Pain Management

Okay, surgery was the day before yesterday. Let’s talk about pain.

Supposedly rotator cuff surgery is one of the more painful operations you can have. Opiates are prescribed after surgery. Once the block wears off they say you better have the narcotics running through your veins. Lovely, just, lovely.

To make these two trains pass, but not collide, as directed I took one 5mg oxycodone about 8 pm. This was after the surgery which started at 2:30 pm.  I was almost at my sister’s house, 30 minutes from Dad’s. He’d finished the drive home.  Figured shortly thereafter, I’d be conked out in my electric monster recliner, purchased just for this operation.

I had not much to eat since midnight 21 hours earlier. Crackers and pretzels.  As little as that was I almost lost it all in the kitchen sink five minutes after we got home. Flashes of seasickness floated before me, but as quickly as it hit, it thankfully subsided.

At 11 pm I ate a ½ of a roast beef sandwich that I had packed for my sister and Dad’s afternoon wait while I was in surgery. Then I downed another 5 mg of the Big O. The nerve block wore off about three that morning. Recalling the horrible pain level I had after knee surgery I was going to be sure I was dosed. Per the instruction I took another pill at 3 am..  It was every 4 hours. And that was the last one I took.

By early morning I felt like puking again. I began to itch all over. Yet I tried to tell myself it was psychosomatic. Then in a brief conversation with a neighbor I realized I was becoming hoarse. All symptoms of an allergic reaction. Great.

The hospital told me to quit taking it. Duh. And they added oxycodone to my allergy list. But I was left with Tylenol and marijuana.

I’m not a user, but I got a hold of some as an alternative to the narcotic.  I discussed this with the anesthesiologist. She in turn discussed this with the surgeon. He asked if I had been in any pain last Thursday. That was my experimental light up conducted in the basement of my father’s house.  I said no. His response was he wasn’t giving it any credibility to manage my pain since I wasn’t in pain during the experiment. Take the prescription narcotic.

I feared the worst. Who takes a prescription drug for the first time and expects to become addicted? No one, but I wasn’t going there. No pain and marijuana was my preferred route.

Without the oxycodone in my system I waited for the pain to roll over me. While there was some, nothing like expected.  I stayed on the Tylenol every eight hours. It kept the dull ache in check. By today, day three, I extended the doses out to every 10 hours.  No pain except when I do something stupid, like flinch in reflex. That arm ain’t going anywhere in that sling.

As far as the dope? I had a damn good buzz on Thursday. Yesterday afternoon, I took a couple of hits. Suddenly the jig saw puzzle looked easy. This morning when I went to to the basement to hang up some clothes, God it stunk down there. Note to self: take it outside.   I have a little stash that no one will find unless they decide to stir fry. And unless I decide to become a recreational pothead at 62…it will go stale in the wok. 

Oops.