I generally take at least 30mg of codeine twice a day along with 100mg of paracetamol. Sometimes I take more but never less and this keeps me in a practically pain free state. However over the past month I have taken more with headaches and a little bit of strimming (after a bit of a problem with weeds and a neighbour – a very nice neighbour mind but with an immaculate garden). Obviously codeine can be addictive so occasionally I wonder if I take it because I need to or need to – if you get my drift.
So I completed my prescription request online last Thursday and felt the need to provide an explanation to the doctor for the earlier than usual request. By the time we got home from the Royal on Friday it was too late to pick the prescription up, there was no doctor available at the Royal and ‘we’ declined the offer of waiting for the on call doctor and picked up some Syndol from the chemist. This contains 10mg of codeine and 500mg of paracetamol per tablet
As it turns out I probably don’t take too many. I woke up Saturday and Sunday night and needed to take some to get back to sleep. It wasn’t PAIN but just enough discomfort that I couldn’t drop back off. With the aid of the painkillers I take before bed I generally don’t wake during the night unless I need a wee (which happens a fair bit as I drink three litres a day). They must eliminate any discomfort from turning over in my sleep.
Irrespective of this I did still wonder if I could manage without the 30mg codeine so I hadn’t been to collect my prescription until today. When I got up I had a bit of an ache round my sacrum and top edge of my pelvis (nothing unusual in it being this area). I had intended on walking Bud to the local cemetery with some flowers from the garden (it was my Mum’s birthday on Monday) but wasn’t too sure about going that far plus the weather was wet. So after a downpour had ceased and there seemed to be a break in the weather we got in the car and drove to the cemetery. When we got back we went for a walk the sun had broken through and got absolutely soaked to the skin. One second it was dry the next it was as if a bucket of water had been thrown on us.
In between arriving back at home and going for a walk we had a bit of an ‘incident’. As you all know by now what goes on the blog, stays on the blog however in this instance I decided to come clean to B first as last.
As I may have mentioned Bud is not good in the car. He’s eager enough to get in but once underway it all goes pear shaped. Today he whinged his way there but on the way back he was really good. So much so he distracted me – and yes once again this is my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
We stopped on the drive and Bud remained in the passenger seat – he is restrained but this doesn’t stop him from attempting to get into the rear seat. I turned the engine off and heard a noise. ‘Oh, it’s the workmen filling in the potholes down the road.’ I thought and telling Bud to stay where he was I got out. I turned round to shut the door and the car was rolling backwards (thank goodness the slight slope on the drive is away from the glass porch). I leapt back in and stamped on the brake. I hadn’t engaged the electronic handbrake – OOPS! Bud pulled against his restraints so that he was lying across my lap – so maybe now he won’t even be eager to get in the car. I moved the car back to its proper position and was still giggling hysterically when we went for our walk.
Needless to say this afternoon saw B driving into the ‘village’ for my prescription as I NEEDED some stronger painkillers for the persistent ache.
Feresaknit's Blog 
You need the pills so take them..do not worry what others think. Thanks for the wonderful myeloma buddies, they are keeping me company, love the colors, maybe will have to order an orange one!
Have written a note also. Have a good week.
Yes, take the pain pills. You cannot really become “addicted” in the true sense of the word if you are having real pain to ease. If you didn’t have pain and still ‘needed’ the pills, then you could join some local NA group to help you.
What is upsetting to me is when nurses try to become police officers and prevent patients on pain meds from having access to them in a timely manner as prescribed. That is just plain cruel.
As for the incident, I am so glad you weren’t hurt in your leap to correct it! And I am sure B would say the same thing if he knew, but he’ll never find out from me!
Take the pills!! To hell with what anyone else thinks!
Glad you made it back into the car in time!!
Maybe wean yourself off more gradually? But if you need them, you need them. No point in suffering!
Paula, I could certainly relate to your post as I too live with daily pain pills and sacrum pain. Oxycontin is my pill of prescription and my sacrum let’s me know when I forget my pill. I also had to chuckle about your parking brake story as a few years ago I forgot to set the brake on my Volvo and it rolled out of the garage into my Suburban…I had quite the time explaining to my auto insurance company about my accident that involved both of my vehicles but neither had drivers.
I hope you are pain free now
EZ