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  • Pain Medication

    Hey, I was also wondering if you guys could tell me what sort of medication they give for pain after surgery? Is there risk of dependency? Thank you
    27 Years Old
    Pre Surgery: 76 and 68 degrees
    Post Surgery: 15 degrees
    www.bentoutofshape.blogspot.com

  • #2
    I was sent home with vicodin and valium. I ended up begging to be taken off them after about a week and a half to two weeks at home- WAY too many miserable side effects (constipation, hot and cold flashes, and BIG mood swings that would happen in relation to taking another pill), and yes, there is a risk of dependency with continued use.
    I went from those to high doses of Ibuprofen. My pain was in control on 800 mg six times a day. Felt a lot better, and no chance of getting hooked on them.
    Blair

    Dec 15th, 2003 @ age of 20
    Posterior Fusion and CD Horizon instrumentation T2-L1.
    Surgery by Dr. Herkowitz- Beaumont Hospital of Royal Oak, Michigan
    Excellent correction of 52 degree single left thoracolumbar curve. Slight curve remains in unfused lumbar region but seems stable.
    February 5, 2005- Failed Scar Revision Surgery
    September 17, 2005- 2nd Failed Scar Revision.

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    • #3
      pain med

      Blair: I was worried about dependency too but my doctor did not allow me to take ibuprofen because they believe it interferes with the fusion.

      For revision surgery, which is more extensive that first time scoliosis surgery, I strongly suggest a pain management doctor for about the first 3 months.
      They have other tricks to reduce pain and eliminate the chance of addiction.

      At first, my pain doctor said I would need narcotics for 18 months because he had never worked with a revision patient before but I was off all narcotics by 3 months using other, very effective, alternative medications.

      Karen
      Original scoliosis surgery 1956 T-4 to L-2 ~100 degree thoracic (triple)curves at age 14. NO hardware-lost correction.
      Anterior/posterior revision T-4 to Sacrum in 2002, age 60, by Dr. Boachie-Adjei @Hospital for Special Surgery, NY = 50% correction

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      • #4
        pain meds

        I was on both dilaudid (hydromorphone) and a duragesic pain patch (fentenyl) (don't think I spelled that correctly). I did go through withdrawl both when reducing the dosage of the duragesic pain patch and when I got off of my pain meds completely. I sort of went cold turkey, even though I was told to keep taking the dilaudid. I had so little appetite b/c of the pain meds that I just wanted everything out of my system. I think everyone reacts differently though.
        Heather
        Surgery date: April 20, 2004
        Anterior/posterior surgery
        Fused T-11 to L-5
        Pre op lumbar curve: 70 degrees, thoracic curve: 42 degrees
        Post op lumbar curve: 19 degrees, thoracic curve: 18
        Surgeon: Dr. Boachie-Adjei
        Had successful pregnancy and birth 2 years post-op

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        • #5
          My son came home from the hospital with a prescription for tylenol with codeine and the suggestion to use benedryl if he had trouble sleeping, which he did for the first week. After he used up the tylenol with codeine (one week prescription) he used regular tylenol. I think after the second week he was pretty much pain medication free except for the occasional tylonel if he did too much too soon. He did continue with the benedryl for a while longer as it took a while for him to get back into a sleep routine.

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          • #6
            Medical Monie!

            Hey girl... saw your post here and had to add my two cents. I went home with two drugs, Norco and Flexeril. One for pain and the other for muscle spasms. Let me tell you - I am the exact person who would get hooked on drugs due to my addictive nature, but I never felt the need to take my meds when I wasn't in pain. Now I only take like one Norco a day, and that at night, so it doesn't interfere with my cognition during work hours. They initially gave me Valium, but believe it or not, it didn't do doodly-squat for my pain, so I tossed it in lieu of the Flexeril. Have faith in your doctor - he won't let you get hooked. After all, it takes a valid prescription to get the good stuff, and you won't be given a script after a few months when the doctor has determined that you should be done, and at that time, he'll give you something mild like Tylenol or something innocuous like that. Fear not! You are headed in the right direction and asking the right questions. Kat

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            • #7
              I was on Empracet(codeine med) for about a month, then reduced the amount and took a few Tylenol both with or without Codeine wich didn't help much so I quit all and didn't take anything except my sleep aid called Imovane(that I still take for pain and insomnia). Morphine and Demerol in the hospital didn't do anything for me.
              35 y/old female from Montreal, Canada
              Diagnosed with scoliosis(double major) at age 12, wore Boston brace 4 years at least 23 hours a day-curve progressed
              Surgery age 26 for 60 degree curve in Oct. 1997 by Dr.Max Aebi-fused T5 to L2
              Surgery age 28 for a hook removal in Feb. 1999 by Dr.Max Aebi-pain free for 5 years
              Surgery age 34 in Dec.2005 for broken rod replacement, bigger screws and crosslinks added and pseudarthrosis(non union) by Dr. Jean Ouellet

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              • #8
                Originally posted by monie
                Is there risk of dependency? Thank you
                opiates taken for the right reason, i.e. for pain, are very unlikely to cause dependency, so don't worry

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                • #9
                  I was on Vicodin for about three weeks after my surgery and then just went off it cold turkey to avoid addiction. I have noticed it can be hard to go to sleep at night w/o meds and thats where the struggle is. I would be careful of dependency-- even if it is for legitimate reasons (ie pain) I dont think it makes a difference to your body if it is taken recreationally or for pain- it is still an addictive chemical being introduced to your body.

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                  • #10
                    the experience of most people will be that it is easy to come of opiates if they were taken for the right reason, which is a good thing as most people during and following major surgery are pumped full with heroine (call it morphine, same thing) and fortunately none of them goes cold turkey after.

                    Even for longterm use, the evidence is that dependency isn't really a problem. There always will be exceptions though.....

                    gerbo

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                    • #11
                      I was told to try giving my daugther Tylenol PM when she had trouble sleeping. It seemed to help.

                      Mary Lou

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                      • #12
                        Mary Lou,

                        Your daughter is lucky. I tried Tylenol PM a few times and it had the opposite effect on me...it kept me up! We thought it was a fluke the first time, but after trying it again a few nights later and again a 3rd time a few weeks later, we realized that it was definitely the Tylenol PM that was keeping me up! I just stayed with extra strength Tylenol at night and now take it once or twice a day depending on my activity level.

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