Pain Meds

barbiecorn

What pain meds do you feel are the best without nausea...my BMX is scheduled for Weds. Feb. 1st  (no reconstruction_and I get sick on percaset so my dr. is going to try a different class of pain meds....any suggestions...I wanted to take advil but dr. said not right away as it will cause more bleeding...I would like to take tylenol arthritis strength but my dr. does not think it will be strong enough...any comments would be appreciated.

cinnamonsmiles

After reading posts for over a year, everyone acts so differently. What is good for one, another gets sick from. I, personally, didn't get percoset for my BMX. I was given it after my oopherectomy and hysterectomy though. I was given the vicodin/tylenol mixture. I could take two every four to six hours and belive, me, I needed them. Another good medicine I take that seems to have less side effect than the vicodin is Tramadol. Tramadol, according to my pain drs., was invented to take the place of vicodin as it is not addictive.  I take that on a daily basis.

Ibuprofen, advil and aspirin were not allowed for me before and right after any surgeries I have had.

kcsusan1

I had an complication after mastectomy in August of 2007.  My right breast was removed.  I had a very horrible experience.  This is not to scare you at all, but be aware of what is normal regarding your pain. 

 My surgeon nicked a nerve in my surgery site.  Pain from the mastectomy is normally handled with mild pain killers such as Vicodin.  I was not expecting much pain from this mastectomy, and it was a true shock to be in the state of pain, I was in.  Because the surgeon had nicked a nerve, I had searing, burning sharp constant pain for a period of about one month after the surgery.  It was unrelenting. 

The doctor initially gave me a fentanyl injection , then another one, and another one.  Still no relief.  Then I was given a shot of 75 mg of morphine, and it was only just right under the surface, never really relieved.  Throughout the night I was given approxamately 3 injections of morphine, and sent home with vicodin the next day.  I cannot begin to say how much I suffered from that surgery. 

The complication I developed was the breaking open of all my stiches, over 100 stiches or more, I was taking a shower as I was told I could do about the 3rd day after surgery.  After the surgery, is when all hell broke loose.  When the stiches broke open, I bled large globs of blood, almost like clots.  It hurt so bad.  I went to the ER of a local hospital, they sewed me back up, sent me home.  I developed a bad staph infection in my surgery site.  I was treated 16 weeks with antibiodics and a second surgery to clean out the wound, pack it with saline solution gauze and try to heal from the inside out.  It involved dipping of the gauze in the saline, and wrapping it until a 3 inch gap was filled in with the gauze, then a bandage was put over the entire wound.  This was done twice a day for several weeks, before it finally healed.  The pain only let up slightly, so vicodin was what I was given, yet needed much stronger meds for that pain.  All I have to say is be prepared, my problem was probably a rare  complication, and not the norm.  Just the thing is when you hurt and you take a medicine they prescribe, that pill should work at the longest within 15 to 30 minutes,  If not don't be afraid to raise a little cain with your medical doctors or nurses.  They need to know that you are hurting, and deserve relief.  The worst thing to run up against is apathy, or indifference to someones pain.  Everyone is different, yet alot of people do fit into a  pattern of the usual or average mastectomy surgery.  Do not worry about addiction to the medicine, when you have real pain, the pain eats up the medicine, and you will not be addicted.  To not have enough pain medication or not strong enough, will leave you taking that much longer to heal or feel better.  My experience was a nightmare, no other words for it.  I am healed now, and remain cancer free coming upon my 5th year in August of 2012.  I always am aware of recurrence, and more than likely there will be a recurrence at some point.  I am age 68 this week, and cancer changes your whole life completely.  It can return at any time, though I am prepared for it.  I will never be as frightened as the first time I heard the words malignant cancer in the biopsy.  It was so scarry, yet you will be much stronger for going through getting a reasonable cure, if that is an option.  If it isn't an option, life has no guarantees, doctors are only human beings, not gods.  The destiny of a life cannot be determined at all.  I have a religious belief that God has your whole life planned out.  He gives you free will that says he trusts us to live our lives as well as possible.  Cancer is a very serious illness, nothing to mess with.  Yet as I say, it will change your life, and what you do with it after the diagnosis.  There is so much help and support for breast cancer, and as women and a few men that have it, receive the most hope of any of the cancers out there.  Good luck, and hope your doctor is sensitive to your pain, and gives you the right medicine. 

BouncingBetties

I'm on a very low dose of Oxycontin, 10 mg twice a day and not only does it control my pain but I am fully functional and do not feel medicated at all. I am able to think clearly and be myself. I do have oxycodone 5 mg in addition once in a while when I have increased pain, such as a migraine or my lovely kidney stone that has appeared, but otherwise, I am just fine on 20 mg of Oxy a day. It does pose a bleeding risk, and it isn't hard on your liver like Tylenol. So people have trouble with Percocet because of the Tylenol, not the narcotic. Don't underestimate how important pain management is. If you let it become out of control, you may set up a chronic pain situation, which you don't want on top of dealing with breast cancer. Make sure to discuss your pain with your onc honestly.