Are You Informed?

[dstollery 290]

I guess i wanted to post this because people need to advocate for themselves and sometimes you dont have an CRNA or Anesthesia doc that is willing to help you out so here it goes. . .

Allot of patients wake up post op with nausea. This is a common side effect to the anesthesia and can be rather uncomfortable. A wonderfull drug, IMHO should be over the counter in fact is called Zofran or Ondansetron. This medication works by stopping the feeling of nausea. I wont go into the pharmacological end of it. Surfice it to say that for most people, as long as you take it before the vomitting begins, it's a god send. Zofran comes in ODT (Oral disolving Tablets) and pills as well as injection and this october a film (like the new med film strips that melt on your tongue your seeing so popular.) 4mg or 8mg is the dosing, the ODT are a little chaulky after they disolve and you need to make sure you have a moist mouth but they are great. The best part about it is that it does not have the GIANT list of side effects that comes with the old friend Phenergan (Promethazine).

If before you go into surgery your feeling anxious, you need to tell someone. They can give you medications to help you relax. Its normal to have anxiety and some very real fear before surgery. Your nurse or anesthesia doc can help you with this. Don't man up thru it, use the pharmacology to your advantage!

This brings me to post op pain and the management of it. Pain meds come in several forms. I would say the most common are morphine, dilaudid, Fentanyl and then you get into the percocet and vicodin meds. My point in listing this is simple. If a med is not working for you, or is making you sick, ask for a different pain med. These all work a little differently most work on the GABA or MU receptors but each has its own little quirks. Morphine for instance is natorious for giving you an itchy nose. This is due to the histamine release and is common. Nausea with all of these can occur. there is some merit in relaxation techniques and distraction/diversion therapy. This is fairly simply and can help with minor pain or even some break thru pain that can occur post op.

Talk to your dr about any concerns you have with pain or pain management or the treatment you are going to recieve. Dont be afraid to ask whats this med for? why are you giving me this? You dont have to be in the medical field to be told what a med is for, but you should know EVERY med your on. If i ask you what is in your PCA (pain pump) you should be able to tell me. Remember that a little pain is ok, your body will throw endorphines (sp) at you and help with it, but any more than that can hinder the healing process.

Be informed peeps. Dont go in not knowing what you need for yourself!!!

I dont know it all, in fact i would say i know very little and all of this info you can find online. I'm not trying to make myself sound smart, i'm just trying to help some of you shy ones realize that this is your body and you deserve to know whats going in it, and why. Always consult your dr. before taking any medication.

[L Belle 96]

Thanks for the great info!

[goal175 13]

Omg thank u so much!

[jenneliza 257]

Wonderful info! Zofran works wonders! I asked for it just in case to prevent like you said. You as a patient are your best advocate!

[shrinkingDEE 60]

Very informative and I'm sure it'll help many. Btw, you did sound a tad but smart. Lol

[babygirl901 173]

I had dilaudid and zofran......they are GREAT!!!!! ESPECIALLY WHEN GIVEN IN THE IV TOGETHER.

[DLCoggin 1,788]

Well done Mr. David! Thanks so much for sharing!

[SheVsMe 46]

Thanks so much! I am in that percentile of people that suffer from major side effects of Phenergan. My pre-surgery testing is Tuesday. I will be sure to let them know that it is an issue and to see if I can have something ordered for my nerves on surgery day.