medication and ba (might be one for nurse sophie)

hi everyone its me again!

i m taking a lot of prescribed drugs and my surgeon did say that some of them will make it more likely to have a bleed after surgery he didnt seem overly concerned, but now i m starting to think omg i might bleed to death! i will of course ask him about it again b4 surgery but was just wondering if anyone is on the same medication or if nurse sophie knows how these drugs will affect my surgery and recovery?

LIST OF DRUGS LOL

diclofenac sodium 75mg twice a day

methotrexate 10mg once a week

folic acid

codeine phosphate 60mg at night if i need it

sorry for boring everyone with my life history just having one of those paranoid days lol

xXsammiXx

Diclo and codeine I both know of because I've taken them a lot in the past - which I'm hoping will have built up a bit of a tolerance to the old post BA constipation - but I don't know how they'd work with surgery. I've had slightly conflicting advice as the MyBreast literature advises to avoid pain meds for two weeks beforehand, but Mr Topping said it wasn't an issue. My boyfriend also had surgery last week and had to stop the bupronorphene he was on but was allowed to take Diclo and Solpadol (codeine and paracetamol) in the interim.
I'd say just go by your surgeon's advice, maybe ask if there is a particular drug your on which would more likely be the culprit in case it is one you could possibly go without pre op but you probably ought to also check with your gp first too.

thanks lolcake i m probably getting my knickers in a twist over nothing and if i need to stop taking any of them its not life threatening just uncomfortable, yeah and hopefully no constipation surely if u can go after codeine u can go after anything lol xxx

That was my hope! But my BF still gets constipated after surgery and he's an old hand at it (and used to the meds too) so Im sure the GA must play a big part in it. Just got to be ready to have lots of fruit and a packet of max strength laxatives at hand :-D

and people think cosmetic surgery is glamourous lol xxx

Trust me sweetheart, if there's a problem that would suggest you will have any complication that would be a 'risk to your life' babe, your surgeon wouldn't proceed!

We've had surgeries cancelled for infection, for depression, for problems with bloods and we've had ladies being turned away from clinics because of specific health reasons, so if your surgeon was concerned 'for your life' you wouldn't get on that table lovely. So if both the surgeon and the anesthetist are OK with proceeding, you'll be just fine.

I have a query at the moment about whether or not my surgery will proceed because of my meds too babe, it's something clinics take very seriously and if they aren't happy, it's not going to happen... so you're gonna be fine Sammi, yes, you may be prone to more bleeding that someone else, but they'll be prepared for that. My last surgery I was told the proceedure would make me prone to a bleed, I did have excessive bleeding after surgery (I'm not saying you will) but I was well looked after and had to spend and extra night in the hospital and had to travel to clinic for a week after discharge to get my dressings changed and wounds checked, but like I said, everyone was prepared and it was fine - you'll be fine too. xx

thanks cookie its reassuring that u were looked after so well! i think i m just having one of those pessamistic days i need to snap out of it! xxx

It's normal to have these little wobbles pre-BA, we mostly all get them and just getting that little bit of reassurance does make everything seem so much better doesn't it xx

cookie you are so right as always i had a few hours away from the laptop got out of my pjs and out of the house for a bit and now i m back to my excited boobie obsessed self woop xxx

YAY! that's great babe xx

sammi710 wrote:hi everyone its me again!

i m taking a lot of prescribed drugs and my surgeon did say that some of them will make it more likely to have a bleed after surgery he didnt seem overly concerned, but now i m starting to think omg i might bleed to death! i will of course ask him about it again b4 surgery but was just wondering if anyone is on the same medication or if nurse sophie knows how these drugs will affect my surgery and recovery?

LIST OF DRUGS LOL

diclofenac sodium 75mg twice a day

methotrexate 10mg once a week

folic acid

codeine phosphate 60mg at night if i need it

sorry for boring everyone with my life history just having one of those paranoid days lol

xXsammiXx

Hey honey... sorry for late reply. Lack of wifi! Grrr!!

The diclofenac is an anti inflammatory, it can cause irritation to the stomach lining, i would ask your GP about also getting put on a PPI (stomach tablet) like ranitidine or omeprazole gve the lining a coating, preventing you getting an ulcer. Diclofenac does decrease the amount of platelets in your blood(these cause your blood to clot), but pre op you will have bloods done, one of which will measure the amount of platelets you have. They wont proceed if they are too low. However its very treatable by both stopping the diclofenac, and possibly some steroids if they were very low.

The methotrexate.. do you take it for an autoimmune disorder? Lupus? It can also cause a reduced number of platelets, same treatment as above.

Folic Acid is just a vitamin really

And the codeine as im sure u know, can make you a bit floaty, and also constipated.

My concern would be with you already being on a high codeine doseage, it might be harder to control your post op pain, meaning youll require stronger pain meds. I dont think youre at risk of bleeding heavily, You arent on any bloodthinners. Maybe the concerns are more related to your medical history and healing/post op management? But your surgeon and anaesthetist would NEVER put you under any risk!! Thats why we have pre op checks babe, to make sure we are in tip top condition and safe for theatre! Hope this helps and isnt too waffly...?Xx

thank you so much nurse sophie! i have rheumatoid arthritis so if they say i need to stop any of these meds its not a big issue i ll just be a bit old lady like until i restart lol ooo i hope i dont need stronger painkillers i ll be in a zombie like state thanks again for ur nursey knowledge xxx