pain killer--tylenol dose?

[Victoria]

So I thought I was done with the vicodin, but my torso/underarm pain is much better helped with taking half a vicodin. My PS said most patients stop using the "big" drugs after day four or so, (He's not big on meds--doesn't like over medicating) but the acetaminophen is not doing much. Plus the bottle says only 8 tablets (500mg) in 24 hours. I'm at six tablets mid afternoon. How much acetaminophen (extra strength tylenol) are you taking? What is your pain trick? My PS won't allow icing.

Want to do it right, know I'm so close to the end of the pain,

[jayne]

Personally I couldn't of managed without icing...I stopped all painkillers on day 5...and now Day10 I feel pretty much myself...just occasional twinge....although I'm not doing a lot kids are run ragged tho

[Slinky]

No icing........ I wonder why. Did you ask, Victoria? There were times when I just couldn't wait to get home and grab my frozen peas!

I took my acetaminophen every 6 hours, when I went off the Vicodin on day 3. I took 2 - 500 mg. tabs, so a total of 1000 mgs. every 6 hours. I think that was for 2 days, and then I started stretching it out longer and longer till I quit taking anything. But we're all different. If you still need a little stronger pain relief, don't worry about it. Take your 1/2 a Vicodin and rest easy.

Annie

[drtush]

I tried to stop taking the Percocet on day 5 and had a very rough day. I had gone back to work (only 1/2 day) and came home after lunch and creid all(and I mean ALL) afternoon. I still don't know why I was so tearful and sad but I began taking the pain meds again the next day and felt much better. Today is post op day 11 for me and I am still taking 1-2 Darvocet a day due to the incision under my arms-very painful to reach above my head. Everyones pain tolerance is different and everyones bodies responds differently to trauma(like surgery). Take what you need with respect to an appropriate dose and keep in mind that i think the daily dose limit for acetaminaphin is 4000mg. Your PS my have had some experiences with patients abusing the pain meds and this might explain his position on the subject. Take care of you in spite what others think. By the way, the pain was so much better for me on day 7 & 8. Good Luck

[NikkiT]

I stopped my pain killers on day 4 or so and I would take them at night after that just to help me sleep but when I was taking my pain meds I was taking them every 4 hours. My doctor also said no cold or heat packs around my new boobs, which I thought was different since I hear all about "Oh make sure you have your frozen veggies"!! lol But I never asked why and didnt really worry about it, I was fine without them!!

[elizabethmc]

If you feel better taking half the pill, then I'd take the half. We all heal differently, after all. But I wonder why your PS doesn't want you to ice your boobies? All that I can think is maybe he is afraid you will damage the tissues by over-icing. I hope you feel better hon. XOXO

[drtush]

You need surgery or are in severe pain

"Any woman on the street will tell you that men are wusses—that women have a much greater tolerance for pain because they put up with childbirth," says pain researcher Richard J. Traub, PhD, of the University of Maryland Dental School. "But when you do the controlled experiments, you find just the opposite."

Hard as it may be to accept, the research is clear: When scientists test volunteers with heat or pressure, women find the sensation painful at lower levels than men do. Yet doctors may be more reluctant to give women strong drugs for pain. In a classic study done in 1990 on men and women who'd had coronary artery bypass surgery, men got more doses of narcotic pain relievers, while the women were more likely to get...tranquilizers.

There are a number of possible explanations, says Roger Fillingim, PhD, who researches pain at the University of Florida College of Dentistry. Women may have expressed more anxiety, for one thing. Another possibility: "It suggests that women are treated like they may just be hysterical and need to be calmed down," he says.

The situation's all the more frustrating because women may actually get better relief than men when they're given morphinelike drugs for severe pain, although studies on this point conflict. (There's no disagreement about the fact that women are more likely to experience nausea, a side effect of those medications.)

Best for women: If you're still hurting after you've received medication for postsurgical pain or a severe chronic condition, speak up, says Mark Lema, MD, PhD, president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. You may need stronger drugs or a higher dose. Don't be afraid to take morphine or other opiates if they're called for: When they're used for intense pain, the risk of addiction is low. And if you take them and have a tendency to get nauseated, ask for nausea meds, too
I read this on MSN this morining and thought of you. Hope it helps.

[TAC32]

My surgery was on Wed. 21st, and I was doing really well. I just kept pain meds in me around the clock. Percocets. Yesterday, I WAY overdid it..i thought i was feeling fine, went to the mall, out to lunch, came home and took a 2 hour nap. I was exhausted! No pain meds but tylenol all day, and that was minimal. I was uncomfortable for most of the night, didn't sleep well, and today, I am paying for it girl! I am back on pain meds today, but am trying to take as minimal as possible. I am down to a few, and they have to last me until Monday until I can get a refill. I guess the moral to my story is, eventhough you don't think you need them, or tylenol, take them....and then take it easy for AWHILE! Your body can deceive you, and then you pay for it!

[Victoria]

We are all learning these lessons together, aren't we!

[SparkleB]

I can't imagine why he won't allow icing, that doesn't make sense to me... I used my ice pack for 4 days after, and actually just used it last night for a little bit and I'm 3 weeks post-op.
As far as the drugs go... I alternated between percocet and demoral for a litte over a week, as well as valium. Then I graduated to Motrin which has done a pretty good job, 2 every 4 hrs.

[JACQELINERT]

Originally Posted by Victoria

So I thought I was done with the vicodin, but my torso/underarm pain is much better helped with taking half a vicodin. My PS said most patients stop using the "big" drugs after day four or so, (He's not big on meds--doesn't like over medicating) but the acetaminophen is not doing much. Plus the bottle says only 8 tablets (500mg) in 24 hours. I'm at six tablets mid afternoon. How much acetaminophen (extra strength tylenol) are you taking? What is your pain trick? My PS won't allow icing.

Want to do it right, know I'm so close to the end of the pain,

Tell your PS to get with modern pain management protocols!

I'm mad at him for telling you that. Everyone is different on pain and he shouldn't hold you to what "most patients" do, and frankly I don't believe most patients only go four days.

I am a tough cookie when it comes to pain, but my PS was fine with my taking narcotics for two weeks or even more if I needed and the post-op nurse told me I should stay on the pain pills as needed -- which could be a week or even two -- because pain saps your energy and therefore may slow healing or make you depressed.

I took my hydrocodone (Lortab) narcotic pain pills with tylenol for 7 days pretty much round the clock and for another 4-5 days at night and occasionally during the day. You won't get addicted under three weeks of use. I am SO MAD that you are having to be in pain unnecessarily only because your PS is a jock.

As for how much tylenol to take, you could ask your pharmacist what the maximum safe dose is.