by
likehappiness 
Lilotto. Honestly I would get a second opinion. If you truly needed the surgery then delaying it could cause you worse problems. And yes, anyone can get addicted to pain medication, however, using it as needed and only when needed probably won't go into full blown addiction. People get addicted by taking them excessively--even when they don't need them.
I just think that if you really do need the surgery then the smoking issue is second hand. The bigger problem is do you have a respiratory disorder? because of your smoking? If you aren't breathing...you aren't living and that's why some doctors worry about putting someone under for surgery. So...if you have COPD, asthma, sleep apnea or lower lung capacity then your doctor may be trying save you in a different way.
Hi guys,
I would like to respond to something
likehappiness said, which I have put in bold above.
While that statement is true, it doesn't take into account the people who get addicted by
taking them as prescribed, when they DO need them. I would never have believed that, until I became addicted to oxycodone after orthopedic surgery. I was
only prescribed 5 mg tablets to take every 3-4 hours, but I needed them longer than the 3 weeks the typical orthopedic surgery patient for my type of surgery needed to take, because I had complications postoperatively with delayed healing and concurrent severe osteoarthritis.
The trouble is, I grew to LIKE the feeling they gave me, in addition to killing the pain. I was sent to a pain management center, and the rest is history.
Eventually, I WAS taking more than prescribed, and that spiraled into an active addiction with the usual "aberrant" drug seeking behaviors.
I blame myself. Having said that, however, I really think that if I had been "called out" on my continued requests for pain meds in the beginning, I would have cut my use short. But NOBODY called me out on it, and even when I asked if I were addicted I was told I was not -- "Oh, no, you're just
DEPENDENT!"
I guess my point is this -- beware of opiates if you have a propensity to get addicted. If you've had alcohol "problems" in the past, beware of opiates now. It's a HUGE red flag, and people become cross addicted all the time before they know what hit them.
Having an awareness of the dangers of addiction can help some of us not to do it again. Anyone who thinks, "Oh no, not me, that could never happen to me" may be the most susceptible ones. I posted an article from the LA Times recently that cited fatalities from prescription drug abuse (opiates) have outpaced the numbers of traffic fatalities in our country. It's pretty scary.
Just be careful, and don't use opiates if you don't have to.
FT