Happy Canada Day Weekend !
What a week. It begins with a ‘set back’ but ends on a ‘getting better’ note. With great bravo in my last blog I laid out my intention to stop taking morphine and get the tube out ASAP. On Friday night at 11 Pm I had my last dose of morphine…4ml. I had been taking the drug every 4 hours. I had stepped it down from 10 to 8 to 6 to 4 over the last 4 weeks. On Saturday talked to the pharmacist to make sure I wasn’t doing something ‘crazy’. She said it sounded like a good progression. Even at 4ml I sometimes would be an hour plus over my time when I remembered it… clearly I didn’t need it for pain.
Went to bed Saturday night and awoke an hour later with ‘anxiety’ in my chest…what my father in law used to call the ‘fidgets’. I had been sleeping well for months…not any longer. I am up for hours during the night. The withdrawal symptoms came soon after…bit shaky (which I am naturally as you all know!) and constant diarrhea. My weight dropped to 139 by Monday as nothing stayed in me long enough to be of any nutritional benefit. On top of it all I felt really lousy and energy less. Finally went to Princess Margaret Hospital on the Monday and got 2 drugs one to stem the flow and one for nausea.
Turned a corner on Wednesday night… in the middle of the night…found myself doing laundry and ironing to keep busy and knew my energy was back. Still no end yet to the sleep issue…I’m typing this at 6 AM.
The doctor was surprised at my reaction to being on morphine for 10 weeks or so. I had some concerns about it all along which is why I cut it back gradually on my own. They had told me that I would have to “get off that soon” but there was no info on how and that I might have an addiction reaction. Only Sandra’s research on the web told us I was in withdrawal.
So here we are on Friday the 2nd of July and I have had to do a reappraisal of my path to recovery. Turns out it will all move at it’s pace and I need to accept that and work with where I am at in terms of recovery. I have readjusted, as best I can, my fall schedule, as it is clear this is truly a 4 to 6 month process until you are ‘OK’ and longer until you are ‘Fine’.
As far as the tube is concerned the very clear message I got from the doctor was until I got to a stable weight and maintained it for 2 weeks without using the tube, the tube, was here to stay.
I meet with Olga at 8:30 this morning then Sandra and I head to the cottage where we will meet up with Carlye, Steven, and the twins. I am only up for a day or 2…we’ll see how it goes…but I will be putting my son in law to work!
Thank you for being here. Every week new people find out and join the support team.
Warmly,
Peter
P.S. If you want to see the photos the kids sent on a weekly basis that formed the message We love you Dad!....here is the site… http://gallery.me.com/jamesajensen/100085
Hi Peter Hope your break at the cottage gives you renewed energy. This week must have seemed like swimming against the tide, but there's nothing to stop you now that you are bucking the morphine and reclaiming your body.
ReplyDeleteThe children's/grandchildren's artwork is truly inspirational.
Continued good progress. Cheers brian
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Hello Peter, Your team here in Barrie at the Brentwood Marina is thinking of you, you are always a topic of conversation and we wish you only the best days ahead. Pam
ReplyDeleteWay to go Peter,
ReplyDeleteIt was a pleasure visiting with you on the 1st
you look a great deal better, Keep those positive vibes going my friend. Do remember to be patient
you have run a major marathon.
Kind Regards DJ