I have waited to pipe in and most have said what I think and have been told. I tell my doctors I do not want to be on an opiate. But it is my only choice to have a life worth living. I cannot take nsaids because of my stomach and esophagus. Addicts crave the drugs.. those that take it for pain as I am do not crave it.

I am on oxycodone 5mg every 4-6 hours. Most of the time I take 4 pills within 24 hours. Sometimes I take 5 or 6 pills within that time. Sometimes I take 3. My worst pains are my ribs and chest.. chest pain that is much like one would have with a heart problem. (My last abdominal surgery in 2015 was open and I was cut from breast bone to under my shoulder in back. The surgeons had to cut through one rib and crack another and also cut muscles. They also had to repair my diaphragm and much more.) I cannot do much bending or much of anything at one time. This morning I have done a couple of loads of laundry and run the Hoover Lynx.. a lightweight cordless sweeper. I took a half of an oxycodone to quell the pain. .. 3 hours after my regular dose and 3 hours to the next dose. Sometimes a Tylenol.. usually generic form for me.. helps if I need something extra. I have osteoarthritis throughout my body. The oxycodone does not get rid of that pain either.. it just make it tolerable. I can do gentle exercises like walking and stretching.. which help the mind as well as body.

Most of the time my mind functions pretty well. I do have thinking problems when I have to take an antihistamine in addition to the oxycodone. I went to my ENT doctor last week and he ordered me a prescription for an antihistamine nasal spray. It seems to work better and does not seem to effect my thinking as much as the oral one did. Sometimes topays to ask if something else might work better. I had asked my pharmacist's advice. My doctor agreed that it might being I have the stomach and esophagus problems.

As we get older.. I will be 69 in a little over a week from now.. we tend to take more medications. I have tried my best to keep them as few as possible. Most are to help with my asthma. It seems to me that the combination of medications we take have a lot to do with how an opiate affects us. .. body and mind. My mom is now in a nursing home at age 92. Her mind has worked well until more strokes started hitting her since last December. She takes a med for neuralgia, restless legs, dementia and for chronic pain she takes morphine. When she lived with us she would sleep a lot after the meds taken, but her mind functioned well most of the time despite the mild dementia. I think doctors are of the mindset that medications are the best thing to treat a condition. Many times plain old exercises and diet changes will help more than medications. I looked through my mom's meds when she lived with us and I discussed her meds with her doctor.. different than the one she had before living with us and we managed to eliminate 3 of them. Unfortunately not the ones that made her dizzy or sleepy.

My husband and I had rather not go into a nursing home, but we do not want to be a burden upon each other or our children or possibly grandchildren. We took care of my mom as best we could and it broke our hearts to put her in a nursing home. I just could no longer do it even with my husband's help. I don't want my husband or children to feel the guilt I feel in putting my mom in a nursing home. We cannot afford to hire help.

I know you did not ask about this part .. but. Legal documents of will, living will, power of attorney, organ donation, etc. should be up to date and discussed with family and executer/s appointed.. I stress it is important to discuss your wishes with your family. If you have no family you need to appoint someone to be the executor of your legal matters if something happens to you and you cannot do it. No one knows if or when they might become unable mentally to make decisions. My mother-in-law that I loved dearly had an accident and her brain was damaged. I had a first cousin pass away yesterday at age 82. He was slightly brain damaged as a child from a high fever with scarlet fever.. he would be considered by society as slow. About 15 years ago even more damage to his brain when someone broke into his home and beat him. He had to go into a nursing home because his sister was not able to take care of him.

I have heard what America and the world is going through right now referred to as “UNCERTAIN TIMES”. We don't have a crystal ball telling us what the future will bring us or those we love. We can only do our best to be prepared for the uncertainties of daily life and react to them as best we can.

ZeeGee