Can you tell from my posts that I'm totally high right now?

[ThomCat]

:P

I saw the surgeon this afternoon and the abscess on my throat is looking okay. (The ENT doctor is checking the other one tomorrow) But tonight I have to take the packing out of it myself, clean it, and rebandage it. Even with the local anesthetic I cried when the surgeon did it this morning.

So I'm on 120 mg of morphine right now. Will it be enough? :(

I am allowed to take more. I don't know if I need to or if I should. I'm a total chickenshit about pulling this long strand of cotton out of that hole. x(

Okay, I'm procrastinating.

I don't want to do this. :(

[Haole Girl]

1. Oh god!!

I want some morphine! You seem to have the best doctors... they all tell me to take two Advil and get some sleep. :-(

[ThomCat]

5. I have been amazingly fortunate with finding good doctors.

Once I found one great doctor she referred me to others, and once I find a doctor I really like I hold on to them.

I'm very afraid of medications because I get a lot of bad side effects from a lot of stuff. So I look for doctors who don't give out a lot of prescriptions.

Though you wouldn't know that from how many meds I need to take. :(

[Haole Girl]

7. I only had morphine once....as a shot...

after surgery. Wow, though, it was great. I remember standing in the kitchen, telling my husband "I feel great...I could go to work tomorrow!" He just smiled and me, with that knowing smile, and didn't say anything...knowing it would wear off in a couple of hours. lol

[ThomCat]

25. It has a lot fewer side effects than every other painkiller

they've tried me on. And that's my primary concern.

It only makes me high when I take 90 mg or more so I try to always stay below that. I don't like being high. Or more accurately, once it wears off I hate feeling like I wasn't all there.

The only real side effects that I get are,

1. It always makes me itch, so I have to take a prescription anti-itching med with it.
2. It makes me very talkative.

[LeftyFingerPop]

2. Had to pull out about 6 feet once...

Go slow. Work it side to side, and then pull in the direction of least resistance. It only hurts when it sticks....work side to side and no sudden moves. Good luck. :hug:

[ThomCat]

3. Damn. That's good advice.

I wish the surgeon had been that helpful. :pals:

[darkstar]

9. Agree w/ Philboy....

And maybe soften the wadding w/ hydrogen peroxide first. It's the edges stiff with blood that hurt, so this helped when I had to pull one outta my leg.

It's a drag, but you'll get it done.

:pals:

[LeftyFingerPop]

11. Gah!! Mine was on my leg also...on the back....

Had to squat over a mirror to do it...took an hour.

Good advice about the softening...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Aw, sweetie...

I know you're scared...

But it has to be done...

And I suspect that since you're in charge of doing it, it might not hurt as much as it did earlier...

Part of the reason things like this hurt is because we aren't in charge of what's happening...

And so, since you're doing your dressing change, you will be in charge and you'll be concentrating on doing it right...

120 mg. of MS sounds like enough, but I don't really know...

Do it, and be done with it, sweetie...

I'll stand by, OK?

:hug:

[ThomCat]

6. You're awesome!

I'm going to shower first to soften everything up. That should help. :)

:loveya:

[LeftyMom]

8. I'd take more drugs.

Just thinking about that has me cringing, and I did 24 hours of labor with no pain meds.

[ThomCat]

13. I couldn't do it.

:(

It hit my pain thresshold. And I thought I had a decent tolerance for pain.

the surgeon said I might not be able to take it out. I try again tomorrow. :(

Tonight I'll just rub in some more antibiotic ointment and rebandage it with the old packing still in there.

[LeftyFingerPop]

10. A few more things Thom...

1) Turn on your TV or something...have a diversion while you do it.

2) Take breaks...do a few inches at a time.

3) Remember you are not doing anything that will hurt you...the cut has already been made.

4) Go slow, but deliberately.

5) It is not going to be as bad as you think...you'll see.

6) Peggy and darkstar are here for good advice, and I will be here for a little while also.

[ThomCat]

14. The swelling hasn't gone down enough.

It's jammed in there. It's stuck.

The surgeon said it might not come out tonight. So I'll have to try again tomorrow.

I was hoping. :(

[LeftyFingerPop]

16. No worries...won't hurt to keep it in there another night...

...get a good night's sleep :pals:

[Connonym]

12. yikes

Take the extra morphine if you need it. I've only ever had one abscess and I'm cringing in sympathy for you because those *&$#ers hurt. :hug:

[ThomCat]

15. I've now had four of them.

And they don't know why.

I don't even think this one is the worst one. But because of where it is, every time I use my mouth I'm pulling on it. :cry:

That's part of the reason I want the packing out of there as soon as possible. It'll be less tight then.

I have to try again tomorrow. :(

[Connonym]

21. is it staph?

Have they checked for MRSA? My daughter had a recurring problem with staph abscesses and they finally determined that she was actually a staph carrier (thankfully it wasn't MRSA!) She ended up doing a month-long course of a broad spectrum oral antibiotic as well as antibiotic ointment daily in her nose (which evidently is one of staphs favorite places to hide). She's now been about 6 or 7 months without an abscess and her last screening came back that she's no longer a carrier. I hope they can figure out what's causing it for you and put an end to it.

[ThomCat]

22. I don't think they've taken it seriously as a recurring problem.

They haven't done any tests to check as far as I know.

I keep stressing that this is the third time (my third and fourth abscess).

But I see the ENT tomorrow, my doctor Friday, and the surgeon again on Tuesday. So I'm going to make them take this seriously. I don't want to keep getting these things. :(

[Connonym]

26. Please do

I'm not a doctor (just a busy body know it all) but I think it's ridiculous that they haven't cultured it to find out what the heck is going on. Please take care.

[mopinko]

17. yuck

take more morphine. smoke 'em if ya got 'em. damn.

[ThomCat]

18. I could really, really go for a brownie right now.

:(

Now I'll so tense that I'm shaking. Sleeping is going to be fun.

[mopinko]

31. dude i would

overnight you one. that is the best i can do.
how are you feeling today?

[ThomCat]

19. I couldn't get the packing out.

But I was able to shave around the abscess so at least the bandages will stick better now.

I have to soak this thing in hot compresses 3 times tomorrow, so hopefully the swelling will go down a little bit more and this thing will come out tomorrow night. :)

Time for 3 different antibiotics. (on rubbed on, one in the ear, and one ingested) Then the normal evening meds. And hopefully I'll sleep.

Tune in tomorrow, same bat time, same bat channel for the continuing adventure. :(

[SPKrazy]

20. Pull it

I'd do it for you if I was there.

Take the morphine and pull it!!!

pull it

pull it

pull it!

[ThomCat]

23. I'm done for the day.

I'm worn out and shaking.

I have a cat that had surgery this week that I need to take care for before bed.

I don't have it in me to be a hero and tear it out. :(

[CaliforniaPeggy]

24. My dear ThomCat...

Take care of your beautiful kitty, and then go to bed, sweetie...

You are already a hero...

Enduring the unendurable...

Tomorrow will be better, I am hoping so much!

:hug:

[ThomCat]

27. ...

:hug:

We all endure as much as we can. And tomorrow will be better. :)

[KitchenWitch]

28. Oh man.

:hug:

Sounds awfully unpleasant.

[ThomCat]

29. It was, and it will be again but at the moment

it's a memory lost in fuzziness. :)

Silver has his painkiller in him. All three cats have eaten. I'm rubbing one of them with my feet right now. And soon I will be dragged into sleep by my meds.

Today is over, and tomorrow will be a different day. :)

I hope today was a good one for you, and I hope tomorrow is better. You're wonderful, and I am very glad I get to be here with you. :hug:

[KitchenWitch]

30. Thanks Thom.

I needed to hear that.

Last night was a bad pain night, and I could not take my meds because I needed to be clear today (we had our Brownie meeting today). Tonight the pain is worse. It has started to rain and the damp air really hurts. I just took two Vikes (I normally only take one). I gotta get on top of it, and if I am fuzzy tomorrow, so be it.

I am sorry you are going through all that with the abcesses. Glad you got rid of the bum of a roommate though.

:hug:

:loveya: