OK so perhaps I was premature !

Well, maybe not premature, really, but a tad enthusiastic in my praise maybe?

After declaring the new pain meds an unqualified success, I guess I have to qualify that assessment. I'm not retracting it's success rating per se, just qualifying it somewhat.

You see, it seems that it did its thing for my outing on Monday. As I reported here I had quite a run-around day in Ottawa that day and I arrived home quite exhausted but I had no pain. I even slept reasonably well that night.

I took Tuesday as the requisite rest and recovery day and all was good with the world. I was tired, as is to be expected after the kind of day I had had on Monday, but I had no pain!

Then came yesterday. I was still quite fatigued yesterday and I should have been recovered. We went on a few errands -- involved stops in both Almonte and Carleton Place. By the time we arrived at Carleton Place I could barely move. My right hip was screaming in pain and there was no way my leg was going to let me walk another step! The pain continued through the night because I awoke this morning aware of having had difficulty trying to get comfortable. And I continue to be very fatigued today -- three days after the outing to Ottawa.

So the pain meds do a masterful job of preventing the message from getting through to my brain that I am experiencing pain while engaging in various activities. But that doesn't alter the fact that I am nevertheless inflaming the problem area while engaging in those activities! Just because I can, does it mean I should?

I know that I'm supposed to put a "day of rest and recovery" between days of outings. My body simply cannot handle back-to-back outing days YET. And I did that. And I know that I am supposed to take an extra 1mg capsule of my pain meds on days that I am going to be going on "outings." But I really don't think that an "outing" is an errand to Almonte or Carleton Place (my local shopping holes) so I shouldn't have to take that extra dose on those days. In any event, I don't always plan those days ahead of time and I have to take the extra dose in the morning on the days I'm going to be gallivanting. No more impromptu outings for me I guess!

When we travel, I will have to take that extra 1mg capsule on consecutive days to allow me to tolerate the time we are away from home. Then I will have to make sure I don't schedule anything for at least a week after we return so that I can recover from the abuse that will have been heaped upon my body.

Hopefully, with time and gentle exercise, my body will eventually become accustomed to a more demanding activity level. But my doctor's message appears to be, once we find the answer to dealing with my pain, that is what I will be doing for the rest of my life because I will never be "completely free of pain." And these meds are the closest answer we've found -- so I guess now we just need to figure out how best to use them!