March 6/13

Oh there was a small breakthrough very early this morning, but there's a downside.

First, the downside: the combination of medications in my system are causing pressure and occasional pain in my diaphragm.  It was this that woke me up at 2:30 am.  I couldn't get back to sleep because Max had positioned himself right in the middle of my side of the bed, so I had to maneuver my legs around him.  He's in a downturn these days.  He'll be 16 next week...if this is getting to be time, I want to make sure he's as content as he can be.  We'll take him to the vet to get it checked out once I can manage a car trip.  So, all that to say, I couldn't get back to sleep.

I knew I couldn't take another dose of Toradol until about 4:30 am, and that the pain would come back very soon, so I moved to the living room to wait it out.  And that's when the breakthrough happened.  The breakthrough pain certainly did return, but instead of being a sharp, piercing, constant cycle of pain, it was more of a slow, dull, achy feeling.  It stung a bit, but it wasn't terrible.  On the pain scale, it was maybe a four.  I was amazed.  I took my dose, and went back to bed to struggle for a comfortable sleep with a little cat in my space.

When I woke up again as the alarm went off at 7 am, I knew the breakthrough pain would start soon, and this time, I wasn't as worried.  As the day progressed, I've been able to deal with it, and even now, as it's nearly 4:30 pm, and I should be reaching for my next dose, I'm okay.  I did take a Tylenol  a couple of hours ago, so that's why I'm okay, but that will soon wear off.  And I've decided I'm not going to bother with the Toradol unless I absolutely need it.  If the pain really is subsiding, I'd like to try to manage it with Tylenol, and if need be, Advil, instead.  Why?  Well, it's okay to take Toradol and Tylenol in combination (just not at the same time) for a day or two, but doing so increases the risk of ulcers and bleeding and such.  If my diaphragm is any indication, it may be time to knock off the Toradol, which shouldn't be taken for more than 5 days anyway without the supervision of a doctor.

So there it is.

Wish me luck...

...Wish you were here.