Fill 'er Up! Living With A Pain Pump.

Went to the back doctor's office yesterday. (Monday)

Got my pain pump refilled.

So my surgically implanted tank is topped off with a very, very, very, very controlled substance.

At the present rate the pump bathes my spinal fluid in this extra liquid, I'm good until the second week of October.

But just to be safe they scheduled me for a refill at the end of September.

They don't want me to come too close to running completely out.

Running out would most likely put me in the hospital, so I'm good with their strict scheduling to ensure that I DON'T run out.

As usual, they had to stick the needle in and then hunt around for the small rubber fill port on the pain pump, but it hurts no more than a wasp sting, which, in turn, hurts infinitely less than my normal back pain.  So, no worries there.

They usually have to stick my arm two or three times to get a vein when giving blood as well, so I guess I'm one of "those people" to the phlebotomists of the world.

Anyhoo, it's good to know the pump is full.  When you get down to the last few days before it is empty, and we cut it close this time, you can't help but worry that something will happen to prevent the refill and it completely run dry.

But it's way better than the time-released oral medicines I used to take.  Easier on my liver and kidneys too since the pain pump dose is tiny compared to the oral dose I once took, and the pain pump medicine goes directly into my spinal fluid anyway so that's a lot of medicine my organs no longer have to process and yet I get better pain relief this way.