I guess I have been ignoring this blog. It is an uphill battle defending your treatment.
I have lost family and friends and I have become more isolated because of this.
Funny that the Tylenol, Advil and ignorance of some family and friends have caused me more damage physically and emotionally/psychologically than Oxycontin has.
I am happy to sa that with the use of Oxycontin I have been able to excercise enough so that I have not only lost weight, but the rebuilding of by core strength has allowed me to reduce my use of opiates! I no longer take Fentanyl in my pharmacological cocktail.
I did take a small increase of Oxycontin without the patch, I wake up in the mornings in great pain while I wait for the oxy to kick in. To overcome this I asked if I could take one IR (instant release) in the morning.
instead of risking a yo-yo effect and increasing my tolerance, my doctor gave me an extra small dose pill (10mg sustained release) and told me that if I break it in half I could chew it in the morning and wait for the pain to subside before I take my usual morning dose.
This is under strict orders that I chew 5mg ONLY if I am unable to tolerate the pain until my morning dose kicks in.
I tolerate the morning pain as much as I can, because I do not want to start a habit of breaking or chewing these pills. That is the start of a path I do not even want to start walking. However, It is nice to know that I have the option and I am also happy to return unused pills to the pharmacy when I get my refill.
My expectation I have set for myself is to keep working on m core strength and reduce the amount of oxy I take until it is a minimal dose.
I have added meditation into my routine, which has helped a great deal. Until I gave it a concerted try for a month did I realize how much my pain is aggravated by stress.
In summary. I have stopped taking Fentanyl, lost weight, have been meditating and exercising more (and more each month). I am even thinking of returning (very lightly and casually) to my Jeet Kune Do classes for stretching, strength and endurance.
However, I will have to consult with my Doctors first, and make sure my instructors are well aware of my condition.
All in all, thanks to Oxycontin I am getting my life back.
I believe that this medication, along with the others I take, and the monthly monitoring and regulating of my doctors have saved me lifeand given me back a quality of life that I never thought I would have again.
My best advice is to be open and honest about everything with our doctors. Bring your family in to meet the doctor and give permission for open dialog between your family and your doctor. If you have more than one doctor as I do, consent for them to share information and to discuss your case with eachother. Two PhD Brains are better than one.
And most importantly - Cede, resign yourself to your doctors decision. This does not mean that you should not discuss your own opinion or argue a treatment plan (in fact I began taking testosterone because I advocated for myself that opiates can reduce the levels of free testosterone in your body. After the bloodwork was done, I turned out to be correct). Doctors rely upon your feedback as they rely on results from bloodwork, or MRIs, CT scans and all the other info they have in your file. You feeedback is all part of a well informed Doctor that in tuens makes well informed decisions and treatment plans.
So talk to your Doctor, openly and honestly.
99.9999999% of the time, your Doctor knows best. So do what they say. Unless you think they are incompetent in which case you should not be seeing "that" doctor in the first place.
Assuming you have a good Doctor you trust and is well experienced, will listen AND give valuable consideration to your opinions, concerns, ideas and feedback - THEN CEDE TO YOUR DOCTORS DECISIONS.
Please post your stories and experiences both good and bad in my comments section. IF substantial, I will add it as a post to my blog under your authorship.
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