Pain med absorption after RNY?

I had renal failure as well so it made it a little easier. I haven't been able to have NSAIDS for 16 years. Damn I miss advil.

For me it allowed me to use less and wean easier. I think when we explain our anatomy and limits with pain meds that its sometimes easier to get through to them. I'm only talking about pain meds for short term acute post surgery kind of pain. I get the script BEFORE surgery to make sure they do it right. My wife is also an excellent advocate if I'm not able. 

Thanks for your kind words.  I did speak with the PA in advance about pain meds.  I found the office was really helpful anticipating things, but after the surgery itself, they were not very responsive.  A busy office--I had to leave a message on the answering machine of the PA and hope she would call me back.  She did after many hours, and was obviously rushed and a little put out because of that.  I hope that this experience will help me be better aware of my needs next time I have some kind of surgery.

The state I live in has a huge problem with prescription opiate abuse and addiction.  I think it is rated highest in the country for this problem by some studies.  There is currently a HUGE public service ad campaign about it--legislation seeking to penalize docs for overprescribing--etc.  This creates an environment where it can be hard to get pain relief when you really need it.  In some offices, you are treated like an addict just for asking for relief.

You don't have to answer this if you don't want to Pokemom but are you in Florida?

I knew someone who was ordering real pain meds from an office in Florida through a website for crying out loud without ever seeing a doc.  That was back in the early 2000's though.

Not in Florida!  But I did live there for 6 mos on an internship in college, and I loved it. 

Happy to read your surgery is over and hoping your good mood will see you through the pain if a different drug doesn't help, either.  Here I have been telling people recovery after bowel obstruction surgery was the worst ever---never occurred to me until now it could have been lack of good pain management post-RNY.  Next time...

HAHA on the "next time."  I guess there always is a next time for some of us, right?

Also, thanks for your kind words.  My optimism has seen me through.  I remember having significant pain issues after RNY also--just amazing pain management issues for the first many hours.  But I got through those, so I knew the pain with this would also subside eventually. 

Wow I'm sorry you had a hard time with your recovery from bowel obstruction.  I had  bowel re-section due to narrowing of a huge part of my small intestine and the recovery was way easier than the pain I dealt with pre-op.  I left the hospital on Day 2 without any pain meds - I was so damn glad they fixed the problem. 

I've NEVER ever had pain like I had before they did the bowel surgery.  I was on Fentanyl and oral pain meds. It was easily worse than childbirth. I remember it started in Dec of 2014 and I couldn't get them to cut until May when I was on the verge of really losing my ****  My doc was concerned about it being scar tissue pain and was afraid if they opened me up I'd just have more scar tissue and more pain.  Thank God my surgeon got sick of me and cut me open.  What they found made all the pain make sense.

Just goes to show how unique we all really are doesn't it.  I'm hoping the OP can find her solution.  Untreated pain can drive people to horrible decisions.  (not saying that will happen in this case).

edited for crappy spelling, lol

Hi!  OP here!  I am doing pretty well and no horrible decisions in the works.  :-)

I really think pain is such an interesting topic, and so different from person to person.  I had a hysterectomy several years ago.  I should have had it done years before, but I was scared--I was scared of many things, including pain, but other stuff too.  So I dealt with horrible pain and other issues for many years.  Then:  the post-surgical pain from the hysterectomy was NOTHING in comparison to the pain I had been dealing with before.  I was off the pain meds almost immediately after that surgery.  Sometimes we endure things because we are afraid of the unknown.  I think WLS was like that too. 

Good morning!

I am not sure if you are in a hard cast or air cast?

I had (3) tendons repaired in my ankle back in November.

My doctor sent me home with Dilaudid for pain & Zofran (Ondansetron) for nausea.  I was pain free except for some burning pain.

What really helped me with the pain? 

Cryo boot-  It is a slip on boot that velcros closed and it has a long tube that attaches to a water cooler jug.  You fill the cooler with ice and water.  Open cooler spout.  You raise the cooler above your ankle level and the icy water fills the boot...  You leave it in for 20 minutes or you find the water getting warm... Close the spout while you are icing.  Open spout and you lower the cooler below ankle level and the boot drains... You allow the water to get icy cold and repeat... Raise the cooler and allow icy water to fill the Cryo boot and wait 20 minutes and drain it back into the cooler... Repeat  I would leave it on for 12 hours.

This will provide good pain control and decrease swelling!

I purchased it from a medical supply here in Ottawa, Canada...

Apparently it is a USA product... I paid $200 Canadian and with prescription was covered by my extended medical plan.

I also rented a knee scooter.... You rest your knee along a bench, hold onto handle bars and propel yourself with your good leg.

It help me get around the main floor of my house with ease and once I was able to get out of the house? It made mobility around grocery stores and mall easy. (You will need a tag along to push your cart. I rented this for (3) months and it only cost $55 a month and it was also covered under my extended medical plan.

I considered keeping it longer. Did all my shopping in half the time.

Google Cryo Boot & knee scooter and it will give you a better idea of what I am saying.

Surgery back to back was hard but just give it a bit a time and I promise it will get better.

Hope this helps

Take care 

Sandra   

Mahalo   

Wow, reading your solutions made me feel pain-free and I'm not even Pokemom.  My mother had a knee-scooter after bunion surgery on one foot.  When at home trying to answer a ringing landline telephone, I watched Mom put her good leg on the scooter bench and then hobble over to the phone using her surgery leg. We laughed so hard she couldn't hold a phone conversation.  Laughter is effective pain medication, too.