On the road again... soon!

I'll be flying to Europe soon, which is both a good thing and a bad.  What I like about flying home is that I am under far less stress---no idiot teachers, no busywork, less stress.  I also like the fact that I own, together with my family, several high-performance cars; I like driving, but can't do it when I'm under too much stress.  Same for flying a helicopter---I love to fly even more than I like to drive (although it took my family a long time to convince me).  I also like the mere fact of being in Europe---I guess my roots are still firmly planted there; I like England more than Canada, and Canada more than the U.S.A.  And I like the fact that there's more things to do---hunting, gentlemen's club, snooker, cricket, fencing, actual pubs, etc.

However, the medications used in England leave a lot to be desired; sadly, it is the same for the rest of Europe.  In America, if one is having chronic pain, they go to a palliative care (basically, a clinic to make your life easier, not to cure the disease) clinic specialising in pain disorders; these clinics, for the uninformed, do not take medical insurance (only cash is accepted), and the usual fare is an extended release oxycodone tablet called OxyContin, or a hydromorphone preparation called Dilaudid.  As pain also comes with anxiety, an anti-anxiety pill called Xanax is also often given.  OxyContin and Xanax are given for anything ranging from tooth-ache to scoliosis; bone fractures usually get Dilaudid instead.

In Canada, doctors are a little more careful with giving out pain medications; you won't get Dilaudid for a broken arm or leg unless you're nice (and manipulative) enough.  If your doctor thinks the pain has been going on for too long, he will send you to a clinic specialising in palliative pain care, like in America; the difference here is that you can't go to a palliative clinic right away---your doctor decides if you should go or not.  Such clinics are, however, a bit more careful than the American ones, as they are generally non-profits owned by hospitals, not companies owned by businessmen.  The good thing is that, if you are employed, you will most likely have pills for free, as pharmacies in Canada must take insurance.  Just like in America, Dilaudid is occasionally used---more commonly, though, oxycodone (called Percocet, Supeudol, or OxyContin), hydrocodone (called Vicoprofen), or fentanyl patches are used.  If you have weak pain, you'll be given codeine (the usual medication for pain unless you ask for something else), morphine (called MS Contin or Roxanol), or tramadol.

By my doctor in Canada, I was given Supeudol, which is pure oxycodone, 20 mgm. a day.  Not much, but not too little either.  It helps me walk without limping, and it helps me feel good because it has some sort of antidepressant effect, very much like morphine does.

In England, pain clinics don't exist---yes, you read that right.  If you are injured, you will be treated by your physician.  The usual medication for pain is morphine (called Heroin, with a capital H), which is very weak.  Morphine tablets come in 5, 10, 15, 30, and 60 mgm strengths; the strongest, morphine 60, is about as strong as a 20 mgm Supeudol.  This is the strongest pain medication in common use in Europe, although the 5 and 10 mgm morphine are considered entirely safe, even for use by children.  This is a gigantic pain in the rear; although over-the-counter pain relievers in England and France are far better than American pain relievers (Canadians can get codeine over the counter), the prescription pain relievers are useless in Europe, and hard to get.

This would be okay, except that my doctor doesn't exactly trust me with the Supeudol, as she is afraid that I party with my pills instead of using them for medicinal purposes.  So, I get a week's worth, #30 5 mgm pills, at a time.  Which is fine, except I'm in Europe.  What the hell am I supposed to do?!