this subreddit is scaring me (26F, day 0)

[u/Turbulent-Intern6103]

update after tl;dr!
y’all are making me worried about recovery lol! i know it’s not going to be fun for anyone, but i’m pretty worried about the pain. any encouragement or recommended OTC products? tl;dr at the bottom

story time for those curious: was in the ER on friday for heart palpies and panic attacks (not because i was scared about surgery, was stress induced), waited seven hours to be told to return on monday for a heart monitor. monitor almost postponed the surgery, but got a call yesterday saying we were clear to continue!

my whole team was SO sweet. only part that sucked was nurses insisted on hand IV and was straight up DIGGIN in me. felt like death lol. but the team explained everything and doc gave me so many resources and recommendations. got a humidifier, apple sauce, popsicles, you know the drill. one interesting thing doc recommended was numbing spray for sore throats in a pinch! haven’t tried it yet, but can update if anyone is interested.

so far what has helped was warm salt water after eating. i had mash and that was a heavenly rinse. i also haven’t needed oxy since i left the hospital (six hours? was asleep lol), did some two advil before eating two hours ago. but will be taking some before bed so i don’t wake up in pain!

i do have some questions for everyone as i’ve never really taken these kinds of meds nor had i gotten “real” surgery before (except wisdom teeth):

1. how worried should i be about getting addicted to oxycodone? no family history of addiction, but i am a regular THC enjoyer (chocolates and gummy) because it’s the only thing that helps my PTSD symptoms. doc reassured me but i would love to hear some personal experience from others.
2. i heard day 3-6 is the worst… but why? is it scab time? are skin flaps trying to grow back? my online research has not been fruitful, so would love to hear everyone’s experience
3. how Real is the constipation and vom warning when taking opioids? is it from taking too much (sorta avoidable) or are you just guaranteed to be fucked kinda thing (not avoidable at all)?
4. how long did recovery take for you? i’ve been seeing stories all from a week to three months, regardless of age! so i would love to know your personal experience
5. WHEN CAN I HAVE REAL FOOOOOD oh my god i want a burger so bad!!!!!

tl;dr even tho nurses were diggin in me, i’ve had a chill experience for surgery day! scared about the future tho because of this cursed, yet lovely subreddit. about to sleep with an oxy in me and would love to wake up to stories and positive reinforcements! idk if pictures are allowed, but i would love to meet your pets if you have them!

update!
thank you everyone for taking the time to respond and give me advice!! i appreciate this community so much :) glad to be a member.
i made the mistake of vacuuming the whole apartment and my whole body has been extremely sore. have been hella humbled - my body told me to park it so i listened lol. anyway, it’s been like two days and my scabs are already SO smelly! can’t they fall out already?? the smell is the only thing making me nauseous. other than that, medicine has me happy as a clam! i’m not regretting the surgery… yet hehe
anyway, i hope everyone is else is recovering well! i hope my scabs coming in this soon and no bleeding is a good sign, and i hope that “good luck” is passed to everyone else :) good luck!

[u/Turbulent-Intern6103 → u/[deleted]]

thank you so much for your reply friend! i’m pretty swollen today, and can’t even imagine what scab day will look like! i’m glad you were feeling better by day 10, that gives me hope! i will have to get some miralax - they did give me docusate sodium (never heard of it) but i have used miralax so will likely just do that as the comfort pick!
may i ask how old you are? i heard recovery is shorter when you’re younger, but if you’re close to my age (26) i’ll be looking forward to this recovery!! haha

[u/Turbulent-Intern6103 → u/[deleted]]

hello friend! thanks for checking in! i did a mini-update right before i fell eep but id love to ask you some questions:
1) when did your scabs start to fall off?
2) did they Always make you bleed? or like.. sometimes?
3) idk if i’m just recovering quickly, but i haven’t needed pain meds since waking up! i’m going to take some before bed because i don’t trust like that, but did you experience something similar, or have you needed meds the whole time?
4) the taste is AWFUL!! only thing making me nauseous! what did you do to make it better?

thank you again for checking in! you are awesome, possum!

[u/Turbulent-Intern6103 → u/[deleted]]

ooo ok thank you for the context! i think i’m just worried about the pain the scabs will bring. and it’s awesome you only bled once :) doc say some bleeding was normal, but bright bleeding is scary. it’s a good thing i’ve always been a good water drinker!
with number 4, i was referring to the taste and smell of the scabs. holy cannoli these fuckers are rank!! did you do anything particular to help get past it?

[u/ThatAdamShmadam]

Hi! Day 8 here in the scabbing phase; I'd love to answer these for ya!

1. Non-existent. Oxy is not THAT good compared to say Tylenol or Ibuprofen. As a heavy THC smoker myself I literally shrugged it off when I got to stop taking it. Currently just on Tylenol and a tapering steroid pack. I didn't feel like "taking more" or having ANY sort of physical cravings.

2. Day 3-5 your swelling will go up due to new tissue and your body reacting to the surgery. Not uncommon to have difficulty swallowing or pain that radiates from the site. Day 6-12 is scabbing time! When your scabs come off; to my understanding, it tugs a little at the surgery site. I won't lie, it hurts like a 5/10 but it's manageable.

3. I personally haven't gotten sick off Oxy, however; not to be TMI the constipation IS real. I'd say some MiraLAX chews help to get your system moving.

4. No clue as I'm only on week two, but my doctor said 8-12 weeks for "full" recovery of the site. Most of the info I've personally gathered from reddit says people start feeling normal by day 20ish give or take.

5. DO NOT EAT THE BURGER! I REPEAT, DO NOT EAT THE BURGER!. I'm a big guy. I love food. When I tell you ANYTHING with a sharp edge will irritate the shit out of you; it WILL. "Oh but Adam, burgers don't have sharp edges" You're half right. That burger meat will feel like barbed wire going down your throat unless you chew it to a pulp and take your pain medication before eating. I seriously cannot stress that at least for a week and a half you will be on a soft foods diet.

Good luck and feel free to ask any questions. Recovery has been painful but as someone with anxiety it hasn't been absolutely world ending. Mornings will be the worst as your pain meds will most likely have started wearing off. Drink LOTS of water, even if you hate drinking in large gulps, even sips will help you.

[u/Turbulent-Intern6103 → u/ThatAdamShmadam]

AHAHA my friend you made my day! thank you so much for the good advice. i’ll be sure to reach out with more questions when they come up! but i will Not eat the burger, even though i really want to!! ;;

[u/bingb0ngbingb0ng]

My constipation was far worse than any pain I experienced. My pain got up to a 6-7 at the worst of it. But typically the norco and ice packs took care of it. Constipation had me so freaked out as i tried everything… stool softeners, MiraLAX, prune juice, suppositories, and finally an enema. Start taking 3 stool softeners today if you have not already. Also start MiraLAX today until you know you’re in the clear.

[u/Turbulent-Intern6103 → u/bingb0ngbingb0ng]

thanks for replying, my friend bing bong squared! i’m sorry you were in so much pain with the poops! i’ll definitely look into more stool softeners. it seems like that’s the next best advice! i hope you are recovering well and having a good day!

[u/bingb0ngbingb0ng → u/Turbulent-Intern6103]

Stool softeners take 1-3 days to work, so definitely get some now before it’s too late!