Busted Shoulder, on meds - watch out for strange posts...

[WAYNO]

Already did the knee thing way too many times.

Next up, Monday morning I get my shoulder overhauled. As miserable as some of my knee surgeries have been, I've been warned that rotator cuff surgery can be equally uncomfortable.

So Monday, I'll also likely be well medicated for a while. And I'll only be able to hunt and peck on the keyboard with one hand. Funny thing about pain medication. My surgery was supposed to be last month, but it got postponed. So for the month I've had to wait, they sent me home with twenty Vicodin. Let's see...30 days/20 pills...Not much chance I'll get hooked. And I'm scared to use them up and not have any more. So, middle of the night, my shoulder wakes me up, and I've gotta kind've live with it.A little wine?


WAYNO.

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[The Heretic]

I know you know this - I hope - and that you weren't inferring it, but no alcohol with those pills.

Also, check for other drug interactions. I could not use some muscle relaxants with opiods.

 

[Joe13]

Already did the knee thing way too many times.

Next up, Monday morning I get my shoulder overhauled. As miserable as some of my knee surgeries have been, I've been warned that rotator cuff surgery can be equally uncomfortable.

So Monday, I'll also likely be well medicated for a while. And I'll only be able to hunt and peck on the keyboard with one hand. Funny thing about pain medication. My surgery was supposed to be last month, but it got postponed. So for the month I've had to wait, they sent me home with twenty Vicodin. Let's see...30 days/20 pills...Not much chance I'll get hooked. And I'm scared to use them up and not have any more. So, middle of the night, my shoulder wakes me up, and I've gotta kind've live with it.A little wine?


WAYNO.

Interesting, my pre op month I got a bottle of 20 pills also. I wonder if that is their "safe" number or just a coincidence.

Sorry to hear about the shoulder, looks like you will have a few of us close to the same boat so your in good company .

If the Vicodin isn't doing enough after surgery don't be shy about asking for something stronger. I've found that when I am getting loopy it is too much but when the pain is high I dont get loopy from the pain killers.

Now on with the strange posts!!

And best of luck with the surgery.

 

[The Heretic]

Ten to twenty is often the amount they go for, any more and you have to request a refill each time.

From a prepper POV - don't be shy about asking for a refill if the doctor says you will be in pain, even if you are not in that much pain. Just don't overdo it; act as though you are using the recommended dosage over a period of time and only for as long as you are supposed to be in pain, and act like you are tapering off.

The reason I say this is because these are handy pills to have later if you experience significant pain and can't make it to a doctor. I still have Vicodin prescriptions from oral surgery 10+ years ago, and I have about 15 oxycodone (Vicodin is oxy and tylenol) from when I had kidney stones (most significant pain I have ever had - feels like someone kicked you in your kidney's for an hour).

They are tending to give out the oxy without tylenol scripts more often now if tylenol won't help you (tylenol does nothing for kidney stones).

The tylenol was in no small part due to abuse and the FDA wanted them to add it so people wouldn't (in theory) abuse it because that much tylenol at the amounts abusers use, long term, would destroy your liver - like drug abusers care about that. Drug abusers used it anyway.

Problem was people in chronic pain with valid reasons to take it were also destroying their livers.

 

[billdeserthills]

Wow vicodin handed out for surgical patients, I hope that helps your pain, I know it wouldn't do much for mine

 

[The Heretic]

Wow vicodin handed out for surgical patients, I hope that helps your pain, I know it wouldn't do much for mine

Sometimes they give you something more powerful, but they often rely on the meds from the surgery persisting for a while, and for some surgeries they don't let you go home until you have healed to the point where you are not in so much pain that oxy won't work.

I know it didn't work for my kidney stones; I thought it was a pinched nerve (I have back injuries) and I took some I had on hand and it didn't help hardly at all. I went to the ER, not knowing what the pain was and they gave me a shot of some opiod, that didn't work, so they gave me a morphine IV for about an hour and then I was totally pain free (the first time in about 2 decades) for about 4 or five hours.

The first time I took Vicodin was for foot surgery - crushed my foot in a motorcycle accident - and I was loopy for several days. Took it every 4 hours. Nowadays, I barely notice it and I don't take it very often, certainly not enough to build up a tolerance - at least I would not think so (I think overall, in the last 20 years, I have taken maybe 20 to 30 oxycodone type pills - if that much - most of it after the surgery). Maybe it is because I only take one, maybe two and then don't take any more - maybe it takes a while to build up in my system and I never give it a chance to?

 

[Joe13]

Yea, straight oxy would be better then the mix - you can buy Tylenol over the counter if you need it.

 

[WAYNO]

I know you know this - I hope - and that you weren't inferring it, but no alcohol with those pills.

My inference was nothing more than a feeble attempt at a pun. A little wine? (Whine).

WAYNO.

 

[WAYNO]

Wow vicodin handed out for surgical patients, I hope that helps your pain, I know it wouldn't do much for mine

Doesn't do much for mine either, but eventually I hope it will help me sleep.

When I had my knee replaced, after 4-days in the hospital, they sent me home with a whole bag full of different narcotics. I did need them! I assume (hope) they will do the same after this surgery, especially since I wont be spending the night. I am also given the option of a local nerve block in addition to general anesthesia. That will give me a little time to get home before the pain starts.

WAYNO.

 

[Joe13]

They do Vicodin pre op because they don't want you too have a tolerance to pain killers when your post op because then they have to give you larger doses of the stuff afterwards.

If they don't give you at least Percocet then I would raise a stink before going home.

 

[Member 5605]

Welcome to the club.

Get the pump that stays with you for a couple of days; it's worth it. OnQ?

Worst part for me was the posts anesthesia headache that 2 oxys and 2 percoset couldn't get rid of. Talk about miserable.

Don't overdo it too fast and you will be fine.

 

[billdeserthills]

They do Vicodin pre op because they don't want you too have a tolerance to pain killers when your post op because then they have to give you larger doses of the stuff afterwards.

If they don't give you at least Percocet then I would raise a stink before going home.

When I had outpatient surgery on my knee, right before I was put under, my Dr told me they were going to give me percocet--I told him if I didn't get oxy 10's I wasn't gonna let him cut me.
I didn't sign up for all that pain, and a couple bottles of oxy has never caused me to become addicted.

 

[Joe13]

@WAYNO

Look around for some type of video game that you will enjoy - from solitaire on your phone if it will do apps to console or computer games.

I've found I mostly forget about my knee or body pain while playing something - much better then shows for me because my mind is actually working and not just soaking up info from the Tele.

Or, I do find the show my wife and I are watching together when we have a little time to kill keeps me interested in what's going to happen next and gives my hands a beak from the games.



If you don't have a handful of flexible ice packs then I'd try to get some so your never without ice when you need it (20 min on and then off sounds great but you need a fair amount of ice packs when after being out for 20 min, they take 2 hours to re freeze Much softer then ice in a ziplock and peas thaw too fast IMO.



One last thing I could think of, you might want to ask your doc about a script for Visteral - that's the one they told me to take with the Percocet because it amplifies the effects and I can take a lot less then without it. It's not a normal thing I gathered but it came from the doc brainstorming with the nurses still in the post op room (he had left for the night so wasn't able to get me more or heavier narcotics when I needed them). And it doesn't make me loopy like adding a beer to them - like I did as a younger dumber man.


The Percs I have are 8 hour and I'm taking 1-2 as needed so I just take 1 every 7 hours (adding a 2nd one in at bed time and as needed occasionally. As the first ones wearing off the 2nd is ramping up and I have found that helps a lot. I was watching the clock and getting squirmy after 6.5 hour in, or a little less, taking them on the 8 hour mark and the dealing with more pain for 60-90 minutes more until the new pill kicked in.


Was just trying to think of stuff that's been helping me. @Medic! may have some better ideas as he is in rehab for something in the shoulder and could probably give you some things to do or look out for - I just have to stay on the couch and not fall (again lol) while on crutches but I'm guessing you'll be on limited to no weight on an arm and he may have some better insight as to what you may be about to go thru in recovery.

 

[Medic!]

I had rotor cuff surgery and had my shoulder bone reshaped to remove bone spurs,and make more space in the joint for movement. This was June 16th.

They offered me pain meds months before surgery.
I declined there offer.

The first three days are the worst. But I didn't have a pain pump. I didn't want one.
I took pain pills for two weeks. Then went to a Motrin and Tylenol mix. With a lot of Ice.

They told me I would need the Pain Meds through my Physical Therapy over the next few months.
I declined. And made it just fine.

I don't like having a bunch of meds in me.
I was that way once. And it did me no good.

After the first week. I started walking again. 4-5 miles a day. It releases endorphins. And helps with pain. It also gets blood flow to the injured area to help with healing.

Started back lifting at the gym last week. Mon. Weds. Fri.
When I woke up Saturday morning. I didn't even need a Motrin.

 

[WAYNO]

Welcome to the club.

Get the pump that stays with you for a couple of days; it's worth it. OnQ?

Worst part for me was the posts anesthesia headache that 2 oxys and 2 percoset couldn't get rid of. Talk about miserable.

Don't overdo it too fast and you will be fine.

Speaking of "the pump"...They did offer a possibility, but it's not "the pump" that I would have thought of. To me, "the pump" is general morphine. What they offered, is leaving the nerve block port open, so I can continue the nerve block after surgery. I know nothing more of how that works.

WAYNO.

 

[Member 5605]

Speaking of "the pump"...They did offer a possibility, but it's not "the pump" that I would have thought of. To me, "the pump" is general morphine. What they offered, is leaving the nerve block port open, so i can continue the nerve block after surgery. I know nothing more of how that works.

WAYNO.

Yes, the nerve block is the way to go. Say yes to it.

Wife is a nurse and she has spent time in the surgery recovering wing and says that the attitude of those using OnQ pumps is much better. It gives all that time for healing prior to the pump wearing out. It's a little ball that is in a pouch you sling over your good shoulder or carry on your sling. When it's empty you go in and they remove it, typically there is xyz amount in and they know it will last abc days so you have an appointment to have it pulled prior to being totally gone. Simple in and out procedure.

You will also be sent with an ice pack machine that circulates ice water through a shoulder wrap to keep inflammation down. I have mine still, I'll probably end up using it again if my shoulder starts to be painful again.

Words of wisdom: if you have one of those, be prepared to have somebody take care of you while using it. We tried the frozen bottle method where you cycle in and out frozen bottles to keep water cold... yeah.. NO. Bags of ice. takes a couple minutes to swap the ice and water and while it may not last as long as frozen bottles the water stays colder longer.

I can still feel the relief on my shoulder thinking about having that cold wrap.

@WAYNO I edited this.

 

[WAYNO]

@WAYNO

Look around for some type of video game that you will enjoy - from solitaire on your phone if it will do apps to console or computer games.

If you don't have a handful of flexible ice packs then I'd try to get some so your never without ice when you need it (20 min on and then off sounds great but you need a fair amount of ice packs when after being out for 20 min, they take 2 hours to re freeze Much softer then ice in a ziplock and peas thaw too fast IMO.

Thanks.

I'd worry more about getting addicted to video games than narcotics. My boy is a gamer, and he truly has no life other than games. But that's a completely different topic. Seriously, I just don't have a game personality.

When I had my knee replaced, they gave me an ice pump, and it was very easy. Circulated water, cooled by frozen water bottles. All I would need is the part that would wrap over my shoulder. A knee pack wouldn't work very well. Don't know if they will give me one for my shoulder. This surgery is thru Kaiser. That's a first for me, and the Doctor/Patient relationship is close to zero. They don't talk to me about anything.

WAYNO.

 

[Joe13]

Damn, I've never even heard of these ice water pumps...

Never been offered one.

 

[2A2Dend]

As back-up, empty the water out of that ice pump. Refill and purge with Crown Royal to take off the edge

 

[ORYGUNHolsterCompany]

At least you and Joe13 can can keep each other company. BFF's even...