If I have a tooth ache, the kind that hurts from my jaw to the crown of my head, and my ear as well, there is only one thing that stops it.
Vicodin
Oxycodone and Acetominophen
I have tried:
Aspirin
Tylenol
Motrin
Excedrin
Tylenol #3
Nothing even lessens my pain, other than Vicodin.
I take one tablet and within ten minutes my pain is gone.
I suffer no other sensation.
I do not get euphoric. I do no sense any type of altered state.
There is no high. There is no giddiness. I observe nothing out of the ordinary.
Without it, I would remain in excruciating pain.
I would not go to this E.R., if I could avoid it.
I have used Vicodin 5 to 10 times in my life. Each time I used it for a short period of time when I needed it, and stopped when The pain was gone with no ill effects whatsoever.
I have had several situations arise where morphine was necessary. It was the only thing that gave me relief. I was given a pump that allowed me to take it as needed.
I have a propensity to develop blood clots. Twice in my life I had massive clotting. In one of the instances my lungs were about 75% involved. My abdomen down to my feet were involved.
This and complications led to excruciating pain. For several days my nerves seemed to extend beyond my body, off the bed, down to the floor and out into the hallway under the door.
If someone walked by outside the door, I could feel it almost like someone was touching me. it literally hurt. I could feel it, my nerves were that raw. The Morphine pump was the only thing that helped. They tried Demerol and it did nothing.
I mention this because it is important for people to understand the pain others feel.
Some physicians having never felt something like this in their lives, can’t identify with the need for relief. They cannot fathom this type of pain.
They believe they are operating at a higher moral level if they avoid certain meds. They are wrong. Certain meds are the only things that bring relief, and patients deserve that relief.
After experiencing this level of pain, and finally getting the relief I desperately needed, one physician asked how I was doing. I responded much better. He responded with a snide comment referencing my enjoyment of the high from the Morphine.
He was completely unaware of the level of pain I had experienced, and that the Morphine was the only thing that got me through it.
The Morphine also caused me to hallucinate. My wife explained to me that I was seeing spiders all over the walls and ceiling. I don’t remember that. All I remember is that the pain was gone.
When your body is ravaged by that much pain, you are in an agitated state. It is impossible to relax, to relieve the tension, and I believe to heal. That medication was as important as the blood thinners and antibiotics.
Pain management is very important. It cannot be overlooked, but I know for a fact that physicians hold off certain meds while their patients are in excruciating pain. They shouldn’t.
My use of the Morphine pump was warranted, effective, and stopped the moment the pain subsided, in a subconscious normal manner with no ill effects.
And that is exactly what I needed.
I might not be here if It weren’t for that.
when there is legitimate pain for the medication to work against, there's no high or giddiness. This was once explained to me by a doctor. I've found it to be true.
I appreciate what you are saying about morphine.
I’ve had 9 surgeries in my life, 4 major, 3 abdominal. I react to anesthetic and can never decide whether I’ll puke or pass out from the pain.
For one abdominal, I was under the knife for 5.5 hours and ended up on a morphine drip. What I really remember, other than puking and my guts on fire, was that people from work came to visit me and made me laugh. Oh boy, that hurt.
It was the second surgery that got to me, what with the morphine. I became convinced that the hospital staff were torturing a woman down the hall-who did turn out to be in a semi-psych room of some type. I hallucinated little critters and blotches. I got off that stuff as soon as I could, even while walking the hospital halls to get my legs under me again.
I’ve been debating joint surgery the last two years. I just don’t want the pain of it. I have gone from needing oxy to hydrocodone to tramadol and now, nothing. I think my mind is just fed up with the idea of pain meds for the joints when walking.