"probably will have surgery tommorrow"

[road2recovery]

I need your help...Tommorrow i am sure i will need surgery..Right now i am fighting pain with all i have..And hating being an addict..Feel like a big capitol"A" on my forhead....I have dreaded the day i will need pain meds...
I am thinking i will only need them for a day or two, or i pray....I will ask for something other then DOC which is lortabs..And advice please??  After almost 10 months, i know this can still bite me in the ***....
Please pray that i make it through..
hugs to all
r2r

[worried878]

and keep us posted!  LOL

[changingbestfriends]

Good luck.  I had my gallbladder out 27 years ago......Did I just date myself?????.....Anyway, I am sorry you are not feeling well.  I have been on here since June 7th and have read and appreciated many, many of your posts.  It is true that post pain is not nearly as intense as post pain after surgery.  Take care of yourself and I will include you in my prayers.  

[LateAugust]

If you are having a current or sudden gallbladder  attack,  and this is not a prescheduled surgery based on sonograms or a CT scan, I would strongly recommend you call your family doc ASAP.   I know we are tough,  but   being "I am woman hear me roar" and "my family needs me" syndrome,  I blamed my bad,  really bad tummy ache on the flu.  This was 6 weeks ago, and only now am I back to normal.....my appendix burst.   The pain prior  and post surgery was intense,  and after 5 fun filled days in the hospital based on the paranitis that set in because I waited too long,  and having a morphine drip,  I didn't take many pain meds at home,  because I have the daughter that is an oxy addict and I was paranoid to have them in the house.   My main point is,  please call your doc if this is an attack,  I could have saved myself from a major surgery and illness, and had a  basic/simple laproscopic procedure if I only would have called or seen my doc, when the severe pain started on day one.

Please get the medical help you need...........  and it is true    with gallbladder and appendix  the pain prior to post surgery is greater.....other than the surgery's  impact on your stomach muscles, you know, the whole healing process of major surgery.

My thoughts are with you  and I hope  you call your doc soon!   Jeanette

[gizzy32]

i  am so sorry you are in pain. it must be so awful to be addicted to pills then when u really need them how scary it can be to HAVE to take them. i will keep u in my prayers and u will get through this. im glad your afraid in a way cause that means u don't ever want to go back and i know u won't. if u do get pills u can not hold them, u know that. have hubby hold them even though he does not understand. stay strong and feel better soon.

[road2recovery]

thanks so much..still here, getting worst, will try to make it till midnight , if it doesn't get better i have no choice...Hubby doesnt understand why i am letting this get so bad..he hates seeing me throw up, and being sick..But he didnt' see how sick i was detoxing, so he doesn't know how sick an addict can be...I just know when i get there they will give me iv with morphine, the thougth is sickening..
I am so glad i posted u have no idea, i have so many wonderfull people on my side know what i feel, and dont' want to live that life again..But after all the pms of the ones who did this and did not go back, gives me releif..
I will call gizzy when i go, and he will keep u posted, pray for my strenght please...
hugs
r2r

[worried878]

Just want to wish u the best tomorrow and u will be fine..u r strong and u will make it.....hang in there and just use ur common sense about it...u r a smart girl!   good luck and keep us posted

[kim715]

I'm so glad to hear you are getting a little relief from the pain.You are like me I put up with my pain until I just couldn't anymore and then I went to the ER,but I had all of you with me in spirit and all your advice and experience running through my head the whole time.I think I concentrated more on that then what the doctor told me about what was going on with me so when I got home I actually had to look diverticulitis up so I knew what I was dealing with.LOL You've got the strength and you're well educated about addiction.Knowledge is power so please don't allow yourself to suffer and if it gets bad again please go.You know what you're doing,trust yourself.Praying for you.Much love.

[GoingToMakeIt]

Watching my wife go through this I know the pain from Gallbladder is one of the worst. I know you will do fine, but don't be a hero. If it get's too bad...Get in there!!!! In my wife's case she endured it way too long. when they took her Gallbladder out  it was looking like a gumball machine inside. (seriously) It should've come out sooner, but since the stones were so small, they didn't show up in the many tests they did.
My point is to take care of yourself. You will do fine.

[addict3]

r2r, I wish you well Monday, hope you don't have to have anything you are concerned about. Prayers sent.

[road2recovery]

Thanks, you guys are the best...Still home, i am hanging in there..Drank some GI cocktail , numbs everything, works well...Pain comes and goes..I told hubby if one more attack tonight i will have to go...But i keep thinking more time here then i can take less meds, and get more info from you all..
I will ask about Toradol first...Yes i will tell him about my addiction..Since percocet never did anything for me , that would be the one, i think...no lortabs..that will wake up the devil...
thanks sooooo much
r2r

[triedeverymed]

Lost in my long rant:

TORADOL

ask your doctor is it's OK for you to use Toradol for pain. It's preferred among addicts because it doesn't have as high of addictive qualities. You still must use with caution but it's much safer.

[triedeverymed]

I too am a recovering addict of almost 4 years (vicodin addicion). I had surgeery 6 weeks ago and was told I would probably need pain meds for a day or two. I ,like you, was afraid to be back on opiates.
I told my doctor about my addiction so I wouldn't be able to get more pills that the 12 he gave me. Also I had him switch me from Vicodin to Percocet since I didn't abuse percocet and the feeling wouldn't be familiar. Lastly I gave the pills to my husband to dispense per the doctor's schedule. I never even saw the bottle.
Anyway, the pain wasn't as bad as I though and I only needed to take 5 pills. We flushed the others down the toilet and I recovered just fine.
You can do it but try to have as many people arund you know you have pills and make you accountable for your actions with them. have a loved one hold them for you if possible. Oh and lastly, there is a drug called Toradol they like to use on addicts with pain after surgery. It cannot be used if you have bleeding to worry about like I did but some surgeries, bleeding is not an issue and they can use Toradol. Toradol is in the NSAID family and it thins your blood as does ibuprofen, my particular surgery I couldn't take ibuprofen 2 weeks prior ar 2 weeks after so Toradol was not an option for me but it may be for you. Ask your doc.
Good Luck & stay aware of the bigger goal-Long term sobriety!!

[marcatj]

sweetheart, i don't know about that kind of pain.

but i think you really should talk to the doc about it.  alternatives to the narcotics, if he/she thinks there is something strong enough that is non-narcotic, that can get you through.

it is at least worth a shot, sweetheart.

especially if you had any cravings not too long ago.

if you end up needing them - you do.  and you'll know what to do - take only as needed, then toss the rest.  if you're like me, it's the only way.

but there may be a very good chance you can get by without them.  IF so, then do all you can to do so.

it's so scary, i know... and i do know about severe pain and really not caring when you're at that point.

but at the end of the day, if you fear you might get hooked again, AND there's a way around not taking the narc's (only you'll know sweetheart) then try as best you can to go that way.

no matter what - we are all here for you.  and love you.

i'm very so sorry you have to go through this.  but i do know you are going to be ok... no matter what.

all my luv,
mj

[lady67]

Road to Recovery,

You may have already said, and I didn't see it, but does your surgeon know about your addiction?  I remember when I had my hysterectomy, I was alright as long as I was in the hospital on the demerol drip.  For some reason, it doesn't make me continue to crave the stuff.  Anyway, they knew of my problem, and I stayed in the hospital about 3 days and stayed on the IV Demerol for those days, and when it got close to time to go home, they began to wean me off of it.  That seemed to work for me, but as always, all addicts are not the same.  

Cathy is right,  I always get my hubby to hold any meds that I have to take.  Except Antibiotics, I think I am safe with them for now, LoL.  The only thing I get from them is a killer yeast infection.  It doesn't make you weak to ask him for help, and he will love the fact that you are confiding in him and leaning on him for support.

Good Luck and Keep in touch
Susan

[cathy5841]

hun, you have a wonderful hubby.  although he may not understand about the addiction fully he will support you and be thankful you are taking steps to prvent a relapse.  give him and you th credit you both deserve.  now go to the er and get some relief.   love  ya girlie.

[avisg]

If you go to the ER normally they start out with tordol and if the does not help that when the big guns come out .The day I went They started with toradol and ended with morphine but they pain was soooooo bad .I needed it and you may need it too ,again do not suffer just set up a plan having hubby helping you...

[kim715]

Everyone else gave you great advice so I just wanted to let you know you will be in my prayers tonight and all day tomorrow and to remind you to give credit when it is due.You have made it 10 months and thats a long time.You're strong and your armed with 10 months of clean time and lots of empowering infromation.You know how to handle this successfully.Have faith in yourself.I have faith in you.I had to deal with the pain meds. 2 months into being clean from the methodone,when I was dealing with diverticulitis but beacause of you and many others here I made the right choices.There is no need for you to suffer through all that pain.You know what to do.Listen to the sound advice you give to others my friend.Trust yourself.I'm praying for you,hoping you feel better real soon.Much love.

[cathy5841]

maybe you need to go to the er.  when i went the other nite they gave me torodol iv andit helped...i also have a script i am taking...but the problem with it is, it causes stomach issues for me.  since you are already suffring with the stomach issues it may not be for you....getting it iv didnt hurt my belly, the pills do.  i take them anyway cuz they help with the jaw pain.  r2r you should notlay there and suffer.  you need some relief.  this has been goin on all week.

[sadinmichigan]

maybe the cravings started because you knowing that you may need to have surgery and having to have something for the pain. I am so sorry your in this positon..It isn't fun. Maybe like MiMi said..just being scared may be best..and help you make the right decisions. You have made it this far..you can do this..

[mimi1313]

I think in a way its good that you are scared. You know what it can do to you. But you shouldn't suffer.

[road2recovery]

thanks everyone...you are definetly my rock...For anyone who has had their this trouble, can u tell me if the pain just got worst...throwing up? pain in side and now my back?
toradol----i will definetly ask...yes it is worth a shot..
I had the worst cravings about a week ago, then had PAWS a couple months before...And now i feel like there is a monster that they will wake up..This definetly *****...and i was the first one to tell someone not to suffer...and here i lay in so much pain, and scared to death to do anything about it...errrrrrrr
r2r

[wannabefree330]

Can they give you a medication called toradol?  It is an antiinflammatory medication and works really well for pain.  It's worth a shot?  It is not habit forming, and it comes in IV form so if you have an IV then they can give it that way.  If it's not "ordered" have the nurse call and get it!  (After your post it sounded like you were in the hospital).  If you're at home, it comes in tablet form also so you could get it called in to your pharm.   You can at least start there and see?  Then if it doesn't work, move to something stronger.  Just a thought?

[dominosarah]

If you need it out hopefully they can do it with that laprascope.  That will lessen the pain also.  I felt tons better after mine was out.(1994)  Hopefully talking with your husband tonight will make you feel better and he will be there to help you if you do need the pain meds.                      sara

[wannabefree330]

It didn't matter for me.  I had sinus surg after getting clean the first time, and they gave something else.  It gave the same affect.  As far as afterward, they will give either lortab or percocet.  Percocet is MUCH stronger in my opinion and much more hazardous to me.  If you stick to less than 7 days, take as prescribed, and keep talking about it, you are going to do fine.   Its when we start taking more to feel "better", hiding, sneaking, keeping secrets that our addiction gets the best of us.  I would suggest only taking as much as you need to TOLERATE the pain.  Don't assume you'll completely get rid of it right now.  Your mind will always tell you it's still bad.  BUT, don't lay there in agony?  Just because you were addicted doesn't mean you should suffer.  You are doing the right thing and talking about it.
As far as your husband goes, just tell him you're worried about liking them, and you need him to deliver them till this is over.  If he asks questions, just tell him you're playing it safe.  If you do feel comfortable, then tell him!  he can be a great support for you right now.