Detox Part II

I tell people, in grave tones, that we're detoxing. That means Ken will eventually eliminate all opiates in his bloodstream. He appears his usual sweet, endlessly curious, open self which seems at odds with the tone and gravity of my "We're detoxing,'' statement.
But I notice he's sleeping a lot more these days. And that his eyes seem tired and his steps more labored.
He's reducing his pain meds 20 milligrams a dose in a stepped down six-week schedule that makes my brain seize in its complexity.
At the end of this withdrawal he'll be off opiates for two weeks and then he'll have a pain pump inserted. We did this before and he wound up with spinal meningitis. But he really has no choice. He's getting less relief from the pain meds and his surgeon thinks that's why he's had a spate of falls recently. So, with a great degree of courage, stamina and blind faith he's begun the process. It's a steady march for the next six weeks.