Chino

After abstinence, have any had a surgical procedure that required opiates and how did you deal with that?

It's a question I've had for a while now. One day it dawned on me my recovering AD could need surgery for something and then what?

exjunky

You should inform your doctors that you've had an opiod dependency problem in the past. I predict they will then only give you opiates for a very brief time, or if possible, not at all.

if you take two or three doses of opiates you won't instantly get addicted all over again, but each subsequent dose will push you in that direction 100 times quicker than the average patient. For psychological reasons it might be best to avoid it entirely.

fluffyarmpit

thats a good question, i'm curious about that too, but with opiates not opoiods. Off topic, when I was doing a bunch of oxy I was always worried I'd get in a car wreck or get really hurt to where I'd need to be taken to the hospital, and since my tolerance was so high they wouldn't be able to stop the pain!

serenityqueen

I am a recovering addict/alcoholic and my doc was opiates. I took enormous amts. daily.

When I got clean, one of my fears was a situation like you're talking about. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus which cause a certain amt. of pain on a daily basis. There are some days where the pain is excruciating. I'm a single Mom of a son who is a full time college student. I have to work full time to pay the bills. I knew the moment I decided to get clean and sober, it meant never, ever taking another narcotic again in my life. The times I had some time built up clean and sober, the physical pain got so bad that I would have to use to get rid of at least some of the pain.

I am on a daily regimen of many different types of drugs in order to help control the RA and Lupus. These include anti inflamatories and steroids as well as some other types of meds. No, they don't kill the pain, but I have to ask myself if I would rather put up with some pain or would I want to take a pill or pills that have sucked me back into an eventual death many times before. I had to basically use some mind over matter and relaxation techniques to learn to basically ignore the pain.

When I had 14 months in Recovery, I blew my knee out. It was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. When I was using, I would have immediately went to the hospital, on a quest for a shot of Morphine or two and some scripts. I iced it, elevated it and gave it a few days to feel better. When it didn't, I broke down and went to the hospital. I told everyone I ran into, from the woman in registeration, the xray tech, the nurse, doctor, everyone that I was an addict and did not want any narcotic pain meds whatsoever. And what did the Dr. do? He sat in front of me and began writing me a script for Oxy's. I about freaked. I couldn't believe after I made it so clear that I was not there for drugs, he writes me one anyway. He told me there were times I had to take pain pills. I needed to find out what to do next, not get high! I'm proud to say that I did not even pick the script up off the table. I told the nurse to tear it up. I didn't want it. I called my family dr. the next day and she prescribed some non narcotic meds that worked just as well. That's the truth. I didn't need any narcotics. Sure, it hurt like hell, but there is nothing worth me taking the chance of getting that taste, that feeling in my body ever again.

Three days later, the ultimate test came my way. My Dad died. I was in one of the worst emotional pains I could ever be in, losing a Parent. I didn't use anything to numb that pain either.

I found even more strength in my Higher Power. I called upon God almost 24/7 throughout this.

I survived. And I'm all the more stronger for it.


God Bless & Thank God . . . Just for Today,
Judy

kari08

during my last surgery in october.. They did it with NO narcotics. They put a spinal epidural in and controlled my pain throu my spine.. was fantastic cause being cut open from breastbone to pubic bone.. I was up and walking that night. The only trouble I had was getting used to the first day after they shut the pump off.. then they did tylenol q 6 hours then ibu 800 .. worked pretty good..just me thou.
Kari

exjunky

The difference is very technical. Opiates are either alkaloids (or their derivatives) of the opium poppy plant; opiods are any molecule which stimulates the same receptors therefore working like opiates. It's really 6 of one, half dozen of the other. You can almost use the terms interchangeably, at least as far as addict & recovery is concerned.

Sugah

I crushed my lower leg three months clean. Even without my other compounding pain issues, I don't know if it would have been humanly possible to go through it without opiates for pain. Did I begin to crave larger amounts than prescribed and that were necessary to control the pain? Yes. For me, to ingest anything of that sort is to kick of the "phenomenon of craving." Did I use more than was prescribed or for a longer period of time than was necessary? No.

How?

I surrounded myself with other people in recovery, I prayed my ass off, and I voiced my fears and my internal self-talk (from the committee that kept debating whether or not I needed more) to my sponsor and others. In other words, I did my best to stay honest, and before I gave in to the temptation to be dishonest, I said it out loud for accountability. I took six months to heal, but I was on pain meds for less than three weeks.

Oh, that, and I never, not once, had control of my own meds. I gave them to someone I trusted who would not, no matter how much I begged, give me more than was prescribed.

If someone wants recovery more than anything and is willing to go to any lengths to ensure that a relapse doesn't happen, then it won't. Regardless.

Peace & Love,
Sugah

Latte

I don't think about it other than to have a plan in place.

The local hospitals all know that I am an addict, my doctors do also.

If I needed emergency surgery I would have to trust that the doctors would do their best to honor my wishes of sobriety.

fluffyarmpit

yo I sent you a PM, respond when you get some time! thanks.

TiredMama

I am glad this was posted because in a couple of weeks, I am about to face this beast head on.

I am scheduled for c-section surgery to have my 2nd child. Regardless of how I have her, I will be faced with being given opiates for pain. My first child was 12 pounds and I had her naturally, so I was being fed percocet's like there was no tomorrow. Suprisingly, the problem didn't manifest itself with that, I had severe PPD which triggered a relapse.

With c section surgery, it is a little different. They told me that I would have a pump. I have thought about it and I have guessed that maybe I should ask to have it removed and do some different alternatives. Although my doc has offered 3 percocet rx's so far duing my pregnancy, I have refused. Why stop now?

I have to just do it one day at a time in the hospital and fight like crazy after I am released.

Thank you for adding this post.

Chino

Thank you for all your responses.

My daughter is 20 and will be needing oral surgery to remove all four wisdom teeth ASAP. She's on suboxone right now and her psychiatrist will oversee her pain management instead of the oral surgeon. But there might come a day when she's no longer on suboxone and will need to face this head on. That's what got me thinking about it.

I've suggested she may need a pain management specialist at some point in her life, and I'm going to ask her doc if he might bring up this subject with her. It may go in one ear and out the other (she is 20 after all), but at least it will be discussed. And I can step away.

TiredMama, I will be praying for you.

exjunky

I guess the cops know you by name too, huh?

Sorry -- not making fun of you, just that I can relate to the situation.

exjunky

Hey here's some good news.

Here's a big secret.... it doesn't hurt that much. It feels WEIRD after the surgery, getting used to those holes in your head takes some time, but on the pain scale it's really no biggie. I'd call it uncomfortable rather than painful. I had it done when I was maybe 16 or 17, I received a few little white pills (percodan I guess?) for the pain management which I ended up selling to a friend. So you know I wasn't in any pain at all really, I just was enjoying the excessive ice cream.

Chino

Two of my wisdom teeth required oral surgery and it was pretty easy for me, too. I was 18 at the time. I took the pain killers, for the actual pain, all of one day. I took them another day for the high then put them away for a rainy day. They ended up expiring.

My daughters DOC was dilaudid but she's far enough past using she won't require excessive amounts to deal with pain -- if at all. When she first went to see the oral surgeon she had just started suboxone so it was a different story. At that time she was freaking out, worried about pain. Now, she says she's going to try ibuprofen

exjunky

My D.O.C. was also dilaudid, and listen, if she's on the suboxone (and I see no reason to stop taking it for the oral surgery) then she isn't going to be able to feel any pain killers anyhow, suboxone is an opiate-blocker. If she was actually going to be in serious pain this would be a much more troublesome issue but I think this situation just calls for sucking it up. The ice cream that is. ;-)

Chino

Her doctor let her know she has to go off suboxone three days prior to surgery if she's going to use pain killers. If she chooses not to, but changes her mind after surgery, she'll have to wait those three days before using them. At the point, there is no point except to get high.

I'm with you on sucking it up. Hopefully she continues to think that way, too!

TiredMama

You know, I remember the wisdom tooth surgery not hurting so bad either. It was mostly swelling and yuckiness. I did mine long ago and I had to use guaze, lots of it. I don't remember it actually "hurting" like crazy though. Maybe she won't have too much pain and this not even be an issue. That'll be great

TiredMama

Thanks

Maybe this will all just be not so bad after all. Maybe she can get through it without the pain meds. That'll be great if she can!!

Latte

The police don't know me by name but I've had it put in my hospital file and it comes up every time I go in. I'm so seldom in there anymore though.

I'm not insulted at all. Now call my kids names and we'd have a fight going on.

Lily

I too had my wisdom teeth pulled at 17 and I remember the swollen cheeks and the gross taste and holes in my mouth, but not the pain.

Now childbirth I didn't need anything, but pancreatitis was another story for me....after I had an ERCP I needed a pump for like 3 days....

I am not going to worry about the whole "what drug I might need" I am gonna stay in today. I guess if it comes up and I need something I will have total accountablity between my husband, sponsor, etc.....

I will pray for your daughter to stay on the straight and narrow. Sheila