Day Five: It's All about the Pain

I was flying high for four days. With almost a full day painless followed by four days of minor discomfort, we removed the catheters that administered the nerve block. My dear friends and retired nurses, Brenda and Connie, removed one of the nerve blocks Tuesday night. Since the other still had some medication in the pouch, they returned Wednesday morning to remove it. I was anxious about the anesthesiologists' warnings that the pain might be excruciating, but relieved when the pain seemed to be tolerable. In fact, I decided to cut back on the Oxycodene because I know from someone very close to me how easy it is to become addicted. That turned out to be a very bad idea.

The pain is not quite excruciating, and most of the time it is almost tolerable. Then there might be a twinge, a searing sting, and, every once in awhile something that feels like torture. Consider two incisions, and a lot of metal and plastic, I shouldn't be surprised by the body fighting back and working to heal.

I am back on Oxycodene and Tylenol every four hours, and that alleviates a little bit of the sting, but not all. I understand how we can control pain with breathing and mind games. Writing this blog and filling out the checks for my federal and state taxes also distract me from the pain, although in very different ways: one allows me to express my feelings and the other hurts greater than the ankle. Some people might curse at the pain, but I usually start to sing!

I've read that cursing releases enkephalin which increases our ability to tolerate pain, much like opioids. Perhaps I should stop singing and start spewing the expletives.

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