Hi everyone,
I am brand new to this forum and I need some advice. I have been in PM for about 3 years and am prescribed Opana - it works for me, until I am admitted into the hospital. I have lymphedema in my left arm. For the past 5 years, I will get an infection that causes me to get celluitis (pretty severe). I usually pack a few things and go straight to the ER. I am always admitted because they hook me up to Vancomycin - which can only be run every 12 hours, so I usually stay for 3 days. My question for someone who has had a similar experience of being treated in hospital and trying to get effective pain management?
This infection happens around 2X a year. I have had the unfortunate experience of having to use my chronic pain meds to manage my hospital pain. At the hospital, my pain is not being treated properly (long story - blood pressure drops below <85). Anyway, this last incident just occurred right before Thanksgiving and I am seeing my Pain Man. Doc next week. I am short on my meds because I used them in the hospital. Does anyone here have experience with needing more than your usual chronic pain meds because you suffer an acute incident and need more than your usual dosage while in and after your hospital stay??<br />I would love to hear others stories or experiences. I am always honest with my Doc and I am going to share with him my trouble with this issue.
Thanks for reading.
MCardinal
Comments
I am sure that you will find your time on Spine-Health very rewarding. This site is a powerful and integrated system that is dynamic and growing.
Here are just some of the highlights that are available as tabs on the main Spine-Health menu bar
Spine-Health Main Menu Tabs
Conditions Detailed medical libraries of articles and videos that address almost every spinal condition.
Treatment List of treatments to the conditions identified by Spine-Health.
Wellness Section contains articles, tips and videos to help patients after surgery and also to help people avoid surgery.
Spine-Health Forums These are the forums you will be using
Find A Doctor This provides with a method to search for doctors in various locations.
Doctor Advice Health Center The Resource tab, has many important features. You can browse various doctor advice on given spinal situations, you can browse clinical trials and view a comprehensive glossary..
Health Videos Index to all Spine-Health Videos
As a bonus, Spine-Health provides these patient forums. Here you can meet thousands of people who understand and can relate to your situation. You will soon become part of the Spiney family[/u] who provide comfort and the advantages of a support system. You are now part of this family that is approximately 27,00 international members and growing daily.
IMPORTANT
- It is very important to understand the Forum Rules to make sure all of your posts[u] do not violate any of the rules.[/u]
- All new members must read our FAQ in order to understand the layout of the forums, how to navigate through the forums, helpful terms, how to make effective threads and posts, plus a link index to many of the important medical forums and key medical articles on Spine-Health Forum FAQ
I am positive any member, new or old will find this Chroinc Pain - Step by Step thread very valuable.
Here are some links that all new members need to review to create effective threads and more
Read before you post
Tips for Newcomers
Understanding the rules
All of this will help make your threads better and improve the times and quality of responses you will receive.
You can also find Spine-Health on these Social Networks
Facebook www.facebook.com/spinehealth
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/spinehealth/boards/
Twitter https://twitter.com/SpineHealth
If you have any questions or need assistance, you can use the private message facility to[u] contact any one of the Spine-Health Moderators
dilauro
tamtam
Liz
Sandi
JellyHall
********************************************************************************************
Liz, Spine-health Moderator
While the hospital may not have given you Opana, they would have converted the dosage of Opana to another medication carried by the pharmacy for the duration of your hospital stay.
Since it was only a three day stay, and Opana is dosed every 12 hours, you shouldn't be 'short' of medications.
There is a difference in treating acute pain episodes and your use of opiates for the treatment of Chronic pain, and the medications given to you for your chronic pain should not be taken to manage acute pain espisodes, the hospital was responsible for that need, if the doctors felt that you needed it.
If, while in the hospital, your pain is not being managed effectively, then you always have the option of asking for a consult with the pain management department.
jon
If for example, you are taking you own pain medications and then they give you what has be prescribed by the hospital that would falsify any future examinations while you are in the hospital.
I've had a 4 surgeries the past two years, each time, there was an agreement between the surgeon, my pain management doctor and myself. 1 - Upon entering the hospital, I no longer take ANY of my medications 2 - My surgeon takes control of pain medications until I am formally discharged completely and 3 - My pain management doctor takes over then
This way there is no reason for any shortage of any medication.
I am not a medical professional. I comment on personal experiences
second instance.... i take zantac... hospital gives me prevacid because that is what they stock. took it during the 1st stay, and it doesn't work for me. I told the pharmacy this when preparing for my 2nd stay, and i had the option of bringing my own, or they did tell me they do stock a small amount for patients like me that the other med doesn't work on. so in the end, i didn't need to bring it myself, but they would have let me do it.
so long story short, they do allow you to bring your own in certain cases i guess.
Cervical fusion C4-5 and C5-6 9/2011
Lumbar Fusion L5-S1 6/2012
jon
The use of other non opiates, they might in fact, allow the use of those, since they aren't in their formulary/supplies, but they are not scheduled medications/opiates.
The hospital in your situation should have sent for a pain management consult to convert you to whatever the hospital had in stock , and as the patient, you always have the right to insist on a consult with another doctor if you feel that they are not treating or addressing your medical concerns appropriately.
jon