Surgery, Pain Meds and Addiction
 

help!

i'm going in for surgery on my collarbone on 04 November. it's the 4th attempt to fix it, and i'm having the current metalwork removed, some sort of spandangly synthetic bone protein put in, and a refixation.

i'm 3 weeks sober, in AA and feeling great.

i usually have morphine on a Patient Controlled Analgesia machine directly after surgery to control what is, historically, a great deal of pain.

i severed a finger a few weeks ago and spent a week in hospital on morphine - i wasn't in AA then but was trying to quit and when i came out of hospital i was straight back to drinking again..

will the anaesthetist/surgeon work with me to make sure i don't go home with opioid pain meds? i've had tramadol in the past and liked it - so i don't want anything to jeopardise my recovery. will they think i'm a crazy person, or have they heard it all before and know how to deal with me?

any advice will be gratefully received!

I am having knee surgery next month and I have told my surgeon I don't want any pain med for outpatient. Its quit common. They will work with you just be honest with them.

Speak with your GP so when you go home you will already have the type you need, though it might be good to see how you feel. Maybe planning it will help !
Congratulations on the time.
John

That is so great that you are thinking ahead! Talking with your doc makes total sense. Also reach out to family/support friends around you who can help you monitor any medications that you need to take. I had my doctor put in my file that I'm a recovering addict and alcoholic.

Be upfront with your doctor about your history. Tell him/her you don't want to leave the hospital with a new addiction. Ask for something that's non addictive. All the best to you on your upcoming surgery. :hug:

be upfront with your sponsor and others in AA and keep in contact with them.

I'm on long term fentanyl for RSD. It's the only thing that works that doesn't trigger me. I don't feel much of anything except pain control, but without it I can't walk.

I read another SR post from someone with chronic pain that said "I didn't get sober to be crippled with pain the rest of my life". Amen to that.

As others have said, talk to your dr and I'm sure you will be able to work out a solution.

I am having a double hip replacement in November (hopefully, November 4th). Opiates were never my thing, but I did take them recreationally on occasion. I know that I have the potential to get hooked on anything, as my drug of choice has constantly shifted over the years. By being upfront with my surgeon about my addiction history, we have come up with a plan, along with the help of my family and sponsor.

I will be in the hospital 3-4 days after surgery where pain medicine will be necessary. The nurses will only distribute as prescribed and required. The hope is that once I leave the hospital and begin my rehab, that I will not need narcotics, and rely instead on NSAIDs. Only the surgeon can make the determination, based on the level of success of the surgery and recovery, if I need further pain management.

If that is the case, meds will be given directly to my mother, who will dispense to me only a few days at a time. Physical progress will be monitored closely by my PCP and my physical therapist. Mental progress will be monitored by my psychiatrist and sponsor.

I will be cut off as soon as possible, before any chance of dependency can form. I will share about it in meetings to hold myself accountable to the group and to my sponsor.

I am taking this seriously because I am not giving up my almost 7 months of sobriety for this. Only honesty to all parties involved and faith in my higher power will get me through this.

Best of luck to you!