"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
The patch that my terminally ill friend is using is more powerful even
than morphine. But for those who hope to recover from their ailments,
even things as apparently as innocuous as ibuprofen can be pretty hard
on the body, permanently damaging the liver in a very short time, for
example.


You cast a wide net with your claim. I'm not saying it's not possible, but I
was taking 2400mg of Ibuprofen a day for 2-3 years along with aspirin with no
apparent GI bleeds and normal liver labs. Eventually I got my hip replaced and
stopped all the meds, without any apparent long term harm.


I have another friend with severe neck and back pain who is on an ever
increasing daily dosage of oxycontin. Besides being highly addictive, a
lengthy course of narcotics *permanently* reduces your pain threshold.


My experience once again is different: I was on Vicodin (hydrocodone, Lortabs)
several times a day for several months when I first became a multitrauma back in
the late 80s. As things healed, I stopped taking them and had no trouble
quitting. They still work for me today when I take them for more recent
injuries/complaints.

As for my pain threshold, it was high before; it remains high today. When I
looked at the inside of my forearm in cross section... just hanging by some skin
and a bit of muscle, I was able to carry on a normal conversation. I was not in
agony like you'd think. It just ached. Three or four years ago when I had my
hip replaced I didn't ask for anything for pain until 48 hours after the
surgery. Frankly, it hurt worse before the surgery.


It's nice to have the heavy artillery in the arsenal, but it marks
either a short road to recovery or a long road to hell, IMO.


It is possible to take the long road; maybe I was just lucky. I think a big
difference is that I didn't ever take painkillers recreationally. I get people
like that in my practice and you could hook them up to a 55 gallon drum of
morphine without getting rid of their pain. Too bad... they've had their fun.
I prefer to have the use of the drugs when they're needed. If I want to alter
my view of the world, I drink single malt Scotch.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com