Listening to New Year broadcasts on television, thinking happy puppy and kitten thoughts with rainbows and sparkles. I'm sure I am now too old, because I am thinking with fondness of Guy Lombardo and His Royal Candians playing Auld Lang Syne. Sigh.
Spent part of my day with my friend who is very sick in the hospital - well actually an LTAC - long term acute care. She is on a trach and can't speak but we put on silly hats and I told her to toe tap Auld Lang Syne as part of her physical therapy. Pancreatitis is a serious disease and can cause organ failure and worse - she has been on a ventilator/respirator for two months. It takes a while to get weaned off the equipment after being on it so long. Praying that she is close to getting on the fast track to healing. I am spelling her daughter this weekend, since her other daughter could not make it. Makes my problems fade into nothingness when I am around someone who is so profoundly ill.
Neurontin Day 3
Some of the side effects of the neurontin are fading today, hopefully my body is getting adjusted to the medication. Unfortunately the ONE side effect I was sorta counting on was excessive sleepiness. That one just doesn't seem to be evident. Rats!!!
My eyes are not so flippy after taking the neurontin but they have been sorta flippy all day. By flippy they seem to take off on their own for a microsecond and I have to bring them back to attention. I am hoping this will fade by the end of the weekend.
The worst of my pain is not being changed by this medication, but it has altered a lot of the low level burning and skin pain I have been experiencing, especially in my feet. Maybe Dr. Kildare will have some other magic that can be thrown my way to reduce my overall pain levels further. Maybe pigs will fly. [Winny - behave yourself!!!] I guess maybe I need to be more optimistic but it's not very easy tonight.
I think doctors must get complaints about pain a lot. They seem to discount what people say about their pain, assuming they must be exaggerating or that they don't report pain properly. If I am complaining of pain to a doctor it is because it is way past my ability to cope or handle. It may be a personal prejudice, but I also think doctors pay more attention if a man complains of pain than if a woman complains of pain.
Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve and New Year's Day!! Hoping for a fantastic and wonderful 2011!
Praying that this year for you Winny will be less in pain and that the doctor's will be able to find a happy medium to pain management for you.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and Happy New Year!
JBR: Blessings and a Happy New Year to you!!!
ReplyDeleteI find your comment about men/women and pain interesting. I'd agree that that's how it's viewed yet in reality I don't know...
ReplyDeleteMay 2011 be kinder to us all!
Kristin: I think each person perceives pain differently, and something I may think is no pain at all may be terrible to another person and vice versa. I guess docs like "cookie cutter" answers and we aren't cookie cutter people! Any my own perception may be skewed because I am a woman, but I also have heard/seen a lot of women in my extended family (which is truly much larger than most) get ignored or valiumed up when complaining of pain. My cancer pain was ignored, I was told there was nothing wrong with me. Phhhhhhht on persons who practice medicine who should really be out selling shoes where they can do no harm.
ReplyDelete