#286 Pharmaceutical biography

The road to healing is lined with many pit stops. And pill jars. And disappointments.

While marveling about my 5 pill free (and 3 pain-free!!) weeks I took a moment to consider my pharmaceutical biography. Which medications have I been on, when, and for how long? It all started with a small box of Ibuprofen, back in 1993 when I was struggling with a bad tendinitis that just wouldn't go away. My chiropractor actually advised me to take those pills, when after several weeks his treatment wasn't helping. I thought that was a bad sign, but I tried the ibuprofen for a week or two before ditching both the pills and the chiropractor. Turned out later that the tendinitis was the onset of my RA, which meant that my pharmaceutical biography was about to get a LOT more complicated.

Then came chemo, cortisone and a bunch of other stuff that I'd rather not think about. I think every doctor or specialist I've ever seen has prescribed me at least one new kind of medication. I must have been prescribed at least 30-40 different kinds, and I haven't tried half of them. Half of them give me stomachaches, half of them make me queasy. And the other half;) ?

Eerily enough, 17 years and a wheelbarrow of prescriptions later, what was the last kind of pill I was still using? Exactly, Ibuprofen. 400 mg 1-3 times a week. And now I've stopped. Funny, it's like I've gone full circle in a way...

Whether you're new or old in the chronic pain game, I advice you to keep a record for yourself of which medications you use and how you react to them. Keep a health journal, where you take note of your pain levels and also your medication and treatment. One day that information may well be the key to your healing.