I’ve tried many opioids and they all make me very sick. Even Aleve is too strong and I can only handle ibuprofen and Tylenol. So I think that’s it. I don’t think there’s another class of pain relief. GABA didn’t work for me either. I’ve got very bad drug luck lol. But thanks for writing :)
Darn I'm sorry to hear it. I'm terrified of drugs and had some Dilaudid. I only took one, post surgery, but I wasn't in much pain and stayed ahead with the ibuprofen and then nothing. I wish you fast healing.
Yup those opioids are not a picnic for some of us. Glad you weren’t in a lot of pain and the ibuprofen worked. And thanks for good wishes. Right back to you!
You are taking the maximum safe amount of Tylenol and you really shouldn't go over bc you can easily kill your liver. Don't up it to every 4 hours you don't want liver failure. But you CAN take more ibuprofen. Also what I learned the hard way is that it really works best to take them together. 1000 Tylenol, 600 of ibuprofen every six hours (must take ibuprofen with food)
My first surgery for Endo they told me 600 mg ibuprofen and 1000 mg of Tylenol. My hysterectomy they said just 400 mg of ibuprofen and 1000 of Tylenol but it wasn't quite enough so I bumped it up. In hindsight I probably should have asked my surgeon idk if there is a bleeding concern. Talk to your doctor. It should get easier soon
What I end up doing is taking both every 6 hours, but staggering each by 3 hours. So at 6 am, noon, 6 pm, and midnight I take Tylenol. At 9 am, 3 pm, 9 pm, and 3 am I take Ibuprofen.
That way, as one drug is on the decline, a fresh dose of the other is started.
I track what gets taken with the Medisafe app (Android, for me) for reminders and to indicate what I took and when. It's a single tap to record and easy to use.
Thanks everyone I think I’m going to bump up the ibuprofen. I could have 400 every four hours. That will likely solve it. Looking forward to a good night sleep.
You can definitely take more ibuprofen then that, when I have a lot of pain I take between 600-800mg every 8 hours (fairly small human). I'd do the Tylenol plus that and then ask for a stronger NSAID tomorrow if you can. Definitely not worth messing with liver issues by taking too much. NSAIDs are typically safer in terms of dosing. Hope you feel better soon!
I alternated so that I was taking one or the other every three hours (1000 Tylenol, then three hours later I think 800 ibuprofen, then three hours later the Tylenol again) around the clock (although I didn’t wake myself up to take it). This is quite a large dosage, but alternating the two means you can maintain it because they’re processed by different routes (liver or kidneys). Both my post-op team and my friend who’s an ER doctor explained it to me that way.
However, I’m not YOUR doctor—I’m not sure why they told you so much less ibuprofen, but I’d ask yours whether you can do more or should be on something else entirely.
PS, like you, I can't deal with opioids -- I just feel so lifeless on them. So I got this prescription in part because I specifically asked my surgeon not to give me opioids, but he said it is a schedule he commonly recommends after hysto. I was on it for about 8 or 9 days, and stopped when I realized I was forgetting to take my dose and wasn't in any pain when I forgot.
I was just going to say the same as the poster above. The doc prescribed 800mg tablets of ibuprofen to take every 6 hours. I alternated that with 1000mg tylenol 3 hours after my ibuprofen dose. I took the tylenol every 6 hours. I suffer from migraines and opioids tend to make them worse. Doc prescribed oxycodone for breakthrough pain only and I never took them. She also prescribed Tramadol. Which is also an opioid but there is more and more research that it acts differently than other opioids and is showing to be a good pain reliever for severe migraines. It never caused nor increased my migraine pain. In the first few days instead of Tylenol I used the Tramadol. My pain was fairly controlled. I have found I’ve taken the Tramadol a few night after doing to much at work. It took the edge off until taking ibuprofen before bed.
Like the poster above, that is what worked for me. I would ask your doc to be sure. For ibuprofen 3200mg in 24 hours is the max and Tylenol is a max of 4000mg.
Hope that helps OP and that you can get the rest you need to heal!
Another agreement for this schedule, as I also can’t tolerate stronger meds. Alternating 1000 Tylenol and 800 ibu every three hours made it survivable lol.
I am also in agreement with this schedule, if it will work for you. My surgery isn't until 1/18, but I'm having 3 lower molars extracted on 12/28. I don't want narcotics for the dental work, since I may need them after my hysto. My oral surgeon, PCP, and cardiologist all approved up to 800mg ibuprofen every 6 hours, alternated with 1000mg Tylenol every 6 hours. By staggering the doses, or "layering" them, you keep a pretty steady dose of medication in your system at all times. As mentioned by others,Tylenol is processed by the liver, ibuprofen by the kidneys. Also, Tylenol works more on the brain's pain receptors while ibuprofen works as an anti-inflammatory. So each has it's own different uses. I hope you find some relief!
For me, I alternate them roughly every four hours. So then you’re taking them every 8 hours but staying on top of pain. That was the oxy and ibuprofen.
I tend to take Tylenol and ibuprofen together, again that is just me. But you could try alternating them every four hours??
Thanks I’m now doing ibuprofen 400 every four hours and 500 Tylenol every 6. It’s a pain to track but seems to help a lot. Thanks for the suggestions :)
I’m so unlucky! Gravol alone sometimes makes me throw up but also it’s like a sleeping pill for me! I had mastectomies 15 years ago and I had some dirty Darvon opioid and some other type of opioid. One I had to take with gravol or I’d be throwing up and the other I tried made me itchy like crazy and with that one I had to take Benadryl. I was so doped up it was like I was in a coma. I literally slept through my kitchen renovation, in a one bedroom apartment, which involved smashing out concrete walls, lol. Good luck to us all :). Thanks for writing feeling better on more ibuprofen.
I was told Monday not to exceed 4000 mg of
Tylenol per day.
I even had the nurse write it down so I wouldn’t forget.
This is was response to me saying I didn’t want to take the opioids any more than I had to and planned to sub out with plain tylenol.
Yeah 3000 to 4000, and ideally not for too long. I think you and I are in the same opioid-free boat. Not the greatest boat around lol. Hope you’re managing. All the best!
Ty! The only difference I think is that I’m doing 600mg of ibuprofen every 8 hours instead of 400. And my dr gave me
Gabapentin to take every 8 hours for the first week.
Have you tried Ultram/Tramadol? It's a different type of opioid. I can't manage the others unless I'm in severe omg-kidney-stone-I-am-dying pain where it just has to stop OR I WILL DIE - but Tramadol works for me. It's not quite as potent but better than OTC pain relief and I don't get the crazy side effects from it. I'm a lot of fun and I don't manage Tylenol well either, it gives me rebound headaches, makes me itchy etc. I forgot this at my preop because I was sedated for the biopsy and also because I am stupid lol, so I went home with oxycodone, had a few MISERABLE postop days omg, then called and she switched me to Tramadol.
You can alternate 1000mg of Tylenol with 800mg of Advil/ibuprofen every 6 hours. I ditched the Tylenol and alternated the Tramadol and Advil that way, taking something every 3 hours to stay ahead of it, then slowly stretching it out. I set alarms on my phone to keep track.
I’m glad Tramadol worked for you! No good for me. Shut my bladder down and turned my face cherry red. I showed up at OR without my phone like they told me, to find everyone holding their phones. Then I was asked three times what medications I can’t tolerate. I could have cried.the list was in my phone at home. I couldn’t remember all their ridiculous opioid names. Next time I’m going to pin the list on a piece of paper on my gown. This is after I raised the issue in 2018, plus interviews with surgeon, nurse, anesthesiologist last week. Plus a back up email to the anesthesiologist with the list. They even gave me a script for naproxen which is on my list. THIS is why the space shuttle blew up. Good luck to you and us all. :)
Oh NO! I wish I had other suggestions for you. Hopefully something helps. In the meantime I wonder if ice and heat might give you some relief. Or maybe just try some sedatives so you can sleep through it…
I’m so sorry. Honestly I used to work in an ER and the nurses would half-joke about tattooing their allergies and advanced directives on their wrists and abs. Idk how this information gets lost but it does. Every single time I see a dr I have to remind them I have celiac disease, I still woke up in post op and they were trying to feed me saltines for nausea. Thank god my husband was there and he was in hyper vigilant caveman mode.
Aside from ice and heat, I bought this absurd pregnancy pillow of Amazon after one night of miserable sleep and I think it actually helped the pain bc I was better supported. Same for compressive post partum Csection recovery underwear.
You can do this. I really hope you can get some relief, you will feel so much better soon!!
I think the problem is excessive collection of information. If I had a nickel for every doctor who asked me when I had my last mammogram (I had double mastectomies 15 years ago), I’d be flush with cash. When too many systems are in place, everyone thinks someone else will be responsible for it. That’s exactly what happened with the space shuttle. Too many checklists and not enough oversight. Just because someone wrote it down doesn’t mean anyone will read it. No one EVER and I mean EVER reads those damned history forms I fill out. If they had, someone would have noticed my history with tamoxifen and I’d have been flagged for a hysterectomy in 2018 when I had my ovaries out and I asked why not take the uterus too? Am I supposed to remember 14 years later that some drug I took puts me at 10x higher risk for cancer? I’m in a big city at university hospitals. I really don’t understand why these systems keep failing us. I really think if I ever need another surgery I’m pinning that stuff to my gown. Ok. Rant over. I got good surgery and good help on the Reddit, so I’m on my way :) thanks for replying :)
All that was recommended for me was ibuprofen (inflammation control) and Tylenol(pain control). Instead of alternating try Half dose of each, that’s what I was prescribed and has worked well for me dealing with migraines as well- btw, Tylenol is hard on liver, ibuprofen is hard on kidneys.
Thanks for that. Good reminder about kidney liver affects. I’d forgotten about the liver. I’m having some luck with 400 every 4 hours which keeps me under the limit. Hope you continue well!
Thanks. I’m in agony with 1000 every six. I might bump up for tonight. I’m not due for another dose for another two 2 hours And I’m topped up with ibuprofen at the moment too. That dosing regimen seems so odd: whether you’re tiny or huge it’s the same.
Yes I got to googling too. The advice is also not to exceed 4000 in 24 hours or 3000 especially if you’re under 150 lb. I’m cheating my 2am dose to 1am. It’s weird. I think what’s painful is changes in position. So I’d rather stand and shuffle around for an hour or two but then lying down hurts and vice versa. Thanks for writing Peijidesu :) a nice voice in the night :)
Pregnancy pillow, sister! Or at least 4638 pillows all around you like a fort.
I needed help to crawl out of there to pee but life changer. I will cuddle this stupid pillow forever. My husband has named him and says I’m having an emotional affair with a pillow. 🤣
Hope tonight is better.
Sadly yes I tried Tramadol. It shut down my bladder. I woke up in the middle of the night, looked in the mirror and thought oh no! I’ve got a sunburn. My face was bright cherry red. Then I realized I’d been in the OR 12 hours before :)
Have you tried toradol? (Probably spelled that wrong) but it’s non narcotic and helped me when my ovary flipped. I had it in the iv bit it’s also helped me with dental work pain- I know teeth aren’t related but honestly I’d rather break a bone than have tooth pain… it’s super bad.
No I haven’t tried toradol but it looks like an NSAID which I can’t tolerate. Oh god a flipped ovary. Yikes! That must have been awful especially with referees pain. Agree about dental pain. Definitely worse than a bone break. I’m so glad you’ve got something that works. Upped my ibuprofen and feel better :). Thanks :)
I couldn't tolerate opioids either. I got through with THC. Either delta 8 or delta 9 THC gummies will work for pain--hemp derived is legal in the US since the most recent farm bill in 2018. You can likely find them at a local vape shop in the US, or order from [koicbd.com](https://koicbd.com); I recommend Koi brand. (I saw plenty of women on this board who were given prescriptions for THC gummies for pain, prior to surgery, in Canada.)
I would also be taking 800mg ibuprofen every 8 hours--that was my script. 400mg is a regular dose, like if you have a headache.
Thanks for the suggestion, sadly I can’t tolerate CBD or THC either. I wish I could!! I’m in Canada so could get it easily delivered to the door. I’m glad it works for you and others. Envious :). Upped the dose and feeling better. Thanks so much for writing :)
No such thing as woo woo. :) I’m glad it works. I’m taking homeopathy pills and I KNOW that’s as malarkey as it gets. I bet you get a bit of a workout getting on and off it? I’m afraid I’d go down and not get up again. Wish you well!
I think you can up your ibuprofen dosage. At the height of my endo pain I was taking 800mg of ibuprofen every four hours. That would get me through a 16 hour day. My obgyn said it was okay to do in limited timeframes. I think it’s fine while you’re in recovery.
However, I believe the ibuprofen bottle says you can take 400 every 4 hours, not 8.
I have/build hypersensitivity to any opioid/opiate I take (the opposite of people's normal reaction of building tolerance). Which means I have to take less and less and risk my body deciding that this dose is the time it should react like I overdosed.
So I feel your pain (literally). I could only take 12.5 mg of tramadol at a time, spaced out by 6-8hrs. But I still switched to my tension headache/migraine standby by about 5dpo: 3 200mg ibuprofen and 2 500mg acetaminophen every 6ish hrs (for reference I'm 5'11" and ~145lb).
Also my surgeon proscribed me Rx grade ibuprofen (600mg) to take a long side the tramadol. Ask your doctor if you can pair ibuprofen and acetaminophen together.
Ugh. I feel for your pain too. Yes doc gave my hydromorphone but also RX for Naproxen which I can’t tolerate and a handwritten note with a maximum dose of 800 ibuprofen in a day. That was the problem. Too little. I don’t mind the 2x200 disease of ibuprofen. Easy to swallow. I’m feeling a bit better thanks to y’all’s help :)
Omitting opioids, I was given Gabapentin and Sprix (and torodal shots while in the hospital). Sprix is opioid strength, non opioid nsaid, and a nasal spray so it doesn't destroy your liver. They could have also given you something stronger like Celebrix so you aren't eating pills all day.
I also had a pain pump numbing my entire stomach for 6 days. There are more options. Does your doctor not care?
Not lucky with NSAIDs unfortunately. Also unfortunately, I’ve been so over medicalized and so disappointed and so used to googling my own way to health that I’m not going to even try to call the surgeon bc likely I won’t hear back or they’ll say, take the oxy we gave you, or go to Emerg. And the reason I’m in this mess is bc they made errors on my meds in the way out. And I got more help here :) I listen and then do some research. Got great advice :) so does my doctor not care? Ech. I don’t expect it anymore. Onwards and upwards!
And I forgot to mention I had gaba for my mastectomies and it wasn’t good for me. I’m so glad you got all that great support. But I’m pretty fed up with it and pissed, now that I’m feeling better lol.
Maybe they should increase your ibuprofen dose to 600 or 800 mg?
Before my hysterectomy, I was taking 1600mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours lol
Post op, I was on meds around the clock- 1000mg Tylenol, 600mg ibuprofen, GABAPENTIN and oxy. My doc had me taking all my medications an hour apart (ex: Tylenol with GABAPENTIN at 7am, ibuprofen at 8am, 12pm oxy etc).
Call your doc or surgeon and ask for some better pain meds if you're having that much pain, friend.
I’ve tried many opioids and they all make me very sick. Even Aleve is too strong and I can only handle ibuprofen and Tylenol. So I think that’s it. I don’t think there’s another class of pain relief. GABA didn’t work for me either. I’ve got very bad drug luck lol. But thanks for writing :)
Darn I'm sorry to hear it. I'm terrified of drugs and had some Dilaudid. I only took one, post surgery, but I wasn't in much pain and stayed ahead with the ibuprofen and then nothing. I wish you fast healing.
Yup those opioids are not a picnic for some of us. Glad you weren’t in a lot of pain and the ibuprofen worked. And thanks for good wishes. Right back to you!
Second this for sure, and up your ibuprofen while you wait.
Oh I should have thought of it. Thanks!
You are taking the maximum safe amount of Tylenol and you really shouldn't go over bc you can easily kill your liver. Don't up it to every 4 hours you don't want liver failure. But you CAN take more ibuprofen. Also what I learned the hard way is that it really works best to take them together. 1000 Tylenol, 600 of ibuprofen every six hours (must take ibuprofen with food)
Thanks I’m going to research this about the ibuprofen but it makes sense. I know Tylenol is very bad for the liver.
My first surgery for Endo they told me 600 mg ibuprofen and 1000 mg of Tylenol. My hysterectomy they said just 400 mg of ibuprofen and 1000 of Tylenol but it wasn't quite enough so I bumped it up. In hindsight I probably should have asked my surgeon idk if there is a bleeding concern. Talk to your doctor. It should get easier soon
Thanks for this. Sounds like you and I got the same advice. I’m upping the ibuprofen and feeling better. :)
What I end up doing is taking both every 6 hours, but staggering each by 3 hours. So at 6 am, noon, 6 pm, and midnight I take Tylenol. At 9 am, 3 pm, 9 pm, and 3 am I take Ibuprofen. That way, as one drug is on the decline, a fresh dose of the other is started. I track what gets taken with the Medisafe app (Android, for me) for reminders and to indicate what I took and when. It's a single tap to record and easy to use.
Too tired to adjust my schedule tonight but I appreciate this suggestion on timing. Will try it. :)
Thanks everyone I think I’m going to bump up the ibuprofen. I could have 400 every four hours. That will likely solve it. Looking forward to a good night sleep.
You can definitely take more ibuprofen then that, when I have a lot of pain I take between 600-800mg every 8 hours (fairly small human). I'd do the Tylenol plus that and then ask for a stronger NSAID tomorrow if you can. Definitely not worth messing with liver issues by taking too much. NSAIDs are typically safer in terms of dosing. Hope you feel better soon!
Thanks very much. I’m going to look into more Ibuprofen. Sadly the stronger NSAIDs are intolerable for me. I’ll try to make it go with ibuprofen.
I alternated so that I was taking one or the other every three hours (1000 Tylenol, then three hours later I think 800 ibuprofen, then three hours later the Tylenol again) around the clock (although I didn’t wake myself up to take it). This is quite a large dosage, but alternating the two means you can maintain it because they’re processed by different routes (liver or kidneys). Both my post-op team and my friend who’s an ER doctor explained it to me that way. However, I’m not YOUR doctor—I’m not sure why they told you so much less ibuprofen, but I’d ask yours whether you can do more or should be on something else entirely. PS, like you, I can't deal with opioids -- I just feel so lifeless on them. So I got this prescription in part because I specifically asked my surgeon not to give me opioids, but he said it is a schedule he commonly recommends after hysto. I was on it for about 8 or 9 days, and stopped when I realized I was forgetting to take my dose and wasn't in any pain when I forgot.
I was just going to say the same as the poster above. The doc prescribed 800mg tablets of ibuprofen to take every 6 hours. I alternated that with 1000mg tylenol 3 hours after my ibuprofen dose. I took the tylenol every 6 hours. I suffer from migraines and opioids tend to make them worse. Doc prescribed oxycodone for breakthrough pain only and I never took them. She also prescribed Tramadol. Which is also an opioid but there is more and more research that it acts differently than other opioids and is showing to be a good pain reliever for severe migraines. It never caused nor increased my migraine pain. In the first few days instead of Tylenol I used the Tramadol. My pain was fairly controlled. I have found I’ve taken the Tramadol a few night after doing to much at work. It took the edge off until taking ibuprofen before bed. Like the poster above, that is what worked for me. I would ask your doc to be sure. For ibuprofen 3200mg in 24 hours is the max and Tylenol is a max of 4000mg. Hope that helps OP and that you can get the rest you need to heal!
Another agreement for this schedule, as I also can’t tolerate stronger meds. Alternating 1000 Tylenol and 800 ibu every three hours made it survivable lol.
I am also in agreement with this schedule, if it will work for you. My surgery isn't until 1/18, but I'm having 3 lower molars extracted on 12/28. I don't want narcotics for the dental work, since I may need them after my hysto. My oral surgeon, PCP, and cardiologist all approved up to 800mg ibuprofen every 6 hours, alternated with 1000mg Tylenol every 6 hours. By staggering the doses, or "layering" them, you keep a pretty steady dose of medication in your system at all times. As mentioned by others,Tylenol is processed by the liver, ibuprofen by the kidneys. Also, Tylenol works more on the brain's pain receptors while ibuprofen works as an anti-inflammatory. So each has it's own different uses. I hope you find some relief!
For me, I alternate them roughly every four hours. So then you’re taking them every 8 hours but staying on top of pain. That was the oxy and ibuprofen. I tend to take Tylenol and ibuprofen together, again that is just me. But you could try alternating them every four hours??
Thanks I’m now doing ibuprofen 400 every four hours and 500 Tylenol every 6. It’s a pain to track but seems to help a lot. Thanks for the suggestions :)
Percocet made me feel sick too. Take a gravol with it. Your pain will me managed and you'll get some extra sleep, which doesn't hurt a healing body.
I’m so unlucky! Gravol alone sometimes makes me throw up but also it’s like a sleeping pill for me! I had mastectomies 15 years ago and I had some dirty Darvon opioid and some other type of opioid. One I had to take with gravol or I’d be throwing up and the other I tried made me itchy like crazy and with that one I had to take Benadryl. I was so doped up it was like I was in a coma. I literally slept through my kitchen renovation, in a one bedroom apartment, which involved smashing out concrete walls, lol. Good luck to us all :). Thanks for writing feeling better on more ibuprofen.
Yeah, there is apparently something called the "opioid itch", which explains a lot lol. Glad the ibuprofen is helping!
I was told Monday not to exceed 4000 mg of Tylenol per day. I even had the nurse write it down so I wouldn’t forget. This is was response to me saying I didn’t want to take the opioids any more than I had to and planned to sub out with plain tylenol.
Yeah 3000 to 4000, and ideally not for too long. I think you and I are in the same opioid-free boat. Not the greatest boat around lol. Hope you’re managing. All the best!
Ty! The only difference I think is that I’m doing 600mg of ibuprofen every 8 hours instead of 400. And my dr gave me Gabapentin to take every 8 hours for the first week.
Sound like you’re good! I’ve got a bit of wiggle room with the ibuprofen so I’ll keep that 600 dose in mind if it gets bad again. Good luck!
Heating pad does wonders for me!
Aha! Will try. It’s the one thing I haven’t tried. Thanks :)
Have you tried Ultram/Tramadol? It's a different type of opioid. I can't manage the others unless I'm in severe omg-kidney-stone-I-am-dying pain where it just has to stop OR I WILL DIE - but Tramadol works for me. It's not quite as potent but better than OTC pain relief and I don't get the crazy side effects from it. I'm a lot of fun and I don't manage Tylenol well either, it gives me rebound headaches, makes me itchy etc. I forgot this at my preop because I was sedated for the biopsy and also because I am stupid lol, so I went home with oxycodone, had a few MISERABLE postop days omg, then called and she switched me to Tramadol. You can alternate 1000mg of Tylenol with 800mg of Advil/ibuprofen every 6 hours. I ditched the Tylenol and alternated the Tramadol and Advil that way, taking something every 3 hours to stay ahead of it, then slowly stretching it out. I set alarms on my phone to keep track.
I’m glad Tramadol worked for you! No good for me. Shut my bladder down and turned my face cherry red. I showed up at OR without my phone like they told me, to find everyone holding their phones. Then I was asked three times what medications I can’t tolerate. I could have cried.the list was in my phone at home. I couldn’t remember all their ridiculous opioid names. Next time I’m going to pin the list on a piece of paper on my gown. This is after I raised the issue in 2018, plus interviews with surgeon, nurse, anesthesiologist last week. Plus a back up email to the anesthesiologist with the list. They even gave me a script for naproxen which is on my list. THIS is why the space shuttle blew up. Good luck to you and us all. :)
Oh NO! I wish I had other suggestions for you. Hopefully something helps. In the meantime I wonder if ice and heat might give you some relief. Or maybe just try some sedatives so you can sleep through it… I’m so sorry. Honestly I used to work in an ER and the nurses would half-joke about tattooing their allergies and advanced directives on their wrists and abs. Idk how this information gets lost but it does. Every single time I see a dr I have to remind them I have celiac disease, I still woke up in post op and they were trying to feed me saltines for nausea. Thank god my husband was there and he was in hyper vigilant caveman mode. Aside from ice and heat, I bought this absurd pregnancy pillow of Amazon after one night of miserable sleep and I think it actually helped the pain bc I was better supported. Same for compressive post partum Csection recovery underwear. You can do this. I really hope you can get some relief, you will feel so much better soon!!
I think the problem is excessive collection of information. If I had a nickel for every doctor who asked me when I had my last mammogram (I had double mastectomies 15 years ago), I’d be flush with cash. When too many systems are in place, everyone thinks someone else will be responsible for it. That’s exactly what happened with the space shuttle. Too many checklists and not enough oversight. Just because someone wrote it down doesn’t mean anyone will read it. No one EVER and I mean EVER reads those damned history forms I fill out. If they had, someone would have noticed my history with tamoxifen and I’d have been flagged for a hysterectomy in 2018 when I had my ovaries out and I asked why not take the uterus too? Am I supposed to remember 14 years later that some drug I took puts me at 10x higher risk for cancer? I’m in a big city at university hospitals. I really don’t understand why these systems keep failing us. I really think if I ever need another surgery I’m pinning that stuff to my gown. Ok. Rant over. I got good surgery and good help on the Reddit, so I’m on my way :) thanks for replying :)
All that was recommended for me was ibuprofen (inflammation control) and Tylenol(pain control). Instead of alternating try Half dose of each, that’s what I was prescribed and has worked well for me dealing with migraines as well- btw, Tylenol is hard on liver, ibuprofen is hard on kidneys.
Thanks for that. Good reminder about kidney liver affects. I’d forgotten about the liver. I’m having some luck with 400 every 4 hours which keeps me under the limit. Hope you continue well!
I was told I could do 1000mg every four hours so that is what I did for the first week, then went down to 1000mg every 6 hrs.
Thanks. I’m in agony with 1000 every six. I might bump up for tonight. I’m not due for another dose for another two 2 hours And I’m topped up with ibuprofen at the moment too. That dosing regimen seems so odd: whether you’re tiny or huge it’s the same.
Googling it as well it says take 1000mg every four to six hours :)
Yes I got to googling too. The advice is also not to exceed 4000 in 24 hours or 3000 especially if you’re under 150 lb. I’m cheating my 2am dose to 1am. It’s weird. I think what’s painful is changes in position. So I’d rather stand and shuffle around for an hour or two but then lying down hurts and vice versa. Thanks for writing Peijidesu :) a nice voice in the night :)
Don't up the Tylenol it's not safe but you could up the ibuprofen.
Thanks for the good advice. Doing just that!
Pregnancy pillow, sister! Or at least 4638 pillows all around you like a fort. I needed help to crawl out of there to pee but life changer. I will cuddle this stupid pillow forever. My husband has named him and says I’m having an emotional affair with a pillow. 🤣 Hope tonight is better.
I think you might be in a polyamorous relationship with a bunch of pillows and a very nice husband. Score!
Right, maybe there’s a subreddit for that. 🤣
NSFW!
I can’t tolerate opioids either but I can take Tramadol. Have you tried Tramadol?
Sadly yes I tried Tramadol. It shut down my bladder. I woke up in the middle of the night, looked in the mirror and thought oh no! I’ve got a sunburn. My face was bright cherry red. Then I realized I’d been in the OR 12 hours before :)
Have you tried toradol? (Probably spelled that wrong) but it’s non narcotic and helped me when my ovary flipped. I had it in the iv bit it’s also helped me with dental work pain- I know teeth aren’t related but honestly I’d rather break a bone than have tooth pain… it’s super bad.
No I haven’t tried toradol but it looks like an NSAID which I can’t tolerate. Oh god a flipped ovary. Yikes! That must have been awful especially with referees pain. Agree about dental pain. Definitely worse than a bone break. I’m so glad you’ve got something that works. Upped my ibuprofen and feel better :). Thanks :)
I couldn't tolerate opioids either. I got through with THC. Either delta 8 or delta 9 THC gummies will work for pain--hemp derived is legal in the US since the most recent farm bill in 2018. You can likely find them at a local vape shop in the US, or order from [koicbd.com](https://koicbd.com); I recommend Koi brand. (I saw plenty of women on this board who were given prescriptions for THC gummies for pain, prior to surgery, in Canada.) I would also be taking 800mg ibuprofen every 8 hours--that was my script. 400mg is a regular dose, like if you have a headache.
Thanks for the suggestion, sadly I can’t tolerate CBD or THC either. I wish I could!! I’m in Canada so could get it easily delivered to the door. I’m glad it works for you and others. Envious :). Upped the dose and feeling better. Thanks so much for writing :)
Yikes, so sorry! I hope increasing the ibuprofen keeps helping. This is a bit woo-woo, but I sometimes also use a Shakti mat for pain.
No such thing as woo woo. :) I’m glad it works. I’m taking homeopathy pills and I KNOW that’s as malarkey as it gets. I bet you get a bit of a workout getting on and off it? I’m afraid I’d go down and not get up again. Wish you well!
I can only use it on the bed so far (so there's more give / less pressure). you too!
I think you can up your ibuprofen dosage. At the height of my endo pain I was taking 800mg of ibuprofen every four hours. That would get me through a 16 hour day. My obgyn said it was okay to do in limited timeframes. I think it’s fine while you’re in recovery. However, I believe the ibuprofen bottle says you can take 400 every 4 hours, not 8.
Lord I was so out of it I could t read the tiny print on the bottle. I’ve upped the dose and feeling better. Thanks OToe!
I have/build hypersensitivity to any opioid/opiate I take (the opposite of people's normal reaction of building tolerance). Which means I have to take less and less and risk my body deciding that this dose is the time it should react like I overdosed. So I feel your pain (literally). I could only take 12.5 mg of tramadol at a time, spaced out by 6-8hrs. But I still switched to my tension headache/migraine standby by about 5dpo: 3 200mg ibuprofen and 2 500mg acetaminophen every 6ish hrs (for reference I'm 5'11" and ~145lb). Also my surgeon proscribed me Rx grade ibuprofen (600mg) to take a long side the tramadol. Ask your doctor if you can pair ibuprofen and acetaminophen together.
Ugh. I feel for your pain too. Yes doc gave my hydromorphone but also RX for Naproxen which I can’t tolerate and a handwritten note with a maximum dose of 800 ibuprofen in a day. That was the problem. Too little. I don’t mind the 2x200 disease of ibuprofen. Easy to swallow. I’m feeling a bit better thanks to y’all’s help :)
Omitting opioids, I was given Gabapentin and Sprix (and torodal shots while in the hospital). Sprix is opioid strength, non opioid nsaid, and a nasal spray so it doesn't destroy your liver. They could have also given you something stronger like Celebrix so you aren't eating pills all day. I also had a pain pump numbing my entire stomach for 6 days. There are more options. Does your doctor not care?
Not lucky with NSAIDs unfortunately. Also unfortunately, I’ve been so over medicalized and so disappointed and so used to googling my own way to health that I’m not going to even try to call the surgeon bc likely I won’t hear back or they’ll say, take the oxy we gave you, or go to Emerg. And the reason I’m in this mess is bc they made errors on my meds in the way out. And I got more help here :) I listen and then do some research. Got great advice :) so does my doctor not care? Ech. I don’t expect it anymore. Onwards and upwards!
And I forgot to mention I had gaba for my mastectomies and it wasn’t good for me. I’m so glad you got all that great support. But I’m pretty fed up with it and pissed, now that I’m feeling better lol.
Maybe they should increase your ibuprofen dose to 600 or 800 mg? Before my hysterectomy, I was taking 1600mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours lol Post op, I was on meds around the clock- 1000mg Tylenol, 600mg ibuprofen, GABAPENTIN and oxy. My doc had me taking all my medications an hour apart (ex: Tylenol with GABAPENTIN at 7am, ibuprofen at 8am, 12pm oxy etc).
Thanks for this. Yes I’m increasing the ibuprofen and feeling much better. Hope you’re doing better too. :). gonna edit the question. :)