DRUGS...NOT THE FUN TYPE

So far in my journey of illness I have become acquainted with many different drugs and medications. When I first met some of them I thought they may be a one night stand sort of arrangement, some of them carried on for a dirty weekend together, others continued to affairs with dramatic consequences, and some have entered into serious long term relationships with me (a whether you like it or not sort of scenario!).

It was at the onset of this next bout of sickness that I became so unwillingly reliant on constant pain relief. Medication was the only thing that gave me a chance at staying out of hospital. In addition to the endometriosis pain I began to get an incredibly sharp pain in my left hip and running down the front of my thigh. This pain nearly always coincides with the endo pain, and after ruling out injury or mechanical causes my GP found that the two must be linked. So in came another constant companion to me and my medication; a bright green walking crutch. The embarrassment quickly dissipated when I discovered how much easier it was to limp along with the help of the crutch. Although over time that too became a burden, not only did I get sore arms and hands, but the surrounding house and furniture also took a bit of a hiding due to my lack of coordination.

I had spent more than my fair share of time in hospital so I was avoiding that place like the plague. September, October and November went past in a blur of pain and medication. I was still trying to go to uni and had just started a new job which I loved and my diary is full of entries like: “to take pains meds and be veged out in class and not take on any information, or to suffer in pain and not take on any information?” and “please please let me make it through work tonight, this job is going so well, I really don’t wana let them down...again”. My daily life was becoming a trade off with pain relief.  I was putting a lot of pressure on myself and it might sound silly but now I look back and I’m glad I did, without that pressure I don’t know if I would have done as well mentally through that time as I did.

During this time period mum and I were investigating and trying quite a few natural and alternative therapies, some of them worked a bit in the short term, but many of them were expensive with varying results. I began to tire with them and decided to try the conventional path again. It was time for a little less conversation and a little more action please!