First post-op follow up at 8 weeks

[debbei]

Jen,

You know I'm over the moon for you, but I just had to say it again

Just check with your pharmacist or doc before you start cutting pills in half - esp. with time release ones, breaking them can release a large amount of the med into your system quickly. Many tablets are fine to cut, but it pays to just be careful if you want to try things this way.



Ed, I've missed so much around here so I'll have to backtrack your thread, but I really hope this gallbladder thing was the source of all your probs. Goodluck with the op!

Michelle's right--if you cut the time-released oxy pills, you can overmedicate yourself. Thankfully it never occurred to me.

[titaniumed]

Jen

Oops, sorry I figured you call the Dr first on the pill cutting. Thx Michelle and Debbe for the alert.

No worries
Ed

[JenniferG]

Good on you Lynne, what a hero. I feel a long way from going back to work. I can barely fill in a form properly, I discovered yesterday!

Ed, like you, I had horrible problems with constipation. I was given laxatives daily, two enemas that did nothing along with a high fibre diet. Just as I was becoming desperate at 9 days, a friend brought in some Nulax. Do you have it in the US? It's based on dried fig, looks and tastes like dried fig and works within a few hours. But it's very harsh and I should tell you I thought I was going to die on that toilet. But I was so grateful at the same time! Good luck mate. Remember the Nulax if you really need to take the pain relief, oh and drink lots of pear juice, it's pretty good too, not as effective as the Nulax, but gentler. I'll be thinking of you Thursday.

Deb and Michelle. Fortunately my box of Oxycontin clearly states the pills are not to be bitten or cut. I Googled it and found out that if the coating is broken an overdose can be lethal. I also read that addicts do this, for a high. Lordy, there are some things I will never understand.

[JenniferG]

Oh and Debbei, that's a great idea about spreading out the pill-taking times! I'll do that for a week or so before I stop.

[debbei]

Oh and Debbei, that's a great idea about spreading out the pill-taking times! I'll do that for a week or so before I stop.

Jennifer,

when I was down to 2 pills, every dose I'd add more time SLOWLY so that over a week or so I went from 2x a day to 1x a day. And then the last time I took one was about a day and a half between doses so I finally SLOWLY lost all those terrible symptoms. In my case I couldn't cut any pills because they were capsules.

Keep us posted how it goes.