I had 1 level acdf surgery July 16 and have been having terrible pain. I was given norco 10/325 every six hours which helped with making pain more tolerable. I went to my PC dr 3 wks post op cuz surgeon said he'd see me in October... PC made me feel like a drug seeker and cut my pain meds down to 5/325 every eight hours.I told him that i would still be in pain and he said I am weaning you off the pain medication. This is three wks after surgery and i was telling him Im still having alot of pain and discomfort. it wasnt like I was asking for moriphine or percacet but to continue what i was taking that was atleast making pain tolorable. 5/325 has been completely unhelpful. I doubled up the 5/325 so my pain would hopefully be more tolerable even though it was being not only decreased but time I could take it increased. Well about 5 hrs after I take two I'm in pain again and have to wait 3 hrs to take anymore. Once I ran completely out I went three days just to try and stop taking the pain medication and trying just Tylenol and pain has been terrible. Tylenol hasn't helped in the least.
I put a call into my Surgeon after this at my husbands request. He said I needed to go in or an MRI which I've scheduled and said he'd call in something for my pain.. I told him I'd been taking just Tylenol with no relief. He called in a rx for Norco and pharmacy called me said they can't fill it because its the same does 5/325 every eight hrs my PC prescribed me. I'm at a complete loss as of what to do now, I'm literally in tears knowing my pain is not going to be addressed properly. I don't know what to do now except go to the ER and I'm afraid at this point no one will help me.. Can anyone please please give me some advice any would be greatly appreciated I feel so alone with this now..

Did surgeon think your level of pain was normal for 3 wks post op?

Often surgeons don't want to admit that asurgery doesn't stop the pain completely...
Or if the surgery did not go well..
Even more so if someone messed up during the surgery..

There is also a condition called RSD/CRPS that once in awhile will occur even after a slight bump, and after a surgery too.

Can you describe your pain?
Is it the same pain & location you had before surgery or something different?

If your surgeon is not addressing the issue, go to the ER. There are hospital advocacy persons in almost every hospital. Tell your Primary care physician you are in terrible pain, and that you want to go to the ER. Sometimes your primary care physician can intervene and contact your surgeon. Mine did this for me after my own spinal fusion. My pain was not in control and he called the pain specialist. Do what ever you can to get the help you need. Not all surgery is 100% effective, and some doctors don't like to admit to this. Hopefully you are just having a rough recovery. I really hurt for about 5 weeks, and then it started to get better. Let your needs be known vocally! I hope some good doctor will have some compassion for you. Call the surgeons nurse too, tell her you want to go to the ER and see what occurs. Fight to get some relief....I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. I hope you get help and feel better soon. ginnie

At my husbands insistence I called surgeon back and stated the dose and timing was not going to help and he said it was fine if I doubled up the pain meds. I told him pharmacy won't fill RX because PC dr made it a 30 day supply. He was really nice about it and said he'd call pharmacy and have it changed. I also told him I have two small children and do not want to have to go to ER. He understood that too. So I feel some what better that Dr is trying to address my pain..