Diary

[alexxkay]

As expected, Friday night was pretty grim. Unexpectedly, kestrell got to share in the grrimness. For reasons which remain obscure, her air conditioner now blows out the circuit breaker which it is on. After the traditional half-dozen trips up the length and breadth of the house, unplugging things, moving things, and trying Yet Again -- no solution was actually found :( So she gets to just swelter for the remaining hot days of the season.

Next spring, I'm going to see if my available credit can be used to leverage the rewiring of Melville Keep to 21st century standards. Even if we *did* find some better solution to the current crisis, it's only a matter of time before the next one. The house is already a rickety maze of extension cords, because almost every circuit we have is just barely under its limit. Scotty, we need more power!

Having accidentally taken some of the Oxycodone on Friday, I stayed up quite late, to let it flush from my system as much as possible before taking some Ibuprofen and trying to sleep. I did get some sleep, though I was pretty zomboid on Saturday.

It took me sufficiently long to get moving on Saturday that I missed the (unexpectedly narrow) operating hours of the local urgent care clinic :( So I spent much of Saturday experimenting with various doses of Ibuprofen. Conclusion: for pain this severe, in order to be able to sleep, I need a full gram. Yes, this is over the recommended maximum dose :(

So Sunday, I got to the urgent care clinic. They prescribed me some Tramadol. This has now been added to the list of Painkillers That Aren't (at least for me). Sigh. More Ibuprofen to get through the night.

Monday morning, back to the local clinic for another try. Let's have some Tylenon-3 with Codeine, that sounds promising! Unfortunately, a few hours later I find that the promise proves false -- another drug that does nothing at all for me.

I'm at work, but unable to log into my computer, for obscure technical reasons. A colleague is trying out a demo for a new FPS, and I watch for a while, but that quickly brings on nausea to add to my general tooth pain.

Well, clearly nothing useful is going to happen here today. I decide to head back to the dentist in Stoneham, on the theory that they can give me more powerful prescriptions than the local clinic can. Of course, they can only do that if I come in in person, which is a minimum two-hour trip each way for me. But I don't have a more attractive option right now.

The good news: a surgeon looks at the hole where my tooth was, and says it's looking good, and expected to heal cleanly. And he gives me some new scrips, for Demerol and something else to moderate it. In a few hours, I'll know whether or not they work, or are yet another entry on The List...

If they don't work, I'll probably have to head back to Stoneham in the morning. Thank ghod that work is in a low-stress period right now, and I'm not on any critical paths.

---

Le sigh. The Walgreens on Washington Street doesn't *have* Demerol. At first, they try to say they'll order it and have it in Wednesday. I don't *think* so! Some further begging (and phone calls on their part) turns up the fact that another nearby Walgreens, on Bowdoin Street, does have the drugs I need.

In a remarkable act of kindness, the lady behind me in line offers to give me a lift there! It's not too far to walk home from, either, assuming I don't get lost or something. Not that I'm really making that assumption at this point.

Writing this while waiting at the Bowdoin Walgreens, for an estimated 30-45 minutes.

---

OK, that sorta worked. The heavy painkillers didn't remove the pain, but they dialed it way down. At that point, a sane amount of ibuprofen can take it the rest of the way. Actually got some decent sleep last night. Calling in sick today anyways, so as to rest up and maybe nap some more.

Comments

[rickthefightguy.livejournal.com]

I hope you feel better soon! I _really_ hope you feel better by the weekend.

Incidentally, if you have anything you would _like_ to plan on doing, let me know!

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

Yeah, me too! There's still a non-trivial chance that I'll have to cancel, but I'm doing all I can to avoid that outcome.

Any word on the Sunday gaming plan?

[pryder]

It's a third Sunday that's not during the summer, so we're doing game day at The Buttery. I emailed the announcement yesterday, and I'll put it on my LJ today.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

I hope you feel better soon.

Local urgent care places probably have a policy against giving people actually-useful drugs. Those you have to get from a doctor who knows you're not trying to get them for nonmedical purposes.

Good luck with the meds.

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

Local urgent care places probably have a policy against giving people actually-useful drugs. Those you have to get from a doctor who knows you're not trying to get them for nonmedical purposes.

Just so. It's just my bad luck tht the doctor I needed to see for the more potent drugs is a 2+-hour trip away...

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

Subject to some time limitations, if this happens again, I might be able to come fetch you and take you there.

[baron-steffan.livejournal.com]

Yick. I gotta say that I'm not happy that you've been given such a fruit salad of analgesics.
What dosage of Oxycontin were you put on? (Rhetorical question).

Ibuprofen comes in Rx strengths up to 800 mg, so taking a gram is pushing it, but not horrendously so, truth be told. I wouldn't recommend this as a habit, though. And it's not going to make your stomach lining particularly happy.

Tramadol's a funny duck. It's approved for short-term use, and has some potential interactions that can be troubling, but I've seen doctors prescribe it long-term, like gumdrops. The game here is that it's not a DEA Controlled Substance, but on the other hand, its mechanism of action does involve binding to mu-opiod receptors. There's a word for drugs like that....

Tylenol with Codeine? Not a favorite of mine. Tylenol's a lousy anti-inflammatory, (and a lousy antipyretic, FWIW), and at least IMO an inferior analgesic. Codeine is old school, and a weakling in the face of big guns like oxy. I don't even carry straight codeine any more.

Demerol's a rarity. It used to be hot, but oxy's blown it out of the water, which is why it's hard to find. No calls for it anymore. And it's true: it's going to take a day with online ordering, and two if they're still using paper 222 forms. And keep in mind that most chain stores don't order daily like I do; they *were* doing their best to accomodate you. (OMG! I said something nice about Walgreen's!)

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

I gotta say that I'm not happy that you've been given such a fruit salad of analgesics.

Well, they kept not working. What should they do besides try other things?

taking a gram is pushing it, but not horrendously so, truth be told. I wouldn't recommend this as a habit, though.

That was my conclusion as well. I'm not going to lose a lot of sleep over taking it -- especially if that's the only way I *can* sleep.

[patrissimo.livejournal.com]

what about local anaesthetics instead of general painkillers? ie clove oil or anbesol directly on the socket?

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

Hm. Orajel did nothing for me, but I I never did get around to trying clove oil. Whereabouts might one find clove oil?

[patrissimo.livejournal.com]

Lots of places online, but presumably your needs are more urgent. I would try a health food store (whole foods, wild oats, that sort of thing), they tend to have huge vitamin/supplement sections. I haven't actually bought it, just heard tooth pain anecdotes about it being fabulous (ie for "dry socket" after wisdom tooth removal).

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tip. I can stop by such a place on the way to the dentist tomorrow.

[baron-steffan.livejournal.com]

J. Random Drugstore should have it, in the dental aisle. Tiny (like, 5 mL) bottle. I stock it.

Certainly worth a shot.

[elizabear.livejournal.com]

If you need to show up at the Stoneham dentist in person to get a new 'scrip, I can give you a lift from Alewife to Stoneham and back to Alewife. Available times are after 11:30am Wednesday, after noon on Thursday, or after 12:45pm on Friday.

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

Thanks very kindly for the offer. I've already taken cvirtue up on her earlier one, though. Still, it is great to know that there is a backup plan available :)