Sunday, July 15, 2012

Bourbon pain management

On Friday:
me: will I need any pain meds for this surgery?
doc: you should be able to manage the pain with extra strength tylenol
me: are you sure?
doe: oh yeah, you will feel some tightness and a little soreness but the tylenol should be fine.....
me: ok..... ??
Bullshit

The past 48 hours have been miserable and tylenol DID NOT manage the pain, AT ALL!
I took 8 pills before Wesley read to me on the label that more than 8 pills in a 24 hour period would cause severe liver damage. I took 8 pills in 8 hours! Great, 16 hours to go before I could take more?! Friday night I was finally in tears, so I turned to a much better solution, whiskey and herbal medicinals. Ahhhhh..... much better. And the bourbon goes down so nicely in this cup Meredith gave me :)

I don't know why in the world docs think you don't need pain meds when you have a 4 inch incision, a large chunk cut out of your body, and internal and external stitches in your back. I felt like I had a searing knife stabbing me in the back for the past 48 hours. Wait.... I did have a searing knife stab me in the back!
I have been a very unhappy girl this weekend, but good news is I woke up with no pain this morning, just the tightness and soreness the doc mentioned, and yes, this part is manageable with tylenol. I am having a hard time sitting and bending, no lifting, so yesterday I plopped myself on the sofa and watched movies all day.

Thanks so much to all of you for you comments and good wishes. I got behind on the responses, but read them all this morning and I really appreciate your concern.
Big hugs to all,
xoxo

16 comments:

smartcat said...

I'm glad to hear/read that things are better this morning.
The trick to managing pain (according to my doc and a nurse who specialized in pain management) is to take something as soon as you feel it, not wait until you can't think straight. If you start to ache again call your doctor immediately and demand he give you a scrip for something. No one should have to suffer in this day and age. Remember that we are all different. You are the only one who knows how much you are suffering.
I'll climb down off my hobby horse and send good thoughts and wished for a good day.....xxx...*s*

Michèle Hastings said...

I totally agree with smartcat. When John's cancer spread to his bones he was in excruciating pain. He was on a fentanyl patch that didn't help at all. Finally he went to a pain specialist. The specialist said that if you don't stop the pain right away the brain eventually takes over and continues to send the pain message even if the drugs are stopping it. He told us John should have been sent to him as soon as they knew he hand cancer in his bones... he wasn't sure if the drugs would do any good at that point. Luckily they switched him to methadone and he found some relief. I think you doctor should have given you a prescription and said "fill this if you need it".
I am glad you are over the worst of it and sorry that you had to be so miserable.

Ron said...

Hope you are taking it easy today and having no pain.

Tracey Broome said...

Thanks you guys. I did take tylenol before my appointment thinking I would stay ahead of it, but tylenol is not the thing for taking care of pain from incisions. This happened to Gerry once and I had to call the doc for a prescription. Bourbon is not a bad solution though :)

Dennis Allen said...

Sometimes ice can numb the pain but it does work better if surrounded by bourbon. Before I read a word, I said "Hey, that's a Whynot cup" Sure it makes the bourbon taste better too.

Melissa Rohrer said...

Oh,I imagined your surgery to be like the little 1/2 inch one I had to remove a cancerous mole on my face a few years ago. I'd say four inches deserves a little pain med. Anything to do with your back is always more of a problem too, I think. Can't move without affecting it. Hope you are 100 percent soon.

Trish said...

Big hugs to you fron north of the 49th, Tracey...tomorrow will be better still..
Trish.

cindy shake said...

First of all HUGS. Second, my advice is to try and stay AHEAD of the pain, remember "better living through pharmacology!" I've always had better luck with an Alaskan Amber chaser with any meds -just sayin'!
xox

Sleeping Village Pottery said...

Hi Tracey... so sorry to hear that you are in pain. Yuck. That just sucks. Well... here goes. You may remember me from some of my past comments to you (remember the illegal raptor feathers? Who could forget that, ha) I'm such a nag. However, when I read your post, a big alarm went off in my head. You should NEVER mix alcohol and Tylenol. Ever. It is a bad thing. And so I don't come off as a complete jerk, please look it up, and you will see what I'm talking about. Sorry... I just want my fellow bloggers to be as healthy and happy as possible. Take care, and I hope you get to feeling better soon. Peace.

Tracey Broome said...

Hi Dennis, yes that bourbon does go down better in a Whynot cup!
Hey Melissa I thought it was going to be a small incision too. I was surprised when I took off the pressure dressing to see such a big spot! And yes, it is in the worst place to get comfortable.
Thanks Trish, nice to hear from you :)
Hey Cindy, Alaskan Amber sounds like a perfect cure, yum!
HaHa!! There you are again!! I don't think you are a nag, but if you lived with me you might come to be one. I do a lot of things you aren't supposed to do:)
I have mixed alcohol with lots of things I shouldn't have in the past, it's a wonder I'm still alive. No worries, the pain is gone now, so I'm back to one beer a day :) I never knew that about tylenol and alcohol though. We really do not learn the proper things in school do we!? Thanks for the warning.

ang design said...

wow and ouch trace, glad to hear your'e feeling better...pfft what do docs know, tried those tylenol things pretty week...my fav is anything with a bit of codeine :)) great for hallucinations!!

cookingwithgas said...

oh- happy little glass full of yummy booze. I am so sorry you hurt! What a pain,haha, in the back! Hope you are better- hugs galore

Peggy said...

Sometimes Mother Nature's remedies are indeed the best medicine. It's good to hear you are feeling better.

Lori Buff said...

I am so sorry you've been hurting. I hope the recovery goes quickly and with no more pain. Hang in there.

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