shirlygirly

Well, it's been a while since I posted and I figured this would be a good time to touch base. Long story short, I had all four wisdom teeth removed on Friday, July 1st. Two were impacted and very close to the nerves. At my pre-op appointment I was very clear with both of the surgeons that I was in recovery and did not want narcotic meds. I was told that one of my teeth in particular would require pain management beyond Ibuprofen and that they wouldn't let me leave without a prescription. I talked to my sponsor, my family, my fiance...everyone. We made a plan for how I would handle taking the medication.

So I went in for surgery. The day of, both before and after surgery, I was clear again that I was in recovery and told them I had worked out a plan with my family and my sponsor if I were to need meds. They said I needed meds. They prescribed me an antibiotic, Ibuprofen 600, and Vicodin, as they had a "very, very difficult time" taking out my lower right tooth. My recovery the first two days were as I expected. I was very swollen and extremely sore. I ate like 45 gallons of ice cream. I took the pain medication as prescribed for a couple of days. By the third day I started getting sick (migraines, nausea, etc.) and moody (anxious, irritable) from the Vicodin, so I had to stop taking it. From there I just stuck to the Ibuprofen and the antibiotic.

On day four I was in the most excruciating pain I had ever experienced and called the surgeon. He told me it was to be expected and said it would pass. Five days after surgery the pain had intensified so that my entire mouth was throbbing and it felt like a thousand pins were stabbing my gums where my gums and teeth meet. I demanded an appointment and the surgeon found nothing wrong. He explained to me, again, that they had a very, very tough time with my one tooth, and that I need to take something to manage the pain. Someone in my home group had suggested Tramadol, which I suggested to him, and he put me on that because it's supposed to be weaker and "less" addictive than the other pain meds. Again, I took this as prescribed and it seemed to dull the pain.

So fast forward until today...it's now the ninth night since my wisdom teeth were taken out and I'm in a hotel room traveling for work in EXCRUCIATING pain. My whole mouth is sore, throbbing, and that pins and needles feeling is constant. Though I can take the medication six times a day, I don't feel comfortable taking it more than three, which is how often I've been taking it since it was prescribed. When it wears off the pain is absolutely unbearable, but I'm totally terrified to take anything close to the recommended dose because I'm afraid I'll build a tolerance and feel like I need more.

So now I'm stuck traveling until next Thursday. I have a follow-up appointment with the dentist the next day. I've done everything I can to get the pain under control. I've been doing salt water rinses, peroxide rinses, using dental tools to gently remove any food from my wounds, etc. My sponsor is camping and doesn't have service for the weekend, so I've been checking in with sober friends and talking about what's going on. I've also been talking to my fiance, who is also in recovery.

I guess I'm just here to vent. I've been obsessing so much over this because I feel weak for "having" to take pain medication. I keep thinking, "Do I feel funny right now? Will I go through withdrawal when the pain stops and I stop taking these?" My anxiety was so high the other night that I was **I kid you not** researching whether I could overdose from Tramadol...by taking HALF the amount I was prescribed in one day. I spent like two hours at 2AM reading Tramadol overdose stories. It was insane.

At the end of the day I know it's all about my motives. I know for a fact that my motives are in no way to get high. I am looking for just the slightest bit of pain relief so I can sleep at night and go about my day in the morning. But why then, do I feel so freaking anxious? I guess I've just worked so freaking hard for these last three years and a few months that the thought of losing it all terrifies me. Any advice, support, or similar experiences would be a huge help right now until I can get to my next meeting. Thanks, guys.

<3
shirly

awuh1

I can relate sooo much to your situation. I'm having horrible pain right now in two teeth.

My experience is that pain medication is sometimes needed. If you take just enough to stop the pain (but no more than prescribed) then addiction is not an issue. It's when the drug is taken for motivations other than pain relief that a problem develops.

I hope you're better soon.

shirlygirly

Thanks, awuh! Man has this been physically and emotionally draining. I had a bone cut out of my arm a few years ago when I first got sober, but the pain from that surgery comes nowhere close to this. One thing my sponsor pointed out to me earlier this week was that NOT taking it as often as the doctor recommended and struggling through the pain was like me trying to take things into my own hands and manage it myself. She suggested taking it exactly as it was prescribed so I can get some relief while my body heals itself. For some reason I still can't get over that mental jump. Anyways, I'm so sorry to hear you're in a similar situation. Tooth pain is the worst and I hope you start to get some relief, too.

bluewaters

I agree that you need to take the pain meds as needed.

Did the surgeon ever actually see you after the surgery, or did you just call him?

You might have a condition called dry socket. If it has been 10 days, I would see a dentist asap. They pack the sockets with meds and it gives you instant relief.

Take care. I had 2 of mine pulled last April, one week after I stopped drinking!

shirlygirly

I went in for an emergency appointment on the fifth or sixth day after the surgery. I was positive he'd tell me I had dry socket and pack my tooth with the clove paste I'd read all about on the millions of dental forums I'd been on all week, but he took a look and said that it didn't look like I have dry socket or any other infection. He told me that my one tooth was a much bigger issue than they anticipated and it was expected that I'd be in a lot of pain as a result. Frankly, I feel like that's too vague of a response to get from a doctor. Anyway, I have an appointment with the lead surgeon (there were two) next Friday, since she's only in on Fridays. I'm also out of town, so I'm not sure if I should try to get an appointment with a random dentist here for a second opinion. I would do anything to wake up tomorrow in 1/4 of the pain I am in today!

bluewaters

O.K. If you went in on the 5th or 6th day after surgery, they would have noticed a dry socket.

I did the same thing as far as looking at the internet when I had mine pulled. It drove me insane. Stay away from those sites, get some rest, and take the meds as prescribed.

I hope you feel 100% better in the morning!

sugarbear1

I'm surprised they suggested ibuprofen instead of acetaminophen (Tylenol) since the Tylenol works better on tooth discomfort than the ibuprofen.

If you are still in pain, please get checked for an infection. I see you had checked for infection. This sounds like you might have had your nerve plucked.....literally. Time will heal you. Ask your doctor about Tylenol.

Always take medication as prescribed. Sometimes our body needs to be numb to heal.

I had 4 wisdom teeth out at once and had little pain. Root canal in sobriety and Tylenol as needed (barely needed).

Maybe find another dentist for your future visits!

Grungehead

I've had 2 heart surgeries, and before the first one I explained to them that I was in recovery and worried about becoming addicted to the pain medications. They explained to me how important it was to stay ahead of the game managing pain, because once it got out of hand it was very difficult to get it back under control. Therefore it was important early on to take the pain medication as prescribed even if I felt I didn't need it.

I didn't listen the first time around and ended up with complications that caused chronic pain (sternum didn't heal properly). I was on pain meds for over 3 months and sure enough I ended up physically addicted to them. After the 2nd surgery I let the doctors make the decisions and I was off all pain meds within a week of having the surgery.

My point is that even though it is wise to be cautious about taking pain medication, it's also wise to defer to our doctors and trust that they have our best interests at heart.

shirlygirly

Thank you all for the much needed support! I have major anxiety, so it's been hard to keep it under control while dealing with this. I'm still in moderate to severe pain this morning. I took the Tramadol and Ibuprofen at 7, but I'm going to try Tylenol with Ibuprofen instead during the next round to see if the Tylenol can step in to help. I think they put me on Ibuprofen to help the swelling, but it does nothing for my pain. I've been staying on top of keeping my mouth clean, but the pain just doesn't want to go away as a result. What a nightmare! Never did I think getting wisdom teeth pulled would turn into such an epic hassle. I'm trying to stick it out until my appointment on Friday since I'm traveling, and if it's still an issue then and they offer no help (again) I'm going to another surgeon to get a second opinion.

advbike

I wouldn't mess around with tooth pain. I agree that once you open the pain pathways it can become chronic. Tramadol does work better with Tylenol, in fact they offer it as a combination drug in SE Asia, where I took it for a knee injury last year. I also recommend taking the pain meds as prescribed, but then start tapering off as soon as you can. The issue with Tramadol is the tolerance builds when you use it for awhile (months) even a low dose. I had some difficulty myself.