Still, even though we caught them early and repaired both at the same time, only now in late October am I starting to feel like a "normal" person again, although I am still moving pretty slowly and deliberately. Maybe I heal slower now that I am older. Duh.
Fortunately for me again, I had laparoscopic surgery to repair them, so my scars will be minimal. One has already disappeared totally.
To perform laparoscopic surgery, they have to pump your abdomen full of gas so they can get a good look around in there. For the first two weeks, my most intense pain was related to the fact that I was still bloated and full of CO2 gas. It took FOREVER for that gas to be absorbed into my body. In fact, over three weeks after surgery, I am still a bit more swollen than usual.
Now, the pain is related to the actual incisions that were made and the mesh that was placed inside me to keep my intestines where they belong. Stretch too far? Ouch. Bend over too far? Ouch!
My mind often wanders to what people did 100, 300, 500 years ago when they had a similar malady. Ugh. They probably could do nothing and simply watched as it grew and grew and eventually made it impossible to even walk. There are so many scary things that can happen to human bodies that even the concept of "intelligent design" becomes ludicrous.
Naturally, when you undergo surgery of some kind, your doctor will provide you with some painkillers to help you heal. Mine gave me some Tramadol, which is just this side of nothing. When that did nothing for me, I asked for something stronger. His next choice was oxycontin.
This is my first experience with oxycontin, so-called "hillbilly heroin." I'm not sure why they call it that, because I got minimal relief from it.
You have probably heard about some of the issues surrounding oxycontin; that it is highly addictive and is frequently sold on the black market for up to $10/mg. I did some research on it.
A typical dose is 40mg. My doctor's Rx was for 10mg. Simply finding a pharmacy that stocked the 10mg dose was next to impossible. Everyone carried the 40mg but only on the 6th pharmacy did we find the 10mg dose. I mean, WTF? This drug is so highly regulated that you can only find the higher dose?!
One 10mg pill did nothing for me. Two 10mg pills gave me a little relief. What really saved my ass was the fact that I had some leftover hydrocodone from a previous issue. It could be that my somewhat heightened tolerance of hydrocodone affected my sensitivity to oxycontin.
I have re-learned a very important lesson. When you sense something wrong, GO AND SEE A DOCTOR. But don't rely 100% on the doctor. Do your own research. Talk to other people. Get a second opinion if you don't particularly like the first opinion. Don't just sit there and play with it or wish it would go away. And above all, don't just try to pray it away. Nothing fails like prayer.
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