Would a 72 yr old male, weighing 200 lbs., and having stage 3 Alzheimers feel less local pain from a flu shot while taking the following pain medications each morning: 40mg Opana, 15mg Oxycodone, and 750mg Robaxin? My Father didn’t even flinch from a flu shot, I’m wondering if this is partly due to how much pain medicine he has in his system.
Why is you dad on so much pain medication?
Does your Father normally flinch on a flu shot? I don’t recall any pain during flu shots.
A small, sharp needle can be surprisingly painless. Add in a little distraction and I could see Dad not noticing.
In my experienced opinion, the degree of pain from an injection depends on the skill of the person administering it, and whether the muscle tissue into which the injection goes is tense or relaxed. A skilled medical professional plus complete muscular relaxation results in negligible or no pain.
Dad has a laundry list of ailments, including a completely torn rotator cuff, enough so that the ortho doc says it’s not worth trying to repair, various disk problems, etc., etc. Even with that much medication daily, he complains of pain.
My brother actually took him for the flu shot, which they both received. Brother said the shot hurt him, maybe poorly administered, I’m not sure. He said my Dad never flinched.
Mr. D hit on it. the Robaxin would be relaxing his muscles, so it wouldn’t hurt much.
As to your wider question, I can say that when I hurt my back, I was in the hospital for nine days on some rather heavy IV pain medication, but none of it masked a needle jab.
It could be that pain from these problems is enough of a distraction that the very minor pain associated with getting a flu shot is not noticeable.
Thanks for all the thoughts. Trying to settle a debate with my Brother.
I am on morphine and percocets for chronic pain. In my experience the meds work for current pain, but seem to do nothing to prevent “new” pain. For instance, without the morphine my back pain is agonizing. With it I am fairly comfortable. However even with a good amount of the meds in me I would still feel the immediate pain from most anything. From a punch in the face to a hard pinch.
As far a needles, once a week I require an injection of a medication. My wife administers the shot to my thigh. Prior to stabbing me with the needle she gives my thigh a good hard slap and then immediately injects me. I can’t even feel the needle, I have had to ask if it is in. The slap seems to “distract” the brain and makes the injections not only painless, but practically unnoticable.
flu shot shouldn’t hurt…and certainly nothing more than a little pinch. Nothing that 4o mgs of Opana and 15 of oxy-c can’t handle!, I’d LOVE to wake up every morning to that!! I wouldn’t want to sleep in so much! LOL Hell and I’d even get a flu shot every day to get all that. hahaha