The last post was difficult to digest and I needed time to figure everything out. Two surgeries, two ER visits, two hospital stays, and the first round of chemotherapy… all in one month. I was overwhelmed and under slept to say the least, and I’m happy to report that Munch is doing really well despite her circumstances.
Picking up where I left off… Munch was discharged from the hospital on 1/17/17 with a brand new Fentanyl patch that was placed next to her amputation site. The pain patch in combination with the medication, Gabapentin (used for nerve pain) put Munch back on the road to recovery. During her first few days home, Munch was still anxious at times and was given Trazodone to manage her anxiety. I removed the Fentanyl patch on 1/22/17 and continued giving her 50mg of Gabapentin, 0.6mL (this is based on body weight).
1/24/17 was suture removal day! Munch’s surgical site healed beautifully and she no longer needed activity restrictions. The surgeon was very happy with her mobility and we agreed that Gabapentin was doing the trick for pain relief. We agreed to continue using it and taper off as the weeks progressed. Her medication schedule was as follows:
1/17/17-1/31/17 (first two weeks) Gabapentin every 8 hours
2/1/17-2/15/17 (next two weeks) Gabapentin every 10 hours
2/16/17-currently Gabapentin every 12 hours
*It is very important to taper off of the medication since it can induce seizures if stopped abruptly.