cold turkey......

I have some to an important discovery. I hate Vicodin. Norco isn't too bad but Vicodin is every shade of ugly.

It has been nine months since my ACL replacement. No more pain and all I have to work on is maintaining my flexibility and building strength. I am VERY happy with the results.

It has been five months since my shoulder bursectomy and ligament thinning procedure and I am GROUCHY! Is is better.....yes. Does it still bother me during the day.....yes. It is aching right now as I type. Does it keep me up at night YES!! Most importantly, am I afraid that it will never get any better...AFFIRMATIVE.

In a smooth move that I have yet to decide was wise, I got started on my dental implants last week. Two routine extractions turned into a nightmare of broken roots and artificial bone grafts? I still have swelling in my jaw.

But the pain meds are gone. We have switched over to Ibuprofen and what a difference! It has been an interesting journey with the meds. They helped me through awful pain but I am NOT sorry to see them go.

I saw an episode of "Intervention" on A&E and one woman was taking 20 vicodin per day!!!! I was sick just trying to choke down one. Stuff makes me puke.

Just for kicks I thought I would try and get off of Ambien as well. NOT a good idea. I've been weaning myself off of it to begin with. And since my prescription ran out I figured, why not.

I think I will have to wait another month until I have less shoulder pain. Sleep is more important in the short term. But could I just stick it out? It's bad enough to feel my wonky shoulder during the day. Having it wake me up every night at 2 is just too much.

I need more sleep so I can dream about pain free days full of productivity.

BTW...Dr Drew is doing a show on our addictions to sleep meds and I am TOTALLY watching it!