Surgery and NO MEDS.....

[justneedtotalk]

Well.....I have not posted in a long while but I have been sober now for over a year.  I recently cut the top of my thumb all the way to the bone, cutting tendons and everything.  They just stiched me up right afterwards and I had surgery on Monday of this last week.  I didnt take anything in the ER and told my surgeon that I was chemically dependent.  Right after the surgery my Dr. handed my wife a prescription for Oxy's......Even after I had several conversations with him about my condition, he still didnt see the harm and thought I would not be able to handle the pain post-surgery.  I had my wife tear up and throw away the script in the parking lot!!!!  My point for saying this is that you will face many situations throughout your sobriety that will test your resolve.  For me, this process to get where I am at has been difficult and a little bit of physical pain is not worth going even a day backwards in my sobriety.  It has been painful but NOTHING compared to what I went through during the acute phase of detox.  

I know a lot of you are just starting out on Day 1-7 but keep going....Life on the other side is absolutely wonderful....Life still happens though and just because you are sober does not mean that you run around in the clouds everyday and never have another major problem ever again.  If you are brand new then life doesnt seem manageable without pills but this is just your brain playing tricks on you.  If you get real with yourself and realize you have an affliction just like cancer and treat it as such, you just might make it!  You need a strong support group (AA or NA) and you need to keep going!  This is not as simple as not taking pills.....This is a life change. Just like with my thumb, I will go through the acute phase (surgery-cast) and then after a month or two will move on to the rehabilitation phase (AA/NA).  It is exactly the same thing for this process.  Many think they can do it alone without "therapy" but most will be back on this site back on day 2.  I was one of those people and the sooner you realize that this disease is bigger than us, the sooner you can start the therapy and gravitate towards long term sobriety......Many on here will say that you get out of detox what you put into it and that statement is so true for every aspect of our lives......

Well....Good luck to everyone out there and i hope that you can find that little spec of reality still deep in all of our brains that help you go and seek out that help that you KNOW you need to get through this process....Good luck and God bless!

[Brightfutureahead]

love this post and these comments...thanks!

[Nighthawk61]

Incredible story and wonderful insight!! Thanks for posting. You're right, never become complacent and have a plan should life happen to give you a shot in the gut, or finger.  I think that the only Doctor's trained for our issues are in the Pain Management clinic, any other Doctor, buyer beware!!

[selfinduced]

As you already know, you are my HERO. I could not have kicked the pills without your remarkable knowledge of the detox process and your acute vision of whats to come in a life with pills. I was just existing in life and your solid care and devotion showed me that I could again live life. Wishing you a speedy recovery and can't wait till your mended enuff to start posting again. You are such an inspiration in every sense of the word.  Much, Much respect.

[smiles4eva]

Wow! Congratulations on a year!   I am so impressed with this post.  It will definitely stick with me if I am ever in a similar situation.  Thank you

[Sonrissa]

I really appreciate your post! I am amazed that you would turn down (rip up) your prescription for pain meds after surgery! I'm still fairly early in this process, and I know, at least at this point for me, I would not have been able to do that! I want to get to a point where I would be able to take them as directed and as truly needed for pain! I am facing a surgery in my future and I am putting it off for as long as possible until I feel I am ready!

Thanks again, and take care!

[quitinoxys]

Hey Justneed, great job on getting rid of the evil oxys. I completly understand about the doctors NOT understanding about being addicted. I recently had a procedure done and told the doctor that i DID NOT want any opiate pain meds but he insisted that I take them as I would be in a great deal of pain if I didn't take them. Well I told him that if I did take them I would be in even greater pain because it might just jump start my addiction all over again. The doctor looked at me with a very puzzled look and said "I don't understand that, just stop taking them when you don"t need them anymore" I responded well that could be a lifetime as I am an addict!!! Unfortunatley some doctors just DON'T get it. God Bless---Rick