Surgeon only gives Tylenol after surgery

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I met with a surgeon today for a consult for significant and urgent surgery. There were a number of things I was unimpressed with but one was that they only give Tylenol. I feel like they would probably give more if a patient was in REALLY bad shape but her take was “some discomfort is normal after major surgery but it should be manageable with Tylenol.” That’s jacked up. We invented medication so that you don’t have to feel pain. Give a patient 3-5 days of pain meds. I’m meeting with other surgeons because this one seems heartless.

You’re unreasonable. A few days of pain is worth not getting hooked on opioids. Our society is so weak and fragile. Earlier generations would laugh at how soft we’ve gotten.

DP. It's bizarre to me that so many people who seem to be into all things European (including HiPP baby formula and all the hoopla about the European medication and food restrictions being better) are certainly not into the European pain management protocols. They have never been opioid focused like the American ones were.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I met with a surgeon today for a consult for significant and urgent surgery. There were a number of things I was unimpressed with but one was that they only give Tylenol. I feel like they would probably give more if a patient was in REALLY bad shape but her take was “some discomfort is normal after major surgery but it should be manageable with Tylenol.” That’s jacked up. We invented medication so that you don’t have to feel pain. Give a patient 3-5 days of pain meds. I’m meeting with other surgeons because this one seems heartless.

Apparently your surgery isn't that urgent.

Quit doctor shopping for drugs. Tylenol and ibuprofen will mitigate most pain. Neither has significant side effects, withdrawal symptoms, addiction potential or other complications. You don't need 3-5 days of narcotics, and if you do, you can be prescribed them when you need them. Demanding drugs you probably won't need in advance is drug-seeking behavior. No, you should not have an expectation of 'zero pain' post-surgery. You should anticipate and prepare for discomfort at a level commensurate with whatever procedure you're having done, and be with it for the brief time it's present because that's life in a body. I would strongly suggest you avoid opioids like the plague they are, as the withdrawals kick in after even short-term use, and 3-5 days is more than enough to trigger addiction.

-long-term chronic pain patient who has BTDT with pretty much all of the painkiller options

Asking for pain medication after major surgery is not “drug seeking behavior.” People have lost their minds!

One thing I have always noted on DCUM is the purist mentality; it is so toxic. Pain meds work! There is no prize at the end for enduring crippling pain after a c-section, hysterectomy, bunion removal, or thyroidectomy.

And I am sick of doctors telling me THEY know my body better than I DO. I see no reason to suffer because someone somewhere is addicted to something. Change surgeons and don't look back OP. If you get home from surgery with only Tylenol and have crippiling pain at 2 am, it will be unnecessarily effing miserable getting relief, trust me, I know.

Agreed. And it’s damn clear that one or more posters are in fact opioid addicts (“chronic pain patient”) who are eager to see their own flaws and failures in everyone else.

Y'all would rather start attacking people you don't even know than listen and read and learn.

I've been totally sober for years, sweetie. If you're mad about me trying to prevent someone from walking the road to hell I managed to make it through, well, that's something for you to take up with your medical professionals (though if they've found a cure for being an inflammed and irritable ass on the internet, I don't know about it). Best of luck to you.

You’ll fail and fall again, surprising no one around you. I’ve never had your issues, congratulations on being “totally sober.” Perhaps not having been some crackhead mess like you makes it possible for me to see OP as a human being, have a human concern going into surgery.

Good luck, sweetie. Sweetie.

You don't need a substance use disorder or addiction. You're a whole mess sober, and addicted to being a nasty mess. Yikes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The strong opioid pain meds my husband was given after elbow fracture repair surgery made him very anxious. We had to call for a new prescription for something weaker. Now he asks for weaker options.

What people who haven't taken them may not realize is that opioids often come with some nausea and vomiting that can complicate recovery from surgery and just generally junk up your day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I met with a surgeon today for a consult for significant and urgent surgery. There were a number of things I was unimpressed with but one was that they only give Tylenol. I feel like they would probably give more if a patient was in REALLY bad shape but her take was “some discomfort is normal after major surgery but it should be manageable with Tylenol.” That’s jacked up. We invented medication so that you don’t have to feel pain. Give a patient 3-5 days of pain meds. I’m meeting with other surgeons because this one seems heartless.

Apparently your surgery isn't that urgent.

Quit doctor shopping for drugs. Tylenol and ibuprofen will mitigate most pain. Neither has significant side effects, withdrawal symptoms, addiction potential or other complications. You don't need 3-5 days of narcotics, and if you do, you can be prescribed them when you need them. Demanding drugs you probably won't need in advance is drug-seeking behavior. No, you should not have an expectation of 'zero pain' post-surgery. You should anticipate and prepare for discomfort at a level commensurate with whatever procedure you're having done, and be with it for the brief time it's present because that's life in a body. I would strongly suggest you avoid opioids like the plague they are, as the withdrawals kick in after even short-term use, and 3-5 days is more than enough to trigger addiction.

-long-term chronic pain patient who has BTDT with pretty much all of the painkiller options

Asking for pain medication after major surgery is not “drug seeking behavior.” People have lost their minds!

One thing I have always noted on DCUM is the purist mentality; it is so toxic. Pain meds work! There is no prize at the end for enduring crippling pain after a c-section, hysterectomy, bunion removal, or thyroidectomy.

And I am sick of doctors telling me THEY know my body better than I DO. I see no reason to suffer because someone somewhere is addicted to something. Change surgeons and don't look back OP. If you get home from surgery with only Tylenol and have crippiling pain at 2 am, it will be unnecessarily effing miserable getting relief, trust me, I know.

Agreed. And it’s damn clear that one or more posters are in fact opioid addicts (“chronic pain patient”) who are eager to see their own flaws and failures in everyone else.

Y'all would rather start attacking people you don't even know than listen and read and learn.

I've been totally sober for years, sweetie. If you're mad about me trying to prevent someone from walking the road to hell I managed to make it through, well, that's something for you to take up with your medical professionals (though if they've found a cure for being an inflammed and irritable ass on the internet, I don't know about it). Best of luck to you.

It’s interesting. The people I know who are serious about sobriety would not be addressing another person this way. Maybe they are unusual.

If they’re not acting like this thing up there, maybe they’re not yet um “totally sober.”

She’s the equivalent of a dry drunk inching closer to a barstool.

Thing? One in one's cups thus shouldn't speak or post. Trash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I met with a surgeon today for a consult for significant and urgent surgery. There were a number of things I was unimpressed with but one was that they only give Tylenol. I feel like they would probably give more if a patient was in REALLY bad shape but her take was “some discomfort is normal after major surgery but it should be manageable with Tylenol.” That’s jacked up. We invented medication so that you don’t have to feel pain. Give a patient 3-5 days of pain meds. I’m meeting with other surgeons because this one seems heartless.

You’re unreasonable. A few days of pain is worth not getting hooked on opioids. Our society is so weak and fragile. Earlier generations would laugh at how soft we’ve gotten.

If a few days on pain meds makes you an addict, you are the weak one, not us normal people with self-control.

Ah, yes. Such "self-control" you're demonstrating, ripping on a stranger online. Sure, Jan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wanting narcotics before the surgery even happens and there is pain, and shopping around to find someone who freely gives them out is a pretty big red flag. A lot of docs now only use them in a very controlled way for people whose pain isn’t managed in other ways. They don’t just send people home with bottles of narcotics anymore for just in case reasons.

No this is not a red flag at all. Not wanting to endure pain because one doctor thinks it’s fine for you to suffer when there is a different doctor that will make recovery bearable is not drug shopping.

History has taught us it is crueler and does more harm to patients to give narcotics out without an individualized need than it is to ask patient to try and manage their pain initially with OTC and request stronger meds if needed.

+1 Some of the people on this thread don't have the ability to handle a hangnail without meds that were designed for end-of-life cancer patients.

What if you were okay? What if everything was fine? What if you barely needed the tylenol, healed beautifully, and it wasn't even an issue?

If you’re ok, then you don’t take the pain meds, obviously. I’m single. If I don’t have things at home after a surgery, I wont be able to get them until at least the next day, if I can get a friend to run an errand for me. (Would they even be able to pick up a narcotic for me? I don’t know.) But it drives me crazy how doctors hand you a paper prescription as you’re leaving surgery rather than letting you get everything that’s anticipate-able squared away beforehand.

Narcotic prescriptions often need to have actual signatures, be presented in person, be picked up by a party 18 and older... That's still not a good reason to hand them out in advance of actual need "just in case". They're not "have on hand in case you need it" meds. That's tylenol. They're "special circumstance that justifies jumping through additional hoops" meds, and responsible people should expect that if they want access.

No, no, no, no, no. If the block I was given has worn off by 1am and I am alone with my 6-year-old son, I have no way of getting an RX IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT to alleviate horrendous pain. Why would you expect me, who knows my body, to suffer because of your addiction issues? 2-3 pills as part of the prep is not feeding addiction, FFS.

Horrendous pain and suffering? You can take tylenol and ibuprofen simultaneously to cut that to a manageable level, and then staggered to maintain pain coverage and avoid breakthrough pain. Be honest: 2-3 pills is a recreational dose.

If you're having the kind of pain that would truly necessitate opioid use, you need to talk to your doctor about why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And this study shared at Harvard's website states that women are more likely to be prescribed sedatives than pain meds.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/women-and-pain-disparities-in-experience-and-treatment-2017100912562

Allopathic medicine hates women.

And if you are a black or brown woman —it’s even worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t be a baby. Pain is temporary. Tylenol is sufficient.

Spoken like someone who hadn’t had real pain or who does care about other people.

OR like someone who knows what these drugs can do and cares enough about people to encourage them to try life without them to the greatest extent possible. OP isn't in pain. OP doesn't need hardcore drugs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I met with a surgeon today for a consult for significant and urgent surgery. There were a number of things I was unimpressed with but one was that they only give Tylenol. I feel like they would probably give more if a patient was in REALLY bad shape but her take was “some discomfort is normal after major surgery but it should be manageable with Tylenol.” That’s jacked up. We invented medication so that you don’t have to feel pain. Give a patient 3-5 days of pain meds. I’m meeting with other surgeons because this one seems heartless.

Apparently your surgery isn't that urgent.

Quit doctor shopping for drugs. Tylenol and ibuprofen will mitigate most pain. Neither has significant side effects, withdrawal symptoms, addiction potential or other complications. You don't need 3-5 days of narcotics, and if you do, you can be prescribed them when you need them. Demanding drugs you probably won't need in advance is drug-seeking behavior. No, you should not have an expectation of 'zero pain' post-surgery. You should anticipate and prepare for discomfort at a level commensurate with whatever procedure you're having done, and be with it for the brief time it's present because that's life in a body. I would strongly suggest you avoid opioids like the plague they are, as the withdrawals kick in after even short-term use, and 3-5 days is more than enough to trigger addiction.

-long-term chronic pain patient who has BTDT with pretty much all of the painkiller options

Asking for pain medication after major surgery is not “drug seeking behavior.” People have lost their minds!

One thing I have always noted on DCUM is the purist mentality; it is so toxic. Pain meds work! There is no prize at the end for enduring crippling pain after a c-section, hysterectomy, bunion removal, or thyroidectomy.

And I am sick of doctors telling me THEY know my body better than I DO. I see no reason to suffer because someone somewhere is addicted to something. Change surgeons and don't look back OP. If you get home from surgery with only Tylenol and have crippiling pain at 2 am, it will be unnecessarily effing miserable getting relief, trust me, I know.

Agreed. And it’s damn clear that one or more posters are in fact opioid addicts (“chronic pain patient”) who are eager to see their own flaws and failures in everyone else.

Y'all would rather start attacking people you don't even know than listen and read and learn.

I've been totally sober for years, sweetie. If you're mad about me trying to prevent someone from walking the road to hell I managed to make it through, well, that's something for you to take up with your medical professionals (though if they've found a cure for being an inflammed and irritable ass on the internet, I don't know about it). Best of luck to you.

It’s interesting. The people I know who are serious about sobriety would not be addressing another person this way. Maybe they are unusual.

If they’re not acting like this thing up there, maybe they’re not yet um “totally sober.”

She’s the equivalent of a dry drunk inching closer to a barstool.

Thing? One in one's cups thus shouldn't speak or post. Trash.

“Totally sober.” It’s not going well for you, jeez.

OP will be fine. Good luck with the tooth retention, sweetie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The strong opioid pain meds my husband was given after elbow fracture repair surgery made him very anxious. We had to call for a new prescription for something weaker. Now he asks for weaker options.

What people who haven't taken them may not realize is that opioids often come with some nausea and vomiting that can complicate recovery from surgery and just generally junk up your day.

I had ankle surgery earlier this summer. The pain medicine caused nausea and constipation and just generally made me feel ick. After two days, I decided I’d tolerate the pain, which I’d rate between a 5 and 7 out of 10, rather than feeling sick from the meds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I met with a surgeon today for a consult for significant and urgent surgery. There were a number of things I was unimpressed with but one was that they only give Tylenol. I feel like they would probably give more if a patient was in REALLY bad shape but her take was “some discomfort is normal after major surgery but it should be manageable with Tylenol.” That’s jacked up. We invented medication so that you don’t have to feel pain. Give a patient 3-5 days of pain meds. I’m meeting with other surgeons because this one seems heartless.

Apparently your surgery isn't that urgent.

Quit doctor shopping for drugs. Tylenol and ibuprofen will mitigate most pain. Neither has significant side effects, withdrawal symptoms, addiction potential or other complications. You don't need 3-5 days of narcotics, and if you do, you can be prescribed them when you need them. Demanding drugs you probably won't need in advance is drug-seeking behavior. No, you should not have an expectation of 'zero pain' post-surgery. You should anticipate and prepare for discomfort at a level commensurate with whatever procedure you're having done, and be with it for the brief time it's present because that's life in a body. I would strongly suggest you avoid opioids like the plague they are, as the withdrawals kick in after even short-term use, and 3-5 days is more than enough to trigger addiction.

-long-term chronic pain patient who has BTDT with pretty much all of the painkiller options

Asking for pain medication after major surgery is not “drug seeking behavior.” People have lost their minds!

One thing I have always noted on DCUM is the purist mentality; it is so toxic. Pain meds work! There is no prize at the end for enduring crippling pain after a c-section, hysterectomy, bunion removal, or thyroidectomy.

And I am sick of doctors telling me THEY know my body better than I DO. I see no reason to suffer because someone somewhere is addicted to something. Change surgeons and don't look back OP. If you get home from surgery with only Tylenol and have crippiling pain at 2 am, it will be unnecessarily effing miserable getting relief, trust me, I know.

Agreed. And it’s damn clear that one or more posters are in fact opioid addicts (“chronic pain patient”) who are eager to see their own flaws and failures in everyone else.

Y'all would rather start attacking people you don't even know than listen and read and learn.

I've been totally sober for years, sweetie. If you're mad about me trying to prevent someone from walking the road to hell I managed to make it through, well, that's something for you to take up with your medical professionals (though if they've found a cure for being an inflammed and irritable ass on the internet, I don't know about it). Best of luck to you.

It’s interesting. The people I know who are serious about sobriety would not be addressing another person this way. Maybe they are unusual.

If they’re not acting like this thing up there, maybe they’re not yet um “totally sober.”

She’s the equivalent of a dry drunk inching closer to a barstool.

Thing? One in one's cups thus shouldn't speak or post. Trash.

“Totally sober.” It’s not going well for you, jeez.

OP will be fine. Good luck with the tooth retention, sweetie.

What are you even talking about? Maybe try sobering up before you comment again. Tooth retention? You make zero sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The strong opioid pain meds my husband was given after elbow fracture repair surgery made him very anxious. We had to call for a new prescription for something weaker. Now he asks for weaker options.

What people who haven't taken them may not realize is that opioids often come with some nausea and vomiting that can complicate recovery from surgery and just generally junk up your day.

I had ankle surgery earlier this summer. The pain medicine caused nausea and constipation and just generally made me feel ick. After two days, I decided I’d tolerate the pain, which I’d rate between a 5 and 7 out of 10, rather than feeling sick from the meds.

Yep. That's common, yet most docs prescribing opiates don't warn you, or tell you to take miralax alongside of them. You can get zofran to help with the nausea, but it'll increase the constipation (like, quadruple it).

Or you could take tylenol and advil (or those 800 mg horse pill ibuprofen they prescribe), alternative every 4 or 6 hours, and not puke or have to strain to shit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wanting narcotics before the surgery even happens and there is pain, and shopping around to find someone who freely gives them out is a pretty big red flag. A lot of docs now only use them in a very controlled way for people whose pain isn’t managed in other ways. They don’t just send people home with bottles of narcotics anymore for just in case reasons.

No this is not a red flag at all. Not wanting to endure pain because one doctor thinks it’s fine for you to suffer when there is a different doctor that will make recovery bearable is not drug shopping.

History has taught us it is crueler and does more harm to patients to give narcotics out without an individualized need than it is to ask patient to try and manage their pain initially with OTC and request stronger meds if needed.

+1 Some of the people on this thread don't have the ability to handle a hangnail without meds that were designed for end-of-life cancer patients.

What if you were okay? What if everything was fine? What if you barely needed the tylenol, healed beautifully, and it wasn't even an issue?

If you’re ok, then you don’t take the pain meds, obviously. I’m single. If I don’t have things at home after a surgery, I wont be able to get them until at least the next day, if I can get a friend to run an errand for me. (Would they even be able to pick up a narcotic for me? I don’t know.) But it drives me crazy how doctors hand you a paper prescription as you’re leaving surgery rather than letting you get everything that’s anticipate-able squared away beforehand.

Narcotic prescriptions often need to have actual signatures, be presented in person, be picked up by a party 18 and older... That's still not a good reason to hand them out in advance of actual need "just in case". They're not "have on hand in case you need it" meds. That's tylenol. They're "special circumstance that justifies jumping through additional hoops" meds, and responsible people should expect that if they want access.

No, no, no, no, no. If the block I was given has worn off by 1am and I am alone with my 6-year-old son, I have no way of getting an RX IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT to alleviate horrendous pain. Why would you expect me, who knows my body, to suffer because of your addiction issues? 2-3 pills as part of the prep is not feeding addiction, FFS.

Horrendous pain and suffering? You can take tylenol and ibuprofen simultaneously to cut that to a manageable level, and then staggered to maintain pain coverage and avoid breakthrough pain. Be honest: 2-3 pills is a recreational dose.

If you're having the kind of pain that would truly necessitate opioid use, you need to talk to your doctor about why.

Oh you mean telling the doctor that I know my body better than they do and will need pain medication, like OP said she would like to have the option for? But you seem hellbent on just “toughing it out” like a cowboy because, why?

And 2-3 pills will get you through the night until you can speak to your surgeon versus the on-call physician. Or maybe all that is needed to get over the hump where only ibuprofen is needed.

Responsible people know how to prepare for surgery and have the a good understanding how they would like to have their pain managed. We all aren’t recovering addicts or freaking sheep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wanting narcotics before the surgery even happens and there is pain, and shopping around to find someone who freely gives them out is a pretty big red flag. A lot of docs now only use them in a very controlled way for people whose pain isn’t managed in other ways. They don’t just send people home with bottles of narcotics anymore for just in case reasons.

No this is not a red flag at all. Not wanting to endure pain because one doctor thinks it’s fine for you to suffer when there is a different doctor that will make recovery bearable is not drug shopping.

History has taught us it is crueler and does more harm to patients to give narcotics out without an individualized need than it is to ask patient to try and manage their pain initially with OTC and request stronger meds if needed.

+1 Some of the people on this thread don't have the ability to handle a hangnail without meds that were designed for end-of-life cancer patients.

What if you were okay? What if everything was fine? What if you barely needed the tylenol, healed beautifully, and it wasn't even an issue?

If you’re ok, then you don’t take the pain meds, obviously. I’m single. If I don’t have things at home after a surgery, I wont be able to get them until at least the next day, if I can get a friend to run an errand for me. (Would they even be able to pick up a narcotic for me? I don’t know.) But it drives me crazy how doctors hand you a paper prescription as you’re leaving surgery rather than letting you get everything that’s anticipate-able squared away beforehand.

Narcotic prescriptions often need to have actual signatures, be presented in person, be picked up by a party 18 and older... That's still not a good reason to hand them out in advance of actual need "just in case". They're not "have on hand in case you need it" meds. That's tylenol. They're "special circumstance that justifies jumping through additional hoops" meds, and responsible people should expect that if they want access.

No, no, no, no, no. If the block I was given has worn off by 1am and I am alone with my 6-year-old son, I have no way of getting an RX IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT to alleviate horrendous pain. Why would you expect me, who knows my body, to suffer because of your addiction issues? 2-3 pills as part of the prep is not feeding addiction, FFS.

Horrendous pain and suffering? You can take tylenol and ibuprofen simultaneously to cut that to a manageable level, and then staggered to maintain pain coverage and avoid breakthrough pain. Be honest: 2-3 pills is a recreational dose.

If you're having the kind of pain that would truly necessitate opioid use, you need to talk to your doctor about why.

Oh you mean telling the doctor that I know my body better than they do and will need pain medication, like OP said she would like to have the option for? But you seem hellbent on just “toughing it out” like a cowboy because, why?

And 2-3 pills will get you through the night until you can speak to your surgeon versus the on-call physician. Or maybe all that is needed to get over the hump where only ibuprofen is needed.

Responsible people know how to prepare for surgery and have the a good understanding how they would like to have their pain managed. We all aren’t recovering addicts or freaking sheep.

"I'm not a freaking sheep" says someone ignoring medical advice and common sense to request drugs they don't currently need, and may never need, "just in case".

Yeah, no. That's peak ignorant follower behavior, along with some "I'm not even willing to try", "I know better than the professionals because it's MY BODY", and "You're not the boss of me". This is exactly how we got into an opiate crisis in the first place, but go off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wanting narcotics before the surgery even happens and there is pain, and shopping around to find someone who freely gives them out is a pretty big red flag. A lot of docs now only use them in a very controlled way for people whose pain isn’t managed in other ways. They don’t just send people home with bottles of narcotics anymore for just in case reasons.

No this is not a red flag at all. Not wanting to endure pain because one doctor thinks it’s fine for you to suffer when there is a different doctor that will make recovery bearable is not drug shopping.

History has taught us it is crueler and does more harm to patients to give narcotics out without an individualized need than it is to ask patient to try and manage their pain initially with OTC and request stronger meds if needed.

+1 Some of the people on this thread don't have the ability to handle a hangnail without meds that were designed for end-of-life cancer patients.

What if you were okay? What if everything was fine? What if you barely needed the tylenol, healed beautifully, and it wasn't even an issue?

If you’re ok, then you don’t take the pain meds, obviously. I’m single. If I don’t have things at home after a surgery, I wont be able to get them until at least the next day, if I can get a friend to run an errand for me. (Would they even be able to pick up a narcotic for me? I don’t know.) But it drives me crazy how doctors hand you a paper prescription as you’re leaving surgery rather than letting you get everything that’s anticipate-able squared away beforehand.

Narcotic prescriptions often need to have actual signatures, be presented in person, be picked up by a party 18 and older... That's still not a good reason to hand them out in advance of actual need "just in case". They're not "have on hand in case you need it" meds. That's tylenol. They're "special circumstance that justifies jumping through additional hoops" meds, and responsible people should expect that if they want access.

No, no, no, no, no. If the block I was given has worn off by 1am and I am alone with my 6-year-old son, I have no way of getting an RX IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT to alleviate horrendous pain. Why would you expect me, who knows my body, to suffer because of your addiction issues? 2-3 pills as part of the prep is not feeding addiction, FFS.

Horrendous pain and suffering? You can take tylenol and ibuprofen simultaneously to cut that to a manageable level, and then staggered to maintain pain coverage and avoid breakthrough pain. Be honest: 2-3 pills is a recreational dose.

If you're having the kind of pain that would truly necessitate opioid use, you need to talk to your doctor about why.

Oh you mean telling the doctor that I know my body better than they do and will need pain medication, like OP said she would like to have the option for? But you seem hellbent on just “toughing it out” like a cowboy because, why?

And 2-3 pills will get you through the night until you can speak to your surgeon versus the on-call physician. Or maybe all that is needed to get over the hump where only ibuprofen is needed.

Responsible people know how to prepare for surgery and have the a good understanding how they would like to have their pain managed. We all aren’t recovering addicts or freaking sheep.

responsible people trust their doctors and don't go shopping around for narcotics