Surgeon only gives Tylenol after surgery

[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.

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!

It is if the surgeon doesn’t think most people need it and the person isn’t actually experiencing any pain yet. OP indicated surgeon is willing to give it if needed. Reasonable.
And still OP won’t tell us what it is.

[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.

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

You've BTDT with all the painkiller options for YOUR body. Stop speaking for other people.

Bro, bodies aren't that different. They're really not. The doctor responsible for performing the procedure doesn't think the pain will necessitate preemptive prescriptions, and you should respect that. OP is future-tripping about pain they're not even experiencing yet. If they're going to do that, they'd be better served to apply it to the withdrawals and addiction they're entertaining, and not what is likely to be an uncomplicated recovery OTC pain meds can manage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had two c-sections, and absolutely needed pain meds after both of them. Kudos to those who can do it with Tylenol/motrin alone.

That said, DD recently had her wisdom teeth out and the surgeon said during the consult that they no longer prescribe pain killers as a matter of course (whereas I remember being sent home with Vicodin after my wisdom teeth surgery). DD did do fine with just Tylenol and Motrin.

My son had his wisdom teeth out and they prescribed narcotics. Pain should be treated. When pain isn’t treated, it takes longer to heal and the patient is more susceptible to infections as the pain disrupts their resting/ability to sleep.

Pain can be treated with tylenol and advil. It really can. You don't need psychoactive meds to treat your simple, explainable, finite pain(s).

[Anonymous]

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.

Assuming your recovery will be 'unbearable' without narcotics makes you an idiot, and a chicken. At least try before you betch out, yeah? You might be fine. If you're not, you can get meds later, if/when you actually need them.

[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.

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

Trash. You’re just trash, my god.

And you're an idiot and an ass, so good luck with being that weak in the world.

[Anonymous]

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?

[Anonymous]

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.

You didn’t read the post. More doctors will prescribe additional pain medications. If some continues to experience pain beyond what otc meds can handle. But they don’t just send every patient home with bottles of narcotics benzos just in case they have pain or anxiety. It is shopping around as OP doesn’t even have any pain yet and that pain may be well managed with otc. Just because the current culture is to pop pills for everything and feel nothing mentally or physically doesn’t mean that approach is supported by the medical field. It has led to massive amounts of lives ruined in the past and just isn’t modern medicine. The approach now is to treat the patient and their individual needs, not to hand out bottles of narcotics and benzos to anyone who wants them just in case they have pain that isn’t managed with otc.

DP. Pain is better managed when you get ahead of it, and a pain Rx (for a short duration) often will be called in during the time of major surgery, before the patient heads home, for that reason. Refills are not automatic, but often will be filled after a detailed discussion with the health practice.

The current view is not opposed to offering these meds; in fact the pendulum is very carefully swinging back due to doctors’ concerns about how poorly pain has been managed for their patients over the past decade as a result of the severe limits on opioids.

Again, pain is very individual and procedures affect people differently.

Some of you are actually posting out-of-date and incorrect info, with a dollop of proselytizing on top.

Alternating ibuprofen and acetaminophen, setting a timer to wake up in the night as needed to maintain the schedule, has been clinically shown to be as effective as opioids.

https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2018/0301/p348.html
https://www.nsc.org/getmedia/8ecdc0e5-ae58-43e8-b98b-46c205e1c2b2/evidence-efficacy-pain-medications.pdf
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8851821/

There's even a podcast for those who don't want to read: https://healthcare.utah.edu/the-scope/health-library/all/2019/03/health-hack-ibuprofen-instead-of-opioids

Be smarter, stay healthier.

[Anonymous]

Also the opioids can cause constipation that is worse than the surgical pain. And salute what they say Colace does not really help, or ducolalx or MiraLAX or all of them together.

[Anonymous]

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.

You didn’t read the post. More doctors will prescribe additional pain medications. If some continues to experience pain beyond what otc meds can handle. But they don’t just send every patient home with bottles of narcotics benzos just in case they have pain or anxiety. It is shopping around as OP doesn’t even have any pain yet and that pain may be well managed with otc. Just because the current culture is to pop pills for everything and feel nothing mentally or physically doesn’t mean that approach is supported by the medical field. It has led to massive amounts of lives ruined in the past and just isn’t modern medicine. The approach now is to treat the patient and their individual needs, not to hand out bottles of narcotics and benzos to anyone who wants them just in case they have pain that isn’t managed with otc.

DP. Pain is better managed when you get ahead of it, and a pain Rx (for a short duration) often will be called in during the time of major surgery, before the patient heads home, for that reason. Refills are not automatic, but often will be filled after a detailed discussion with the health practice.

The current view is not opposed to offering these meds; in fact the pendulum is very carefully swinging back due to doctors’ concerns about how poorly pain has been managed for their patients over the past decade as a result of the severe limits on opioids.

Again, pain is very individual and procedures affect people differently.

Some of you are actually posting out-of-date and incorrect info, with a dollop of proselytizing on top.

Not out of date or incorrect care. I guess it is different approaches. Where I am we provide individualized, patient centered care which means that having surgery isnt' an automatic narcotics and benzo script for everyone. I am surpised your doctors still hand it out like candy and don't take a more controlled or individualized approach and that surgery = whatever you want for pain before the pain even happens. Pain management is important but where I work, there is no longer the view that narcotics are the only option for pain management. We have a chronic pain clinic that doesn't even prescribe narcotics. There are many ways to manage pain and using narcotics as your solution for every patient who has surgery without any assessment of the individual or their need led to major addiction, overuse and dependency issues. I would say that your approach is more old school - to not recognize the harms of opioids and the dangers of overprescribing and using them broadly for all patients who are surgical patients.

No one is suggesting narcotics are or should be “handed out like candy,” or prescribed to every surgery patient. To imply that major health organizations are unaware of the risk of harms from opioid narcotics is nonsensical.

I was responding to a poster who said all patients getting surgery should get narcotics to get ahead of the pain. That person was saying that is how her faclity approaches pain management - so yes, for that poster, she seems unaware of why other practices are using alternatives to opiods and using opiods sparingly and in an individualized way versus the practice at her center of giving a Rx ahead of surgery to anyone who might have some pain.

[Anonymous]

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.

What’s the problem? Lots of people don’t want the big guns unless absolutely necessary.

After my surgery, they automatically gave me a prescription for Percocet. My best friend told me don’t even bother getting it filled. So I ripped it up. She knew my tolerance. The surgeon didn’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Find a different surgeon

This 100 percent. Not a surgeon I would have operate on me by choice.

And OP are you a person of color? Just curious.

[Anonymous]

Give me the big guns and in and excuse if I need at home. Don’t have me be in terrible pain and in need of stronger meds without them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Give me the big guns and in and excuse if I need at home. Don’t have me be in terrible pain and in need of stronger meds without them.

PP. and I’ve had surgery and never one thought to ask the surgeon what pain meds they prescribe after.

[Anonymous]

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 could consider changing your tone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Give me the big guns and in and excuse if I need at home. Don’t have me be in terrible pain and in need of stronger meds without them.

Or what? Seriously. What is going to happen if you're in pain for a few days? Either you're going to live, because you had surgery and one of the after-effects is pain, or you're at risk of death because of some complication, like an infection, in which case that pain is giving you some very important feedback and you probably shouldn't be doped out of your mind on narcotics to the point you don't get the message.

One of the biggest predictors of post-surgical pain is your attitude. Be mad, but that's hard facts. Imagine disaster and it'll hurt more. Imagine you'll be fine and you probably will be, and will likely have much less pain as you recover. All pain is processed by the mind.