hello, after being on the fentanyl patch for over a year, of course dose has been lowered since the big operation in december, my father decided he was ready to get off of the 25mcg patch, and to just stick with norco for the shooting pains.. he thought that the fentanyl patch was not really doing much.. well come to find out 2days off the patch, that it was and now today my mom put one on him.. i tried explaining to him how huge this surgery was and not to get discouraged, that he will have some bad days, but to be grateful for all the good days he has had lately... any words of encouragement.. i know a lot of you have had the personal experience with this horrible disease.. thank you..
concerned
daughter

stay positive Nic, even if no one else is....lotsa love from Oz coming your way....xxxx

Hi Nicki! Im sure your father must be discouraged about needing the patch. He has gone thru so much! While it may seem to him that he hasnt made much progress Im sure he has come a very long way. Next time he wants to get rid of the patch, ask the doc for the 12 mg ones. That would let him step down to a lower dose and try it out before getting rid of it. Best wishes to your dad!!!

4 months after major oral surgery on top of radiation and chemo and still needs pain medication: hmmn, why does that sound familiar? Oh yeah, that was me two years ago.
My words of encouragement for your Dad are that his recovery is very similar to my time frame and many others who posted here. True, some bounced back much quicker and some slower, but please share with him that it will get better before this year is out.
Christine's sugggestion to taper down with the 12mcg patch is a very good one. It is very hard to just stop the patch and switch to oral meds without extra pain and withdrawal issues. I got impatient and did just that but it was a hellish week. Better to taper down and be patient.
Again, your Dad's time frame sounds fine and within normal ranges to me.
Charm

hello thank you so much for your responses! i did not know that the 12mcg even existed! i will bring it up to my dad's ENT at next visit... Charm, if you dont mind me asking, what exactly does the "salvage surgery" consist of? did you experience pain 4months out of surgery? i like to copy and paste these words of encouragement and email it to my dad.. he has really been down and out, and now with developing the thrush, which did clear up great about 5days of the Diflucan.. it is still a little white, but nothing like it was, and for the first time today, he looked and was able to open his mouth wide enough to see what is left of his tongue, i cannot imagine emotionally/mentally what this does to an individual BUT at the sametime he is so grateful.. also, during this time my uncle, my dad's only brother was diagnosed with liver/colon cancer in october of last year and passed in February of this year.. my father is coping in his own way, and is truly my hero.. he knows that he needs "to keep his head in the game".. thank you again for sharing your words of wisdom and encouragement with me.. God Bless!
nicki