Common Sense according to Sal (Aided by Miss GeeGee parrot)

[DreamItBeItNow]

Hello xoxo

I have not been with this forum for very long, but enjoy knowing I can log on at any time to see what others do to manage their pain and frustration levels. Thank you all so very much!

Sal and her feathered daughter, Miss GeeGee, African grey parrot, came to visit two weeks ago. We had been so looking forward to her coming! Oh, not just because she was to help me sort out my house, (another story, but very grim, so I won't include it here), and the garden, but also because we hadn't seen one another since January.

Sal arrived on Thursday. All was going well, the usual pain and fatigue, but I was coping quite well, that is, until I woke Saturday morning to the most severe, raw pain, which left me in tears and unable to move. Well, you can imagine how bad I felt that my friend had to bear witness to this...

That evening, after sleeping most of the day, Sal suggested we try an experiment...She suggested that we have dinner at 7pm, that at 7:30pm I take my amitriptylene, and at 8:30pm I should take my 20mgs of morphine. Sounded easy enough, so I agreed to try it out. (Went to bed between 9 and 9:30pm)

Next morning, Sal woke me at 7am with a cup of tea announcing breakfast was to be in roughly 5 minutes time. I went up to the bathroom, came back down, and sat at the table. Sal asked me where my pain levels were at. They were around a 7, no rawness, but nagging...Breakfast finished, I took the 20mg of morphine, and the 5mg of steroid.

We followed the same evening meal time as well as the same time for my meds. (Sal also incorporated a set lunch and snack time, something I often missed because I was asleep) After the 3pm snack time, I took a nap, and actually woke up feeling pretty good.

My GP had advised me to take my meds 12 hours apart, but failed to include the magic phrase, "At the same time each day", so I was taking them when I woke up, and then before going to sleep...Sometimes, I was staying up later than was good for me, but being on my own, just rationalised that I could always go back to bed after the carers had been and gone.

I have been following Sal's regime for 2 weeks now, and this is what I have found...

1) My body is now used to the timing of the meds and when it's time to go to bed, as well as waking me at 7am

2) Oganising my naps at 3pm works most time, still times when I feel exhausted, but force myself to have lunch or a snack before lying down.

3) Although the pain is still there, the rawness doesn't happen near as often.

4) My sleep patterns have become more stable.

You may all ready be doing a scheduled medication time/bed time, but for those of us who didn't realise it's importance, give it a try and see if it helps you. I wish I would have known this sooner, but now that I know it helps, I will continue...

Hope this helps someone else! Gentle hugs, love, blessings, and angels to you! xoxo

[lynz]

that sounds like a good idea ,i might give it ago thanks xxx

[DreamItBeItNow]

You're welcome Lyn xo

It's odd that something so simple can have such an impact! Is the pain still there? Yes, but on a much lesser level than it was...Hope it works for you too! xoxo

[Hidden]

i used to miss out someof my pills and wentthru murder withpain but likeyou say if you do ut right its almost bearable,p

[hagi]

my prob is i live alone at times i forget to take ones later in the day or the pains that bad i take to many then have days were i don't have any left, plus i have other thinks wrong with me that i have to take tablets for 15 boxes some three a day some two some one etc its a bit of a nightmare. a social worker called out promised they would get it sorted into blister packs so i would be able to work it better, she cleared of phoned and phoned to speak to her always out etc, give up calling, bit of a moan there sorry, anyway if you ever fancy a chat give us a shout. keith