"after a fall and suffering a slow decline into osteoarthritis of the right hip, i had been managing pain with vicodin for the last two years before i went for total joint replacement. maybe i had built up a tolerance because after surgery, my pain was mind-boggling until it vanished &quot;just like that&quot;. i asked the nurse what she just gave me and she said she tried a little demerol via i.v. amazing stuff when morphine didn&#039;t do it for me!!"