Pain Protocol
I’ve had 3-4 calls since my pre-op tests last week from not only the internal medicine doctor’s resident but the nurse in charge of my case, Stephanie, and a research nurse seeing if I would like to take part in s study that involved me taking Celebrex as part of my after care.
We had three phone calls. The initial one where she asked if I would like to take part. To which, I said yes because you know, pain management is going to be crucial after my operation. The reason being, I’m driving all my medical team up the wall because I have a severe reaction to all codeine and morphine based drugs. In other words, I cannot take them as part of my Pain Protocol.
The second call was in response to my leaving a message telling her (after I had read the online literature) that I have a small ulcer. You cannot take Celebrex with an ulcer. She said she would need to check to see if, in fact, I could take part in the study and call me back. Well, she called me back within about 30 minutes to say I was off the study and, in fact, wouldn’t be getting the usual 3 doses of Celebrex as part of my after care pain protocol, as most do, because of said ulcer.
Damn stupid ulcer.
So now, I can’t be administered Celebrex, or any of the usual strong pain meds, and was even offered in one phone call to be considered for, get this, Oxycontin and or Fentanyl.
Are you kidding me?
Both are narcotics and I’ve spent I don’t know how much time trying to explain to these people that I cannot, under any circumstances, no matter how much pain I’m going to be in, take these drugs.
No. I am not a recovering drug addict or anything like that. These drugs were administered to me when I was trying to pass a kidney stone back in 2017.
First, not one of these drugs did anything to ease or mitigate the pain. NOT ONE!
Second. Two of the three they gave me, gave me hallucinations that had me screaming at the sight of peoples faces melting. And other dark things I never want to relive again. EVER!
Thirdly. All three made me vomit till as such times as some idiot could fill me full of Gravol. It was awful from beginning to end. Worse was the fact that despite my protestations that they could not administer these drugs, they went ahead and did so anyway.
Which brings me back to the flurry of phone calls these past few days by those on my case worriedly trying to figure out what they can give me.
I told them. Tylenol.
I have no idea what it’s going to be like after my op, and just how much pain I might be in. But hope it’s not as bad as the kidney stone. I lived through that for a couple of months before I went private, and paid someone to vibrate the damn thing into grit.
Is Tylenol going to be enough? Ask me that after the op and I’ll let you know.