This was one of dozens of “daily pain” posts that I wrote, but it stuck out at me because I mentioned taking three co-codamol (Tylenol #3) was “harsh.” Compared to my current medications (fentanyl, oxycodone, and others as of Feb 2010), three co-codamol is absolutely not even close to a drop in the ocean.

I woke up around 8am with a pain in the 3 or 4 range. I’ve been holding off on taking the co-codamol unless it’s above 5 or keeping me from sleeping. I can’t keep taking them like I have been. Three a day is harsh and I worry about taking them. Eventually they’re going to run out and I’ll have no relief.

I’ve been taking these meds for five days now. I’ve noticed that my pain is no longer constant, but it comes and goes all day. It gets bad when it’s getting close to time for another dose. So obviously, either the naproxen or the cyclobenzaprine is doing something to lessen the pain. How do I know which? I don’t like the cyclobenzaprine, it makes me tired and gives me really bad dry-mouth. Maybe if I get refills I’ll just try the naproxen next week and see how it goes. One of them is helping, but even so the pain is still very much there and I still have to use the co-codamol, which itself only helps partially, but it’s much better than a week ago when I had nothing to manage the pain. I’m at least no longer afraid to go to work.

Today was a pretty good day pain wise, but I pretty much laid around and did nothing all day. I went out for a few hours later that night and my back started throbbing, but I just came home and laid down.

As it turns out, I did run out, and I had no relief. No one wants to refill an ER script. It was probably six months or longer before I had doctor-sanctioned pain relief again.