Adjusting Her Meds

So Doug’s sister Lynn has those electric cuff things on her legs, the ones that pump up every minute or so to keep a post-surgery patient from developing blood clots.

I noticed yesterday morning, within an hour of her arriving in her room, that she was hitting the button on her self-administered morphine pump every time the electric cuffs kicked in.

I’ve endured anesthesia often enough to understand the logic. The cuffs kind of jolt you awake, and then by golly, while you’re thinking clearly, you give yourself another little dose of pain relief.

Kills two birds, right? Maybe for some people, but not for anyone I know.

I personally cannot stand morphine, and don’t intend to ever suffer its miserable effects in the future. Doug’s mother was a raving lunatic back in June for several days following her surgery, all morphine induced. And our son Scotty, who survived a burst appendix at the age of twelve, detested the way he felt on the drug so much that he discontinued it after only a few hours.

Lynn ended up shooting herself full of about six times more morphine than she can stand, apparently, and it took hours for her to calm down from its effects.

By this morning, though, she’d found the right amount to ameliorate her pain without making her nutty. In fact, I think she was pretty darned with it.

A nurse came in while Doug was there and said to Lynn, “Oh, is this your significant other?”

Lynn, still totally stoned but in a good way, didn’t miss a beat. “No,” she said, “this is my significant brother.”

There’s nothing better than the right dosage.

Posted by Katy on 11/17/05 at 01:33 AM

Fallible Comments...

"Nothing better than the right dosage." Ahhh, a statement of TRUTH!

The Right Dosage - of many different kinds of meds - hehehehehe; of love, of kindness, of truth, of sleep, of Starbucks, of chocolate, of mint chocolate chip ice cream, of little girls' kisses, of HGTV, of staying up too late on my computer, of sleeping in on a cloudy, rainy, cold morning . . . ahhhhh . . . just the right dosage!!!
Posted by Ame on 11/17/05 at 05:55 AM
What a fun little anecdote! "Significant Brother"--I love that. :)
Posted by Ginger on 11/17/05 at 01:10 PM
Loved your post. Made me flash back to my hysterectomy a few years ago...UGH. Took awhile to get the dosage right then,too!

Your writing is great!
Posted by Vicki on 11/17/05 at 07:22 PM
Hi again. Will you please send me the URL for that POD company that printed your book last Spring.

I have been out of pocket. I regret that I missed the last 2 HACWN meetings and the conference. Next time, though. Hope to see you there.
Posted by Paul Nichols on 11/17/05 at 10:54 PM
I was on morphine for the first day after an emergency c-section with baby #3. The lady in the next room was having her labor induced, and her contractions came so hard and fast that she gave birth in the labor room - no time to move her down to delivery. In my morphine-induced haze, I heard her screaming through her delivery. Let me tell you, that was one weird trip.
Posted by Carrie K. on 11/17/05 at 11:10 PM
Cute :)
Posted by Hope Wilbanks on 11/18/05 at 02:06 PM
Morphine ain't all it's cracked up to be - for me at least, it has very little effect on me. Demerol is the drug that fits my fancy - like a warm glove. Last time I was hooked up to one of those automatic push-button deliv systems, I maxed the thing out - even in my sleep.

I wish I could say I don't like taking it but that just wouldn't be true. I'm just glad it's not OTC (I can see the justification going on in my brain right now - Well, my head kind of hurts, maybe I should go pick up some demerol).
Posted by Daniel on 11/19/05 at 02:13 AM
Thanks for the irish story, Katy. I collect jewels like that.
Posted by Daniel on 11/19/05 at 08:23 AM
..priceless.
Posted by lisa on 11/21/05 at 05:59 AM
I'm surprised someone hasn't come up with a reality show about life in a post-surgical suite.

When my dad had heart surgery, he said he saw "turtles crawling across the wall toward the sea." The wallpaper looked like coastal grasses bent by the wind, and his morphine stupor created the turtles. Later that same day, he swore he saw a white furry boa slithering up the end of his bed towards his head.
Posted by Bonnie on 11/22/05 at 01:56 AM

Page 1 of 1 pages

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.

Next entry: The Highlighter Of My Day

Previous entry: But Who's Counting?

<< Back to main


		more fallible attitude »

Personal blog of christian writer & fallible mom Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri Katy is represented by Greg Johnson at WordServe Literary Read more Katy at LateBoomer.net Follow Katy on Twitter Follow Katy on Facebook 123 Recent Posts Try Becoming Brenda Starr Off Beat Scattered That’s It So I’ve Finally Signed With An Agent. Now What? The Spoon Sciatica Sweetheart A Woman’s Train of Thought Has No Caboose However much we own, we are all still living on borrowed time After all, when restaurants shrink portions, they don’t shrink prices. As with everything in life, balance is key. Slow down, you move too fast… Yeah, I know. I have issues. Search Advanced Search Syndicate Login E me at katy @ ngenius.com	Adjusting Her Meds So Doug’s sister Lynn has those electric cuff things on her legs, the ones that pump up every minute or so to keep a post-surgery patient from developing blood clots. I noticed yesterday morning, within an hour of her arriving in her room, that she was hitting the button on her self-administered morphine pump every time the electric cuffs kicked in. I’ve endured anesthesia often enough to understand the logic. The cuffs kind of jolt you awake, and then by golly, while you’re thinking clearly, you give yourself another little dose of pain relief. Kills two birds, right? Maybe for some people, but not for anyone I know. I personally cannot stand morphine, and don’t intend to ever suffer its miserable effects in the future. Doug’s mother was a raving lunatic back in June for several days following her surgery, all morphine induced. And our son Scotty, who survived a burst appendix at the age of twelve, detested the way he felt on the drug so much that he discontinued it after only a few hours. Lynn ended up shooting herself full of about six times more morphine than she can stand, apparently, and it took hours for her to calm down from its effects. By this morning, though, she’d found the right amount to ameliorate her pain without making her nutty. In fact, I think she was pretty darned with it. A nurse came in while Doug was there and said to Lynn, “Oh, is this your significant other?” Lynn, still totally stoned but in a good way, didn’t miss a beat. “No,” she said, “this is my significant brother.” There’s nothing better than the right dosage. Posted by Katy on 11/17/05 at 01:33 AM Fallible Comments... "Nothing better than the right dosage." Ahhh, a statement of TRUTH! The Right Dosage - of many different kinds of meds - hehehehehe; of love, of kindness, of truth, of sleep, of Starbucks, of chocolate, of mint chocolate chip ice cream, of little girls' kisses, of HGTV, of staying up too late on my computer, of sleeping in on a cloudy, rainy, cold morning . . . ahhhhh . . . just the right dosage!!! Posted by Ame on 11/17/05 at 05:55 AM What a fun little anecdote! "Significant Brother"--I love that. :) Posted by Ginger on 11/17/05 at 01:10 PM Loved your post. Made me flash back to my hysterectomy a few years ago...UGH. Took awhile to get the dosage right then,too! Your writing is great! Posted by Vicki on 11/17/05 at 07:22 PM Hi again. Will you please send me the URL for that POD company that printed your book last Spring. I have been out of pocket. I regret that I missed the last 2 HACWN meetings and the conference. Next time, though. Hope to see you there. Posted by Paul Nichols on 11/17/05 at 10:54 PM I was on morphine for the first day after an emergency c-section with baby #3. The lady in the next room was having her labor induced, and her contractions came so hard and fast that she gave birth in the labor room - no time to move her down to delivery. In my morphine-induced haze, I heard her screaming through her delivery. Let me tell you, that was one weird trip. Posted by Carrie K. on 11/17/05 at 11:10 PM Cute :) Posted by Hope Wilbanks on 11/18/05 at 02:06 PM Morphine ain't all it's cracked up to be - for me at least, it has very little effect on me. Demerol is the drug that fits my fancy - like a warm glove. Last time I was hooked up to one of those automatic push-button deliv systems, I maxed the thing out - even in my sleep. I wish I could say I don't like taking it but that just wouldn't be true. I'm just glad it's not OTC (I can see the justification going on in my brain right now - Well, my head kind of hurts, maybe I should go pick up some demerol). Posted by Daniel on 11/19/05 at 02:13 AM Thanks for the irish story, Katy. I collect jewels like that. Posted by Daniel on 11/19/05 at 08:23 AM ..priceless. Posted by lisa on 11/21/05 at 05:59 AM I'm surprised someone hasn't come up with a reality show about life in a post-surgical suite. When my dad had heart surgery, he said he saw "turtles crawling across the wall toward the sea." The wallpaper looked like coastal grasses bent by the wind, and his morphine stupor created the turtles. Later that same day, he swore he saw a white furry boa slithering up the end of his bed towards his head. Posted by Bonnie on 11/22/05 at 01:56 AM Page 1 of 1 pages Commenting is not available in this weblog entry. Next entry: The Highlighter Of My Day Previous entry: But Who's Counting? << Back to main


copyright 2011, ngenius media inc.

Personal blog of christianwriter & fallible momKaty McKenna Raymondin Kansas City, Missouri

Recent Posts

Search

Syndicate

Adjusting Her Meds

Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri