Pain meds

Okay. Well I have them. I'm prepared at least.

My doc ordered dilaudid for IV and at my request tramadol for PO instead of norco. (I don't like the side effects from norco.) My doc wants us transitioned to pills soon after surgery, and before we go home. The dilaudid didn't do anything which I thought was weird, but the pain wasn't that bad. The tramadol took the edge off enough so I didn't ask her to switch me to anything else. By day 3 post-op, my unmedicated rheumatoid arthritis hurt more than the surgical site, and the tramadol was plenty.

Of course, most of my patients insist tramadol doesn't do anything for them, but it's better for my joint pain than norco, frankly.

Each person has different pain tolerance and response to the surgery. They'll likely try to get you off IV pain meds and onto oral before discharge, and likely the same thing your surgeon prescribed for at home. If it's not enough your doc should be able to address it and prescribe something different at discharge if needed.

Okay great. Just want to make sure. I think I have a pretty high tolerance to pain. I'm in pain most days anyway. Thank you.

That's weird that people feel that way about tramadol! It's definitely my pain killer of choice.

Well, I worked ER, so I was dealing with a lot of drug-seeking behavior. Most people have it in their heads that tramadol isn't as strong as norco/hydrocodone so it has to be a lesser pain killer.

I LOVE my tramadol. I don't take it often, but when my arthritis gets bad enough I can't sleep, it's the best pain killer I've tried for it. My rheumy is VERY happy that I'm satisified with tramadol, because it's not in the same restriction category as norco and is easier to prescribe. And has less issues with addiction/overdose. :)

Aaah, that makes sense about the ER/drug-seeking.

Tramadol has always been awesome for me, so I horde my extra pills like a dragon because I know there will always be another kidney stone. Because there is always another kidney stone. And I've learned the hard way that immediate pain management is the best plan.

My partner can't take it though because it totally dopes him up. Weird how we all react differently!

I even have a prescription of Tramadol for my dog. Works great for her when she needs it.

I had tylenol with codeine for pain post-op and it was fine. This was a very low pain surgery for me. (Unlike, say, kidney stones.)

Glad to hear that. Thanks so much.

I had Tylenol with hydrocodone, but I found that I really didn't need it much. Most of the bottle is left. I just took liquid Tylenol during the day and for 2-3 days, I took the Tylenol with hydrocodone at bedtime. You should be just fine with Tylenol with codeine as long as you're getting up and walking. Also, be sure to stay on top of gas...walking helps as does simethicone (chewable or GasX strips). They write you the scripts early so that in case there are any problems with your pharmacy getting them, they have time to order them. The dissolvable ondansetron they ordered me took a few days to get in.