Drugs For the Dying

Because I have wanted to avoid side effects-- the most common of which is constipation, which can have serious consequences for someone who has had part of his colon removed-- and I have wanted to avoid addling my brain, I have been fighting the temptation to take painkillers. On June 1, I relented enough to take a Tylenol; and since then, I have taken about four more. Last night, a Tylenol wasn't sufficient to mitigate the pain radiating through my body cavity, and I could not sleep at all. With great misgivings, I started down the one-way street of drugs for the dying. 

I took the minimum dose, 5 mg, of Oxycodone HCL that MSKCC had prescribed for me. The pain eased quickly, and an hour or so later, I began sleeping for about an half hour to an hour at a time, for probably about three hours of sleep altogether. Oxycodone mimics morphine. My current prescription permits me to take up to 40 mg per day.