Oxycodone and Me, a Failing (and Falling) Relationship

I last wrote the blog around Thanksgiving. And then I stopped altogether. Not because my ideas ran out. This post is now written and published, taking me 5 days in the process because of the pain when I sit too long. 

Let me give you the timeline and you'll see the consequences rather quickly, I imagine.

November 28: I had ear surgery because my eardrum had a hole in it caused by increasingly larger tubes to hear. The surgery was successful and the Oxycodone was effective to avoid the ear pain. 

November 28-December 5: I have a low tolerance for pain and took 7 to 9 Oxy tablets the first week to maintain my level of comfort. 

December 6-13: Then the second week 6 to 8. I wasn't a drug addict yet but on my way because, truth be told, because Oxycodone is a narcotic, and the rate of people taking taking too much narcotic(s) and dying is at epidemic proportions across all populations--the rich and poor, the professionals and the unemployed, the brain trusts and the brainless. Thus, I always asked myself, Am I in pain pain or is the pain tolerable? But I always opted for the Oxy because I had become chemically addicted. 

December 18: I was in the beginning of my third week taking Oxy as much as the second week when I fell to the floor around 1am and hit the end table next to my bed. I called my son to bring the key over to let the paramedics in on my iPhone, or what I call my lifeline. Then I called the paramedics and soon realized, in the post-surgery, perpetual state of Oxy-controlled haze, that I should go the hospital because I hit my head from a standing position and my ribs ached.

The ambulance, with sirens flashing, brought me to the hospital and while there, the ER doc ordered a CT scan of my head and X-rays. He gave me Tramadol and then Dilaudid to ease the pain. Then he gave me Oxycodone, the drug I had been taking following the ear surgery. The results of the tests showed my head wasn't affected, but 2, maybe 3 of my ribs were broken. The ribs take roughly 8 weeks to heal in a young person. Mine will take longer.

December 18-January 23: I ended up in the rehab facility across from the hospital. By the time I left the facility, I was down to 2 Oxycodones daily. Now I avoid them sometime because the pain is less and it is tolerable. I was chemically addicted and now 2 or less a day. I consider myself lucky, addicted-to-narcotics wise. 

January 23 to present: I returned home. My doc ordered 60 more Oxy just in case I still had ongoing pain. They're still waiting at the pharmacy. 

Of course, it was the Oxy that made me lose my balance and fall. I should have taken my time instead of going at my normal pace. But the Oxy operates differently. It makes the brain think it's invulnerable. 

Bottom line: I didn't read the brochure from the pharmacy that came with Oxycodone explaining the side effects like dizziness and the falling risk, but I should have. Oh, yeah. Lesson learned too late.