Hi all, new here. Wi...

Hi all, new here. Wish I'd known this forum was here a year ago. I'll try to give you the short version of my concern: I had my rny 12/04. I developed some painful complications (mainly a severe wound infection at the G-tube site), and they kept me on the liquid lortab for much longer than a normal post op would need. The pain from that wound was excruciating. So, for a couple months, I took that stuff trying to combat the pain and to get the wound to heal (I had to pack it twice a day for what seemed like forever and the pain was unbearable). Then, when the wound was finally healing up, I would try to stop taking so much lortab. Every time I tried to stop, or even cut back, I would get "sick". Tremendous aches and pains among other things, and I merely thought my fibromyalgia was rearing it's ugly head. So, I went to my PCP and asked what should I do? She thought I should keep taking lortab in order to manage the pain and continue healing from the surgery and the complication until my fibro calmed down again. It must not have occured to her that I was actually experiencing withdrawls. I'd never had addiction to drugs of booze, so I didn't recognize it either. This turned into months and months or taking lortab. And every time I tried to tone it down, and take less, I would get "sick" again. Then I finally realized, that my "need" for lortab was not stemming from pain anymore, but that I must have developed a dependancy on it. I was stunned at this realization and afraid to tell anyone. I think in the back of my mind, I knew that I shouldn't be taking so much for a while there, and I didn't want to face dealing with it, so I just kept on taking it, thinking that I'd figure out what to do as time goes one. And in this meantime, I was losing weight big-time and my entire life was changing before my eyes. OK, I did finally face the dependancy, I got on a WONDERFUL addiction forum, and the people there helped me figure out a taper schedule so that I could begin tapering off the medication without going to the Dr. Cold turkey was too painful and I needed to get off this stuff before I ran completely out and they would not refill it. It took a while, and I did have withdrawls, but not as painful as if I did it cold turkey. The whole experience was very distressing. Fast forward to now..... I am getting ready to have a panniculectomy at the end of Sept. What am I going to do about the lortab issue? How am I going to take pain medicine without having trouble again? I am really worried about this, because I do NOT want to go back there and I really don't want it in my medical file that I had an addiction problem (that they caused). I'm just really conflicted with what to do here..... jean

Hi and welcome, The most important thing you can do is be totally honest with your doctors and tell them that you had some difficulty withdrawing off the lortab before, and that you will need help getting off it again. If there is a problem again, go to a hospital or rehab for help detoxing off the drugs. There is no shame in developing a physical dependency under your cir****tances. It has happened to people before. The shame comes from hiding it and not dealing with it honestly and getting medical professionals to help you get off it. I hope that makes sense. Hugs, Trish

Trish ia dead on with her advise. Just be sure you let them know what happened to you. It happens and hiding just adds to the problem. You will need pain meds so take them but by telling the Dr you have some accountability and will not be able to keep taking them long after the real need. You have nothing to be ashamed of if you just tell the truth. Laurie