Pain Control After Surgery

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I am not sure where to post this. I was just wondering if anyone could tell me what their pain mdications were right after surgery. I am 5 days post-op from a first rib resection and scalenectomy. I had one of the best doctors, Dr. Erdogan Atasoy, for this procedure, but the post op pain control was ridiculous. I am a pharmacist, so I know medication and dosages. Right after surgery they put me on one percocet 5mg every 3hrs, when I still complained of pain, they added 75mg of demerol every 3 hrs IM (ouch, and even though I still had an IV in, they still opted for the IM route), and when that still wasn't controlling my pain, they added 2mg of IV Morphine every 3 hrs. None of this even touched on the pain, as I apparently had some complications during surgery (my rib was extra hard, the dr. said and it was difficult for him to get out, this is why I was having so much pain, he told me). After about 24hrs of this agonizing pain ( I was in a double room with an 80 year old elderly woman), I demanded that the fellow ( Dr. Atasoy's resident) do something about it or I was leaving the hospital and traveling home to go to a local hospital where I knew they had state of the art protocols and standard post operative procedures like PCA's. The doctor finally decided to increase the morphine to 4mg IV every 4 hours and 2 percocet 5mg every 4 hours, after my pulse rate went to 135 and my oxygen levels went down to 65%. This still did not control the pain, but I was discharged the next day with #50 Tylox (essentially the same as percocet 5 with a little extra tylenol) to take 1 capsule every 4 to 6 hours and to come back and see the Dr. in 2 weeks. When I discussed my concern of the lack of pain control with the current hospital medications and then the concern of being sent home with not enough medicine to control the pain for 2 weeks, let alone that the medicine was not even controlling the pain at a higher dosage, I was told to call the office if I ran out and they would call in lortab 7.5mg. Lortab 7.5mg did not even control my pre-operative pain, let alone this excruciating post-op pain. Anyways, this is my story and I was wondering if anyone else had similar experiences or what their standard of care was after surgery. Dr. Atasoy is a great surgeon and is good at what he does, but he is over 80 and set in his ways about the pain control. Should I speak with someone at the hospital where he is affiliated?

Hi.

I had rib resection in August of 05. I was on a morphine pump while in the hospital. When I was discharged I was on percocet routinely every 4 hours. I'm sorry I don't remember the mg.

Yes, I would absolutely talk with the hospital about what their protocol is for pain control. There's no excuse to be where they have access to medicines to make you comfortable - to be in pain. Especially after a major surgery such as this. They should know better...

Good luck in the future and I hope your recovery goes smoothly.

Hi,

After my rib resecion and scalenectomy I woke up with pain soakers in my chest (wire-like things emitting some sort of novacaine?? sorry, I can't remember now) and was hooked up with IV dilauded, I could press the pump button every 3 minutes. Was also given 10mg Flexaril, 10mg valium, 20mg oxycontin and an anti-inflamatory.

after discharge, I had 10mg flexaril at bedtime, 20mg oxycontin every 12 hrs, valium as needed for nerve pain. After 2 months, the oxycontin was stopped and percocet 5/325 taken as needed.

Ice/heat as needed thruought...

It was miserable, but bearable.

Wishing you prompt and courteous pharmacists,
Anne

How the hell have you been surviving!!!!!
I felt run over by a truck for a good few weeks and to not give you appropriate meds is a sin in my nursing mind!!!!

I too was sent home on inappropriate meds and had to call my family doctor Primary care doc to get the right meds. I was finally put onto morphine 10mg q4h or something equivilant....they tried dilaudid but I didn't like the side effects so went to the MOS as a result of them.

How are you surviving?????? I still had to take the percocet after the MOS and was in a lot of pain for a least a month....come on here this is BONE PAIN doctors!!!!!!!!

sorry a little biased as a nurse I hate to hear of inappropriate medication for patients especailly ones in pain!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They may try toradol or tramacet but it too I find was not strong enough for the pain I was having....now I was not opiate niave when I went in for my surgery I was on fentanyl patch as I was in such pain beforehand. they put me on a MOS pca and I nearly died with the pain and then they put it to the dilaudid and when that was discontinued they sent me home with percocet......so after the weekend was over I went to my family doctor who helped sooooo much.

So you need ibuprophen for your likely considerable inflammation, a good pain med.....perhaps a long acting morphine or long acting oxycocet...not sure if your US names are the same as my canadain ones....so oxycontin is our name and the MOS one is MS Contin. You will need a muscle relaxant.....ie flexaril or baclofen or diazepam so you don't have muscle spasm related to the bone pain (and you can actually sleep)......and then if you are on a long acting you need a breakthrough med like a short acting MOS if that is what you are on long acting.....or percocet if you are on the oxycontin.

Boy what a screw up........ demerol is about the worst med as it wears off so quickly and it is ok for short term, but this is not short term pain!!!!!!
I am gonna assume you were on something before alll this started! If not WOW.

Toradol is also a good anti inflammatory but it is usually used short term of not over a month or so but it is good synergistically with MOS and percocet
as is gravol!!! Migraine....demerol given with gravol as it potentiates the demerol....but we won't go to demerol again how does that sound??? !!!

Oh and to give you MOS and percocet together is weird as they break down to the same drug!!!!!!


I am not familiar with lortab, but let me tell you it does not sound like enough to me for post op pain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if feel like the entire weight of a car is on your chest and you can't sleep it is pure hell....damn doctors and their poor pain control issues!!!!!!!!!!

oh my nursing background is in pain control. I worked in Oncology until I did myself in lifting a 180lb pt up from a toilet....hence the tos and then the surgery......but the surgery was worth it!!! I had 6mths pain free then a damn PT wrecked me again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BEST of LUCk with it all!!!!!!
take care
love and hugs,
Victoria