Friday, January 11, 2008

The Kiddie Pool



At Sebastian Inlet State Park, here in Florida, they have this neat tide pool area on one side that is effectively a massive salt water swimming pool.

At it's deepest, it's only 3 feet or so (during high tide).

When I took these photos, the tide was going out, and the water in the "pool" was lower than peak.

It's kinda neat though, and there are always a good many folks there with their kids using it.


[Side Note: The pain management guy I went to see Wednesday afternoon is a person after my own heart. He had done his homework in reading my medical history and came in, sat with me, and went over where I've been and where I am with my pain and then patiently explained all of my options, up to having pain relieving things like electrical stimulators and morphine pain pumps put in my spine.

He said that in my situation, that I have only had short term pain meds used on me. My pain medicine usually gives me about 3hrs of relief.

He prescribed a time released pain narcotic for me, 12hrs apart. Yesterday was my first day to use it, and after having had no medicine at all Tues. and Wed., I was in some misery when I finally got my new medicines. He still prescribed some of my regular short term pain medicine for me to take when the pain gets above what the time released stuff is doing for me.

So yesterday was a bit of a "lost day" because I was hurting, but the medicine was helping just a little and also making me drowsy.

I slept from 9 last night until 9 this morning, and went into work late. It has been a while since I've slept that long, a couple of months at least, and after all the sleep I've missed lately, I felt like a different person this morning. The pain level is better today, so I'm hoping that over time, I'll get caught up on the pain and that the new time-released pain medicine will make a big difference.

I can hope anyway.

I was so relieved after seeing him, because he sees my situation just as I do, and that alone helps my attitude.

Only time will tell if the new meds will give me better long term relief, but it's already a mental boost to know that the time-release medicine is working for me 24hrs a day. That's a whole new way of looking at life for me, as opposed to the past up until Wednesday, where I was in pain around the clock, and simply waited to see when the pain just flat got too much to bear without help and took a Lortab or two, and then would get relief for 3hrs or so.

The only bad part of the whole deal is that he specifically prescribed NAME BRAND instead of generic. So I had to pay for the new time released stuff out of pocket, since my insurance doesn't cover name brand medicine if there is a generic equivalent.]

5 comments:

CG said...

Wonderful photos that evoke a perfect summers day. I hope the new meds REALLY work and you get long-term ease!

photowannabe said...

Thank you for your update and I too hope that the new meds will really help you. A good nights sleep can do wonders and the compassionate Doctor is healing in itself.
Love your pictures too.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

I really hope the new meds work for you........why do insurance companies have to come with all kinda fine prints???

imac said...

Like the kiddie pool, great idea for them and their parents.

Glad you may have sorted your back probs out John, sounds that this chappie knows what he's talking about and on the same wave length.
Pity about the insurance not coughing uo tho.
Good luck anyway, hope to hear that its working later.

slowly catching up and recovering

New Steam post up now.

Kerri Farley said...

Glad you and your Doc see things the same way...sometime that is half the battle. Fantastic that you have a new attitude with this now that you are on new meds....I hope they work well for you!