Post-Op 3 Days - Allergic to Liquid Vicodin

Hi - I broke out with a vicious case of hives yesterday after taking the liquid vicodin and ended up getting an emergency dr's appt.

They also said that it could be a reaction to the lactose in the EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control shake I had.  I've always been sensitive to lactose, but this has taken it to a whole other level.

I wasn't able to find the liquid Tylenol at my local Wal-Mart or Walgreens (I saw in an earlier post that someone had seen it at those stores.

So, right now, I'm 3 days post-op with no pain meds and I've already gone back to work (albeit working from home).  My anxiety level is through the roof and I could really start crying with very little provocation. 

They told me to stop the vicodin, the liquid vitamins, and the sublingual b12, so right now, I'm taking Benadryl, Zyrtec, and Zantac for the hives.  I couldn't even get a methylprednisolone shot because I just had surgery.  I'm also concerned that I will have more issues with hair loss since they told me to stop the vitamins and B12.

Sorry to ramble...  Any suggestions for pain relief or am I just sh*t out of luck?

The good news is that at 3 days out, you are past the worst.  The liquid tylenol has been recalled (if memory serves me) so you might have to crush a tablet and take it in some yogurt or sf pudding.
I didn't need the tylenol after day three, so you might be ok.
Hair loss is pretty much inevitable and the vites won't stop it...it is caused by the anesthetic (general) and puts anywhere from 30-80% of your hair into dormant mode, where normally it is 1-2%...it will grow back...
Anxiety can really make pain worse so if you have some sort of tool you use to manage that (meditation, hypnosis, etc) try to work on that.  What does the Zantac do for hives???  I have times where I break out in hives for absolutely no apparent reason...I just take some benadryl.  I take allergy meds daily year round, and still break out from time to time...
Hope this resolves...but call your surgeon to be sure you are doing what you need to do.
Good luck...

Appreciate your response!  I am hoping I'm past the worst of the pain.

As far as the hives go, I've been managing those off and on for about 7 years now - ever since I had Stevens Johnson Syndrome in 2004.

The dermatologist that I saw a few years ago after a really bad bout of hives recommended that I try adding Zantac or Tagamet.  The basis for that was that, since standard antihistamines address H-1 receptors, the addition of H-2 blockers gives relief for some people as well.  I've found that to be true, even though for me it's trial and error to see what combo works (claritin+zantac+benadryl usually works best).

"Mast cells release 3 known types of histamine, H1, H2, H3. It is believed there are also H4 and H5 histamine. Skin has receptors at least for H1 and H2. Airways have receptors for H1, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract has receptors for H2, and the brain is believed to have H3
receptors.

The H1 drugs are those commonly thought of as antihistamines, such as Zyrtec, Benadryl, Claritin, Allegra, and Atarax. The H2's are normally thought of as ulcer medications, but are actually histamine 2 blockers. Zantac, Pepcid, Axid and Tagamet are the most common."

http://www.urticaria.thunderworksinc.com/pages/faq.htm#h1h2

http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/urticaria.htm l

 

good to know!

HI!!! My hubby is 2days post-op today. The dr. order his Stadol nasal spray, but he didn't take it because I had a bad experience with it. Some ppl say it is wonderful. He is takeing liquid Loratab.  I had a hard time finding liquid tylenol, so I went to AMAZON. COM and found it there. I loaded up on it. Then went into Walmart and they had it on the shelf. You can also goto CVS (if you have that store where you live) they have the store brand of the liquid and it is just as good.

I sorry you are having so much pain and going thru soo much. Do you take anything for anxiety??
Oh, they also have my hubby on liquid motrin (4tsp when needed) Find out if you can take that to help.
I hope this helped a little. GOOD LUCK wiith your recovery.
Don't apologize for rambling, thats what the support is here for.

Lynn

Yes, this helps! Best wishes to your DH on his recovery.