Blessings and curses of pain killers!

After having surgery you are sent home with a folder of instructions and definately a prescription or two to fill on your way home or that becomes your spouse's task after you are situated somewhat comfortably in bed or your favorite recliner. For me it was only one script for tramadol, (Ultram), a synthetic narcotic pain reliever.  In the past I have had trouble with narcotics. My stomach does not tolerate meds very well and especially narcotics! Supposedly tramadol was a good alternative, I was told at the hospital. I could use Tylenol in between doses of the prescription. 

For the next three days I felt good and couldn't understand why others complained about knee pain when doing home exercise because I had none. I was even becoming so "cocky" that I contemplated not using a walker. Blessings of narcotics: really does take away the pain!

By Friday afternoon the nausea starts to set in and by mid-day Saturday I am feeling worse than after the surgery. It is time to get off the so called "fake" narcotic but was never told there could be withdrawal symptoms. Guess what? Saturday night and into Sunday morning were hours of nausea and other digestive distresses. It wasn't until mid-day Sunday that my body was able to tolerate food.

Thankfully that was over but without the drug I experienced a new level of pain in the knee! 

Curses of narcotics: poisons the body!

Tomorrow I begin physical therapy and know it will be painful without the prescribed narcotic BUT I will "tough" it out rather than go through the detox again!

Everyone reacts differently to medication but I choose pain over nausea any day!

I am using Romans 12:12 as my verse to meditate on tomorrow:

"Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer."

Love this quote by Lloyd John Ogilvie:

"Sometimes The Lord rides out the storm with us and other times He calms the restless sea around us. Most of all, He calms the storm inside us in our deepest inner soul."

I will be praying He calms the restless sea of physical therapy tomorrow!