i can tell when it hurts

Having been a patient for most of the last seven years, I can tell how some things have changed.One thing that seems quite different is pain management. After my mastectomy and my diagnosis of metastasis in 2006, I was given loads of painkillers - morphine, Oxycontin, percocet, Tylenol with codeine and others - all in small amounts. I never finished a prescription and I always brought the leftovers to the drug store for disposal.Fast forward to my brain surgery last fall. I was fortunate to be sent home after two nights in the hospital (you heal much better at home). The last thing that they sorted out was pain management. I remember a team of doctors standing around my bed. One of them asked, "What has worked best for you in the past?""Oxycontin," I replied without hesitation. I never felt particularly high while taking it but it very effectively killed the pain.Several of the doctors exchanged glances. One shook his head sadly and said, "Well, we'll figure something out."I was sent home with hydromorphone, another opioid. It certainly diminished the pain and since I'd never had brain surgery before, I can't compare it to anything else. I did think it was odd that they would ask me what worked and then send me home with something completely different.In less than two weeks, never taking more than prescribed, I ran out. My surgeon is really hard to reach, so I called my family doctor. She simply asked me how many I thought I would need. When I hesitated, she said, "You n...
Source: Not just about cancer - Category: Cancer Tags: metastatic guilt breast cancer brain metastasis community my friends mastectomy pissed off cancer blog rants chronic illness Source Type: blogs