I am not a chronic pain med user; however, the 4 times I have needed prescription pain meds, they haven't worked.

I thought I had a high tolerance for pain meds but the last surgeon said I had a low tolerance for pain (which just makes me sound like a big baby).

The first occasion was tonsillectomy when I was 28. All they gave me was hydrocodone and refused to give me anything else. I was out of work for 2 weeks.

Second was wisdom teeth extraction. Dentist gave me Demerol which was a dream! (but they don't give that anymore).

Third was last year when I had by gallbladder removed. My 74-yo mother had hers removed the year before and was on hydrocodone for 3 days (which were a blur to her) and then she was fine.

I woke up from the gallbladder surgery with severe nausea despite the patch behind my ear and Zofran, and a severe migraine. They told me I won the award for the worst recovery! Doc sent me home with Toradol and Tramadol. I took them for 3 days, even though they weren't working. I stopped taking them because not only were they not working, but my eyes were severely dilated and I was seeing blurry. We had our annual vacation (we take one a year) scheduled for 3 days after the surgery and every single doctor and nurse swore we would be able to go on vacation. Nope. The day we were supposed to leave, I still needed help getting up and down from anything and couldn't stand up straight for 2 weeks!

For migraines, the doc had tried me on all of the -codones, tramadol, toradol, fioricet, fiorinal, mobic, lodine, celebrex, imitrex, maxalt, and of course tylenol and ibuprofen.

They just don't work for me. It's like me eating an M&M. It's hard to find doctors who don't think you're drug seeking. However, my regular PCP can show documentation that she has never prescribed anything for me.

I had my first consult and most of it revolved around pain control. He said he usually sends people home with liquid percocet but since that doesn't work for me, he would send me home with Dilaudid and make sure I had adequate nausea control. He said he would do it in the hospital instead of the surgical center to make sure pain was controlled in the hospital and then he would send me home on whatever was working.

Just wondering if ANYONE is in the same position and have you successfully found something that will work?

You can tell by my username of Miss Mac, that I am Scottish. I was born with red hair, and it is just now at age 61, starting to go white. My dentist obliges my pain levels with extra relief, but the doctor who gives me spinal epidurals for sciatica at the pain clinic doesn't buy into the theory. As for me, I believe it. When I had some spinal reconstruction this past February, I had to stay in the hospital an extra day because of crazy pain that they were not expecting. Dilauded helped, by made me really loopy. In order to sleep when my sciatica acts up between appointments, I have to use a topical nerve cream (Voltarin gel), hydrocodone, lidocain patches, and sometimes sleeping pills. My doctor told me to knock off with the sleeping pills on top of hydrocodone He said he would rather have a patient in pain than a dead patient. So, he has a patient in pain. Sorry, if that's no comfort, but it helps to validate the Scottish / Irish pain threshold concept. If I have pain issues after my sleeve, in spite of meds, I will probably be slapping Lidocaine patches every where.

You can tell by my username of Miss Mac, that I am Scottish. I was born with red hair, and it is just now at age 61, starting to go white. My dentist obliges my pain levels with extra relief, but the doctor who gives me spinal epidurals for sciatica at the pain clinic doesn't buy into the theory. As for me, I believe it. When I had some spinal reconstruction this past February, I had to stay in the hospital an extra day because of crazy pain that they were not expecting. Dilauded helped, by made me really loopy. In order to sleep when my sciatica acts up between appointments, I have to use a topical nerve cream (Voltarin gel), hydrocodone, lidocain Patches, and sometimes sleeping pills. My doctor told me to knock off with the sleeping pills on top of hydrocodone He said he would rather have a patient in pain than a dead patient. So, he has a patient in pain. Sorry, if that's no comfort, but it helps to validate the Scottish / Irish pain threshold concept. If I have pain issues after my sleeve, in spite of meds, I will probably be slapping Lidocaine patches every where.

Another decent report for Dilaudid! I will keep my fingers crossed. I don't much mind the loopy (I wouldn't work or drive on it but while I'm at home, loop away!)

Thank you for your input and hope you're pain is controlled as well!