Pill addicted husband & surgery
 

Don't know what to do about this situation. Husband who has history of pain med abuse/addiction literally just got out of knee surgery. Estimated to be out 6-ish weeks. I'm terrified to give him the pain pills but realize he just got out of surgery. Got tramadol rx for the long run but any advice or past experiences shared would be nice. How long should I plan on giving him the norco? Two days? Three days? I've already cried because I'm terrified right now.

My daughter had knee surgery, and while pain meds weren't her DOC, I wasn't taking any chances. I kept them under lock and key, and only gave them to her for 2 days.

Thank you! That's my plan anyway, so I'm glad to hear others have done the same.

It depends on what kind of surgery he had and his surgeon can give both you and your husband an idea of what to expect. Did anyone inform the surgeon about the narcotic history?

Yes, I was practically the yapping chihuahua about it. I was advised nicely about it by several medical personnel. Pain pills two days tops. I feel better.

One of our members (Cynical One) posted an article in her blog titled "Prescription Drugs, Surgery and Relapse Prevention." I think the blog has been removed but these were the guidelines for the recovering addict:

1. Be sure your doctors take your addiction seriously, and it is advised the physician consult an Board Certified Addictionologist to select the appropriate anesthetic and mood-altering medication. (Your AH is past this step but it might be useful to others to read).
2. Have someone else monitor your medication use. (This is because addictive thinking and drug seeking behavior may be reactivated and could result in manipulation for more medication than is needed).
3. Recognize the risk of craving and impaired judgement. (Even the minimal dose could evoke withdrawal, agitation and confusion the addict may not be prepared for).
4. Prepare before surgery. Alert the sponsor and other recovering people to what is happening and ask for frequent visits while in the hospital and recuperating at home. Have closed meetings during hospital visiting hours. Plan to be actively involved in counseling and the Twelve Step program during convalescence, by telephone if necessary.
5. Get into counseling before surgery and make a commitment to at least 10 weeks of counseling after surgery with a certified addiction counselor.

These were the key points in the article. Maybe some of them will be useful. Good luck to you and to your husband.

A lot depends on how committed your husband is to maintaining his recovery. My son had kidney stones within the first year of his recovery and he relapsed after taking the first pain pill. The truth is that our addicts can get around any roadblocks we set in their way. I had the pills in my possession, but he found ways around that. They are very clever. I hope your husband will be honest with you and not try to abuse his medications.

My husband was in early recovery, broke his arm and had surgery in December. He later admitted after the first percocet (his DOC) his addiction was back in control. Sadly, he really kept struggling to fully surrender again but he did still go to meetings, talked to his sponsor and met with his therapist - who finally recommended he get the Vivitrol shot for 3 months while still working a program.

For him, he really likes the shot but feels like it's an "artificial recovery" and kind of feels like a failure because he needed help. I am not sure if that is his pride talking or his feelings about his efforts to work his program honestly.

I am not sharing this to scare you, others have done it successfully, my husband just couldn't.