I'm trying a day without Percocet, the powerful Oxycontin pain killer that I've been taking since I broke my ankle. One of the side effects of Percocet is sleepiness. Added to my normal desire for sleep, it makes a potent combination which seems to keep me sleeping almost all day and evening too. On top of the Percocet I have been taking Zopiclone more often to help me sleep through the discomfort at night. All in all, with my chemical cocktail, I feel very much like Rip Van Winkle.
One of the first things I have noticed is that I am not as sleepy. I still have the ever-present ALS fatigue; I can always sleep if I want to, I am forever ready for bed. Yet I don't have that persistent, heavy lidded, drowsiness that I have had the last few days. It is probably more than just the Percocet. I suspect the energy used in fighting the pain, the additional effort expended in the cautious processes of dressing and toileting, and the extra work with moving this damn cast around have all contributed to my tiredness. Percocet is out of that mix now, and I can tell.
The downside of this is pain. My foot hurts. It stings in general, although it no longer suffers from the deep seated throbbing which started this whole process. I can no longer feel my pulse pounding through the swelling, yet I can still feel the warmth of the swelling itself. Movement no longer stabs me; it just provides me with a sharp reminder that I am still broken in body.
I can deal with the pain. I've dealt with pain before. I won't say I have a high pain threshold. There are many who know me who would say I certainly don't. On the other hand I can put up with a hell of a lot of discomfort, for a very long time. That's where I am with this foot, with this cast, with this broken bone. It hurts; not badly, just enough to be fairly uncomfortable. I can live with it.
I have read that inmates on death row sleep 18 hours per day. - It may be as much the boredom as anything else. Hope you can have a cup of coffee and get out in the PWC..
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