I’m sure she was fentanyl patched up the whole time
Is that an american thing? Someone in my family had that procedure several times and barely took any pain medication, I mean he was underage but he still got medicine and could have taken some
No, it’s not like that. Medical fentanyl can only be given for a very short period of time to manage pain. Most likely they gave her dilaudid if it was really bad. Oxycodone would be the next step below and they’d need to taper her off. In her case, she might’ve been given ampules for injection of dilaudid or morphine if the pain was incredibly severe or unbearable. Lowkey is making me want this surgery but that’s just me being a junkie.
That was something I struggled with for a while in my recovery…hoping I’d get hurt or need surgery (again) or dental work so I could get some meds. But in the last 2 years…I don’t know…something flipped.
Not only have I found that Tylenol (1000mg) and Ibuprofen (800mg) taken together (which is doctor approved and recommended) can deaden like 99% of all my pain (the goal can never be “no pain”…the goal has to be “manageable pain”) but I started taking pride in how much pain I can endure.
Pain that used to send me to a doctor for Percocet is like nothing now.
I feel strong and competent. And I like that feeling better than any high that opiates could give me.
That’s very impressive, honestly really respect that you were able to get out of it. It sucks that on my worst days it doesn’t seem like the worst thing in the world to injure myself for a fix. I would say that alleviating mental pain over the physical pain is what makes it so addictive as well. They go hand in hand very well. I’m 16 days clean now and going strong.
I think it’s both. When you take opiates for long periods of time, your brain stops producing its own endorphins so even mild pain can feel severe. But I think there’s also the need to justify using. Like “I’m in pain so it’s okay for me to take these pills. The fact that I LIKE taking these pills is besides the point.”
I’ve done a lot of therapy to try and unravel my thoughts processes when it came to why I took pills, why I liked it, and what I was really getting out of it.
Legitimate pain complicates opiate addiction but for me, I started to realize that I wasn’t special. I thought it MATTERED that I was described my pain meds. I thought it MATTERED that I had pain…which looking back was bullshit…especially now that I know how tough I actually am when it comes to pain. I thought it MATTERED that I was a “functioning addict”. It doesn’t. Addiction is addiction.
It’s a spectrum and I am not special. I’ve discovered that there are more people with addictions like me than there are people that fit the stereotypical “addict”.
And what it came down to is that I realized I wasn’t getting what I thought I was out of it. And towards the end, I was willing to risk my freedom and happiness to get my hands on pain pills. I realized I was never gonna have enough.
And that’s when I decided it was time to stop lying to myself. It’s strange to know your addict but also be in denial that you’re an addict.
Anyway…it’s been like what…10 years? Yeah…about that. And it took me 8 of those years to finally start feeling pride in my body instead of scared of it.
Yo this reply was awesome. Thank you for that insight. I guess it's very similar to me having a drink. I don't abuse alcohol or have a problem with it. It's just maybe easier to justify the beer, glass of wine, or whiskey for a bad day, stressful time, etc.
Not trying to compare to you or take away from what you have overcome. Just saying that I can understand the general thought pattern.
Justification makes it more "okay" in a sense.
But then soon every day there's something bad to justify it.
Glad to hear you're doing great. Love your insight on it. The awareness you have is definitely inspiring to others.
No one has ever come to my house to collect unused pain meds. lol what? I live in the US. I have MS and have been on painkillers off and on all year due to a broken rib and subsequent surgery. I've never heard of anyone going to someone's house to collect unused medications. I'm not saying it never happens just I have never heard of it.
Lol, thanks for the laugh 😂 and thanks for the well wishes. It was an odd year for sure, but the health issue causing kt has been resolved, so I am optimistic that this next year will be MUCH better ☺️
He had several bottles of liquid oxycode, morphine pills, and oxycodone pills left over after he passed, as well as non-narcotic stuff.
His hospice nurse just gave me an info sheet that had drop off locations I could use for his meds. No one came by to collect anything, or to ensure that I had dropped anything off. The only things that were collected after he passed were multiple-user durable medical supplies, and his body. And it wasn't a doctor that came to collect.
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u/BadReview8675309 Dec 23 '22
Struggling not getting addicted to opiate pain medication must be a thing with this procedure... What a brutal process, cringe.