Hi Wendy,
I think you're right about that being my longest post ever. In fact, I'm almost embarrassed to say that it clocked in at a rathergargantuan 6,000 words (well, just under that mark, but close enough for rock and roll). As always, I honestly didn't intend to write that much, I promise! I mean, I knew it would be a bit of a long post due to the fact that I am passionate about ensuring that correct information is disseminated here when it comes to opioids, but I really didn't set out to cover the topic comprehensively. When I got about halfway through it and realized that it pretty much had turned into a comprehensive look at long-acting vs. sort-acting pain meds, I figures I might as well finish things the right way and cover everything. Even with that decision made, there were at least three occasions when I thought I was writing the last paragraph, only to remember some issue I had ignored completely. Ah well, as I said in my closing note, at least now I have something I can refer back to again and again any time a new pain medication question is posed.
I'm glad you brought up the fentanyl patches and glad you have had a good experience with them, I seem to always forget to throw the patches into the discussion of long- versus short-acting (oh no, I guess I will have to add more to the dissertation at some point!). I think I forget because I have only used them myself once, and that came when I was in the hospital following one of my big surgeries (can't remember which one--d'oh!). Unfortunately, I do remember that I did not have the kind of experience you did. In fact, while it took me a couple patches to figure out, I soon learned that the patches were not my cup of tea because, like clockwork, they made me sick as a dog after about 10-12 hours of wearing one. They tried giving me anti-nausea meds, changing the location of the patch, and just about everything else they could think of, but none of it helped. I went ahead and tried a third patch just to confirm that our suspicions about what was making me sick were correct, and sure enough, about 10 hours later we had that confirmation. As I recall, the only reason I even tried the patches that time was because one of my docs during that stay thought that the patches might be a better long-term option for me than the oxy, so why not try them now when it would be very easy to compare and contrast. Nice try, but the experitment was short lived and a total failure. Bummer.
Just one quick question for you with the other members of this thread in mind: Have you run into any problems getting them to remain in place for the entire two or three days that you are suppoed to wear each patch? I distinctly remember during my trial that the whole "stickum" situation was a really big deal and that many people were having problems getting the patches to stay on. In fact, the manufacturer was sending out these special "kits" that provided extra adhesive to help make the patches last longer. I am curious to know if they have solved those earlier problems, and, if not, how you have been able to manage when it comes to keeping the patches in place for the entire dosage period.
Brad
