I don't have a lot of experience with the surgery aspect, but I'm pretty good with my prescription narcotics.
I was pretty good prior to the UC, due to injuries and car accidents, but the UC made me more familiar due to the constipating effect of opiates. So the the stronger the drug, the less you have to take and the less constipation you get. However with the stoma I guess that really won't affect you.
Painkillers are tricky, because the various strengths.
Codeine and tramadol (the synthetic version) is about 1/10 as strong as morphine.
Demerol is about 1/4 the strength of morphine.
Oxycotin/percocet is roughly twice the strength of morphine.
Dilaudid is 5 times the strength of morphine (in pill format).
The next level up is heroin, which isn't much stronger than diluadid (for the record I have never had heroin).
4mg of dilaudid is equal to about 20mg of morphine in pill format, so if the dilaudid almost does the job the morphine just seems to be pushing it over the edge of painkilling.
In the hospital you might do okay with just the dilaudid, I've found that IV painkillers generally work faster and better than anything ingested orally.
My doctor was treating me last time I was in the hospital, and he's good with the pain relief and either upped my painkillers or switched to stronger ones when the ones I was one weren't working. Never try to hide how much you are in pain.
Find out from your nurse how often you can have painkillers, and buzz for them when it hits that period of time. By the time they gets things ready for you, and by the time they kick in you'll probably need them. You should also make sure that Gravol is in your roster of meds that you request, I always asked for it at the same time as painkillers, anything morphine and stronger makes me nauseous .
