Yes, I totally agree with you that my doctor should have never just cut me off cold turkey and boy I had the worst withdrawl symptoms that even most people can imagine. I do go to the ER when the pain is severe and then they help me manage my pain for a little bit.
I really appreciate you trying to help me, and I sure wish you were my doctor. I have been to alot of them for this and nobody can seem to give me any answers other than irritated muscles and nerves. BUT, I cant get the right pain meds that help me cope with my constant, sharp, stabbing pain I feel all the time.
Thanks again!
Hello,
First of all, I just wanted to comment that it was very wrong of your doctor to cut you off the vicodin suddenly like that! When stopping long term use of narcotic pain medications, such as vicodin, lortab, and percocet, the patient should be tapered or weaned off of them because the very nature of the narcotics on their receptors in the brain DO cause a level of addiction, not just when they are abused.
About the rib pain, if you take a look at the photo (on the URL below), you can see the location of the gall-bladder behind the right rib cage. My guess would be that when you took that fall shortly after your surgery, you may have accidentally irritated the healing site of surgery and perhaps it did not heal quite right internally and some of the nerves from that area are being stimulated somehow, like being pinched or stretched.
I'm a medical student, but I've still got a LOONG way to go before I'm a doctor so I'm not an expert.
http://www.easttroy.k12.wi.us/hs/dept/science/bottum/Adv%20Biology/digestive/danatomy/images/Gall_bladder.gif