[Omniusaspirer]

I work as a nurse on a general surgery floor- exactly where you'll be after you leave the PACU. Your procedure is planned laparoscopic, which will considerably lessen your pain and recovery time. I've had several patients in your situation not take any opiates at all. Ask your physicians to consider a regimen of scheduled ketorolac or ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and gabapentin. Any opiates will be prescribed PRN (as needed), and generally will only be offered if you ask for them. As you alluded to, your safest bet pain-wise is to get the non-opiates on board first and only take opiates as required to facilitate your getting up and walking around- an essential part of your recovery.

As a disclaimer, you may have poor liver or kidney function which would contraindicate some of the medications I mentioned, your surgical team will make that call.

[CaliforniaKarl]

Sorry to be late catching this, I hope you come across it! It's awesome that there's a nurse reading HN! Thanks much for all of the info, I've never heard of ketorolac or gabapentin before. I know there's no way to know exactly what'll happen until the day, but it's good to hear from the "boots on the ground" that this is not at all unusual.