Sylvia's Journal

Two days after the one-month mark, I realized I may have taken the corner a little too fast. This included getting off the opioids. I had set myself a goal of switching completely to Naproxen and Tylenol. My body didn’t like it and I slid into withdrawal, a feeling I recognized from when I was getting off the Oxycontin after two weeks of use after the plane crash, now 15 years ago. I had not expected to have that experience (it is not as intense, but still) in kicking the Hydrocodone habit, since it has a much shorter shelf life (4 hours instead of a continuous administration every 12 hours).

Despite the uncomfortable nights and the withdrawal symptoms, I have made good progress in bending my knee (120 degrees as of yesterday) and strengthening the muscles surrounding the knee. The accomplishments have required a great deal of perseverance, discipline, and grit to do the 3 times/day exercises and two intense PT visits a week. 

So all in all, everything is going in the right direction.