Telling the surgeon about addiction

This is making my head spin and I need some feedback. I was addicted to Rx painkillers 12 years ago, went to treatment and relapsed after 7 years clean after I broke both of my arms and had to go back on codiene. I was being open with my M.D. 12 years ago while undergoing treatment for my addiction. She became very confrontational and upset that I was an addict. I dont like going to doctors anyway and she just blew me away. I have not told any of my doctors about the addiction since. Now I am reading in readers digest that you should tell your surgeon about any narcotic addiction if surgery is planed so they can be sure you are fully asleep during surgery due to the tolerance addicts may have. we may need additional anastesia. I have never had surgery before and this is very frightening. It is also very frightening telling a doctor I am an addict, I dont know what reaction I may get.  Help please! Thanks,  Kim B.

Kim- Are you addicted now?  If you are addicted now or within the past year or so I would definatly tell my surgeon. As for a Dr becoming confrontational and upset.....that is on her, not you.  You can only control your actions and reactions, not anyone else's. So what, she frowned upon you.  That is her issue, not yours.  You can't be afraid of what others think about you, it's how YOU think about yourself.  You have no control over how others view you, so don't worry about things you have no control over. Only my suggestion.  If i worried about what everyone thought about me, I'd be in a mental institution. Don't be afraid of being honest about yourself. Much luck- Liz

Thanks for the feedback.  No, not addicted now (but will always be an addict as we are taught). Have been clean several years now.  My hubby and daughter will keep a close eye on me with the pain killers , and that is good. I went to NA or AA 3 years daily as part of a diversion program and still go once in a while.  Again, thanks for the response. Kim B.

Yes, it is important to be totally honest with your surgeon.  You can simply say that you are in recovery.  Be honest and let them know of your concerns.  I was.  Prior to my surgery, I made a ton of AA meetings.  I spoke about my concerns at those meetings.  I stayed in touch with recovering people since, and am so grateful because I did not relapse.  I have been addicted to painkillers as well, so I relate totally.   If your surgeon is like mine it should not be the catastrophe you experienced previously.  You need to be honest to prevent a relapse.  Make meetings and share about your concern.  If you have a sponsor, stay in touch with her.  If you get flack from NA about your need for painkillers after the surgery, attend open AA meetings.   Post here as often as you need to.   Hugs, Trish

Hi Kim...   as Patricia stated I would tell your doctor.. and also ask him about what mentioned in this site..   it sounds like the perfect alternative to narcotics.. especially for us addicts. http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/pain/ Keep us posted.. and keep your head held high Rhonda

I have been hesitant to raise this issue with the surgeons I am planning on contacting (although I have been open about these issues with my PCP) because Isn't being an addict (or recovering addict) a reason that some folks get disqualifed? I had surgery some years ago when I was using and an anestheoligist (sp?) I met at a meeting told me it was important that the attending anestheoligist knew so that they could adjust dosages accurately.  I had quit a few months before specifically because of these concerns.

Hi,  Yes, I am also seeing websites that list addiction as a disqualification. This is another reason I too am hesitant to say anything. Did you let the anestheologist know about the addiction during your last surgery? How did the surgery / anestehia go?  I have never had any surgery before. I have been clean 12 years and am not too worried about becoming re-addicted as my daughter and husband will be watching me like a hawk with the pain meds (and this is good). I really dont wish to go back there. I still do not know what to do about this issue. If any of the doctors (surgeon, anestheologist or shrink) would ask about addictions I would certainly be open about it.  I was surprised it was not one of the questions in the 15 pages of papers I had to complete for the surgeon. I have not had my surgery consult yet. Still waiting on Pacificare to approve the consult. Thanks for your input,  Kim B.

I did let the Anesthesologist (boy did I mangle that spelling, let's just call him the 'sleep doc') know but it wasn't until the day of the surgery.  Everything worked out well with no problems.  I don't anticipate you'd having any problems anyways with 12 years clean.  My tolerances had been built up with my active use of alcohol which I only ceased a couple of months before surgery.  Amazingly I don't have a real problem with any pills, I still have Oxycontin in the medical cabinet from 2 plus years ago, however I can definitely not say the same for any vodka that I've encountered over that period.  It's great that you have the home support, if you have a problem/concern with the pain meds I would definitely mention it to your surgeon before he writes any scripts and he should know before he establishes your pain management program.  With 12 years clean I wouldn't be afraid of laying everything out.  Considering I currently count my time in months its a little more of a concern for me. 

Thanks so much for the reply. We have alcohol in the cabinet from about 5 years ago that my husbands employer gave us at Christmas, but I will not keep pain meds in the house, that would just not be good for me. Well, I get to fill out my 15 pages of paperwork again because the Dr. office lost them. I now have that paperwork to do plus another packet of papers they gave me to take to my consult appointment on Monday. I know what I will be doing this weekend!  Thanks again and take care. Kim B.