Lung TX Pain Meds

tckylem

New member
I revieved my TX close to 5 weeks ago. I was wondering what pain medication was given to you. What can we take and what shpuld we stay away from? Any thoughts?
 
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fr3ak

Guest
if you are in pain then I would suggest seeing your tx drs, and getting their imput....

I was on oxycontin and endone for a lot longer then usual, because my sternum knitted crooked....

I then had a abscess removed and my sternum wire was also removed, which again left me in incredible pain due to my sternum clicking in and out, and cracking...

(all Up i was on hard core pain meds for over 2 years) I since started working out at the gym under the guidance of a PT(personal trainer) and did weight training to strengthen my sternum...(I use to strap my sternum pretty firmly to stop it clicking in and out)

but I wouldnt be taking any pain meds without your drs knowing your in pain, just incase there is something that may be contributing to the pain

I been off all pain meds for over a year now and my sternum only cracks every now and then...and I am no longer in continous pain, which I didnt think Id ever see that day, but I did!
 

EnergyGal

New member
I hope you get your sternum fixed. I never heard of this happening but I did hear of the clicking. I think it all depends on what method the surgeon uses. I remember a surgeon asking me what method that was used on me.

After my second transplant, I was on a lot of pain meds but fortunately, did not feel that much discomfort. I kept on asking for pain meds but that was a mistake because it would knock me out too much. I finally learned to take some of the pain and once I moved around, I was fine.


Fentinol was the worst for me. IT made me angry and depressed. Once they discontinued this pain med, I was fine. Everyone reacts so differently to everything. I learned to never compare myself to others.
 

anonymous

New member
They have given me oxycodone. It makes me sick. I was just wondering if this was the only pain med I could take. I will see the Doc in a few days. I was just seeing what others were able to take for pain. Eveything seems to have drug interactions.

Thanks
 

anonymous

New member
I was on Percocet. 2 pills every 4 hours. I got myself down to one pill once a day by the time i left the hospital (9 days). After that I lived on extra strenght tylenol for a little bit. I'm sure your transplant centers have told you this but you are not allowed to take NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) post transplant. This means no advil, motrin, etc. Tylenol is the only over the counter pain killer allowed.

Margaret
Double Lung tx 11.11.04
 
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fr3ak

Guest
Hi Risa,

There is nothing they can do for my sternum now. I consulted a surgeon to replace my wire, but due to nature of the operation it would be more of a risk then a solution....

They would have to go back in and rebreak my sternum and set it, and the probability of it being worse then it already is, far outweighs the benefits...and the risk of infection was too great as well...

I have just learned to tolerate the pain....

I hope your pain gets managable soon tckylem!!!!
 

EnergyGal

New member
hello Fr3ak

I sure hope your pain stops. When I wrote my post, I mentioned I had some pain. Well I only had some pain for only a few weeks or shall I say discomfort or pressure. Nothing too bad. I was in recovery and I had several surgeries in one week so I was on the vent a little longer that I should have been. As soon as I left the hospital my pain was gone. I found that using the therapy vest completely took away any pressure pains. What I mean about pressure pain is when you touch around your sternum and press firmly there is a slight pressure pain almost like when you have pitched nerve. This pain was not bad at all. I felt a tenderness on touch. Well I decided to start using my vest everyday because I had a tiny amount of congestion or shall I say I saw some very thin mucus once per day and was worried it would turn out to be a chest cold so I used the vest for preventitive reasons. Well three weeks later, I have no presure pain at all. I can tap really firmly and hard like tarzan on my chest and do not feel anything. So perhaps using the vest for you might help. I think it adds so much circulation and this is great for the scar tissue that develops so perhaps this is why the tenderness I felt is gone???? worth a chance I say
 
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