Hello mslendzion and All,
mslendzion and I have the same terrific surgeon, Dr. Schmitt, so I wrote my original reply to her already knowing his pre op protocol. mslendzion and I have also gotten to know each other through this wonderful board. With that in mind, I felt comfortable recommending a narcotic, but I should have added "if nothing else you've tried helps with your pain." I also should have kept in mind all the other hippies here wanting relief from pre op pain and recommended consulting with their surgeon if they have one and to seek the care of a pain management physician. Oops!
Being bedridden for 2 yrs pre op in total 9 level agony, taking serious narcotics that lessened my pain to only a 6 most days, and flat on my back with undiagnosed bilateral bone on bone OA, has given me a somewhat unique perspective. I had nothing better to do than research and talk with hipsters of various stripes and conditions; calls and emails that helped me hold on through the long night of seeing a dozen local yokel surgeons who read my X rays as normal and who either intimated or came out and said that I was a drug addict.
Other hipsters from various boards have written me that Tramadol, while not a narcotic, still has a nasty withdrawal once you're done. I also had to withdraw from all narcotics for 3 weeks before a surgical date of November 1st with the well known arthroscopic surgeon, Dr. Philippon, so Chuck's right about many surgeon's pre op protocols.
Dr. Philippon was the doctor who finally diagnosed me with end stage OA, enabling me to get my hips resurfaced and out of unspeakable pain in short order. (Dr. Sampson and Dr. Kelly had also kindly looked at my films prior to my two flight out to Colorado to see Philippon and wrote me their professional opinions that I had OA, and STILL my local Indiana surgeons said there was nothing wrong with me!!!)
As I'm typing this at 8am, 7 days post op, I'm at a '2'!!!!!! with scar and muscle pain only. The OA is gone! I digress, IMO
no one should have to suffer needlessly.
It's really up to you
and the doctor's you choose to treat you. After my experiences and pre op condition, adequate pain relief before, during, and after, was one of the top criteria I used in selecting a hip resurfacing surgeon.