A 6.5 day pain patch

I have a bad back (in case I haven't mentioned it before) that gives me lots of pain. I have tried different medications for it, have special workouts that are supposed to help, take anti-inflammatories, have had several medical (mis)adventures to help relief pain, and am a firm believer in the value of multiple ice packs (especially in the summer). I also have breakthrough pain meds for when either I do stomething stupid or try to pretend I am a normal human being. Either my back pain is increasing or pain meds stop working and they get switched around and swapped out for others.

My latest pain relief are these wonderful (supposedly) 7 day pain patches. I put a new one on every Friday morning. The first few weeks they were great but now I am discovering a pattern. They only last 6.5 days. They come in little boxes of four for each month. If I switch to every 6.5 days I will run short each month and of course my insurance company would never let me detour from the designated dosing. (This was made very clear in the fancy DVD that accompanied my initial package.)

Last night my back hurt a lot and my husband accused me of being cranky. I told him my back was not cooperating and my pain patch wasn't working. He was deeply concerned that it would be several days (of crankiness) before I could put on another patch. I assured him I would put on another one after my shower this morning. He has already asked if I have put on the new one. Do I look like I have showered yet? No, my hair is still messy and I am still watching the mismatching pajamas I put on last night. And I might still be cranky.

I am optimistic about these patches. I may still be adjusting to them. I am also on the lowest dose available and go back to my doctor in another month or so to see how I am doing. In the meantime, I will just call them my 6.5 day pain patch.