Member-only story
Oxy and Me…
Understanding Addiction
It’s been less than an hour since I took my first dose of Oxycodone. I have constant pain in my right shoulder and down the arm — from a severely torn rotator cuff that may require a “reverse shoulder replacement.” The earliest date for an appointment with the surgeon is two months away — hence the “Oxy” for the pain so I can at least have some kind of life.
I also have ongoing back pain from lumbar spondylosis which the Oxy hardly touches. So adding this all together, this 75 year old retired RN is not always a pleasant person. Just ask my husband. Really, ask him. He’ll say everything is “hunky-dory…”
I’ve been on Oxy in the hospital after various surgeries and now for several months at home. The dose is 5 mg for every 8 hours “as needed.” And because the pain is constant, I take it almost q8hr.
So…. back to this morning’s dose. I’d been reading a NYT’s article about the medical management of dolphins used by the Navy. Now, I admit I’m an animal lover, but not especially dolphins, but at least one of them had been awarded a medal for bravery in discovering mines and saving lives. I found myself tearing up.
What the heck?
Then I remembered the Oxy…and how it affects me. Within an hour of taking, it the pain has gone from an 8 to a 4 (the medical, nonscientific gauge used…
