
Originally Posted by
txmarinemom
Heya, Krysi ...
I tried pain mgmt for 4 years. We tried all the drugs ... everything from the Hydrocodones (Vicoprofen, Vidodin, Norco) to the Oxycodones (Oxycontin, Percocet, Percodan) to Duragesic patches to Methadone. We tried FJ injections, rhizotomies, Botox (10 shots into nickel sized knots - with no noticeable effect), etc., etc. Unfortunately, nothing we tried gave me any relief.
The downside to all that is I now have an incredibly high tolerance to pain meds, and my biggest fear a few weeks ago before surgery was how - or IF - they'd be able to manage my pain. I met with Anesthesiology pre-op to devise a fairly aggressive mgmt plan. You might consider this option to put your mind at ease.
You *can* actually withdrawal from one narcotic while on another - especially when the drugs are of different families. That said, just be upfront with Anesthesiology and they won't let that happen. A common pain mgmt approach after surgery is Dilaudid via PCA (self-admin pump), backed up by Percodan or Percocet (depending on your susceptibility), and perhaps Vicodin or Norco for breakthrough pain. The goal is normally to get you off the PCA by day 2 or 3.
Truly, the most prudent thing is to make sure your possible dependence on oxycodone - and fear of potential withdrawal - is noted so it doesn't become an issue after surgery. Try not to worry, hon ... this should be one of the easier things to address.
Regards,
Pam