WARNING! Check all prescriptions from your PCP with your surgeon . . .

Dear Marchers: Whew, what a time I've been having! Got ko'd by the flu a week ago, lost my voice on 6/21, lost my hearing on 6/23, saw my primary care physician (who I'd never met before), got meds for my ear infection/flu, as well as for cough, and ended up in the local ER for a few terrifying hours early AM Saturday. I told my PCP that I had had surgery in March, and she gave me a prescription for cough medicine with codeine. I asked her if it was okay to take with my new pouch, and she said she didn't see why not. HA! The antibiotics were no problem, but when I took the recommended 2T of the cough medicine, I thought that I had swallowed acid. The searing, scorching burn that I felt, all across my abdomen, was something I have never, ever felt before, nor hope to feel again. I took two Pepcid, then 2 Tums, but nothing helped. I the pepcid and tums almost immediately. Here it is, 1:30 am Saturday morning, and I make my husband get up and take me to the ER. At the ER, they thought I was having a heart attack, so I was given an EKG, put on an IV, and eventually given a shot of morphine. After an exhausting hour of unbearable pain, my pouch let out a "raaaaaaalph", and I felt better! Of course, other gases also escaped from the nether regions (luckily, odorless but quite vocal, thank you), and I was allowed to go home. SO: I cannot tolerate codeine at all anymore, but maybe some of you still can. The point is: I was a dum-dum-dummy for trusting this new PCP and not checking with my surgeon before filling the prescription, but how could I have checked with him when I was/am a) deaf as a haddock, and b)speechless to boot? The up side of all this is that I have lost about 10 lbs due to lack of eating, but I really need to get back on the "protein wagon" again, a.s.a.p. I'd hate to go bald at this point in the game. Rita

I hope you give that PCP feedback on what they have done to you. I've had to take a lot of meds since surgery and it is a total pain in the ass to call the surgeon every time, get through the wall around him. I have a list of meds I can and cannot take...but naturally the things I've had to do weren't on it either way. So I can completely understand why you just...didn't call. All the stuff we have to do becomes a drag and, when you're not feeling up to it, a bigger drag. Thanks for posting this. I will definitely pull up my socks about checking with the surgeon about *everything* on the basis of it. If you have any bills related to that ER visit, I would seriously consider whether the PCP is liable. It sounds lazy that they didn't look into it more. Gano

Dear Gano: Thanks for your reply. I don't know if I can hold them liable, as some people with a pouch CAN tolerate codeine, according to my surgeon's asst. Crazy pouch -- hope my insurance will take care of this one! Hey, if it helps anyone out there, I am glad I took the time to rant. Right now, I am having serious problems with dizziness and often stumble about in my home. Sort of like having had tee many martoonis. Am drinking protein shakes (thank GOD for Unjury Unflavored powder!), and trying to keep up with all the vitamins. Why, oh why, are the Citracal tablets the size of horse pills? I dread having to choke them down, even if I've drawn and quartered them! Ah, the things we do for our pouches! Rita

There are sources for Citracal that are liquid -- colorless and odorless. I think that Susan Maria Leach's site covers this, as does Vitalady and several others. That's what I'm going to take rather than deal with the pill cutter. If find that the pills really hurt going down. Gano

I just had a really bad summer cold and tolerated the cough syrup with codiene that the doc gave me just fine! I'm so sorry to hear about your experience, it is always a good idea to check with your surgeon before filling any prescriptions!! ~Nicole

Rita, I'm in total sympathy regarding your bad reaction to a med. Pre-surgery, I had no problems with phenergen at all. It's what I normally took when I was nauseous in the hospital and my surgeon loaded me up with the stuff after my rny. A few weeks after surgery, I had horrible abdominal pains and went to ER. I asked for phenergen for the nausea that I was having because of the pain and went into convulsions right away. I was on Lortab when I went to the ER, phenergen makes me loopy anyway, they pumped in a ton of benedryl to counteract the phenergen and then loaded me up with morphine for the pain. Whooohooo! Can you say Happy Girl? Well, I was a happy girl after the convulsions stopped. Frankly they scared the hell out of me. I hope you feel better. Hey you may be deaf and mute, but at least you can still see. Now don't go getting pink eye or anything. Connie

Thanks so very much to all of you who've sent me replies: you guys are the best! I am still experiencing trouble in my ears: it's like having your head inside a pot of popping popcorn, or like having swimmer's ear in both ears, ALL THE TIME! At least my voice is back, but I sure am getting tired of saying, "WHAT?" all the time to my soft-spoken husband. Phone calls are a riot, too. I usually check in with my widowed Dad a few times a week, but as he is hard of hearing also, what is the point? It would be like two old duffers shouting at each other and mis-hearing all that's being said. I'll try him later today, just for the heck of it. Man, it is not fun getting old! God bless you all, and have a wonderful July 4th celebration! Rita