Hello

 I'm here to let you know I'm here. Finally I hope I am on the proper path. I've begun week three of a four week protocol. It is an abject failure, which is not all bad. It is a quantifiable result and shows a direction to a better end.

For pain relief I am back on buprenorphine, which is the chemical name of the Belbuca I used to take. This time I'm using a transdermal system, a patch. I began this drug and method years ago. It became rapidly apparent my skin could not tolerate the patch adhesive and my pain doctor switched me to Belbuca, a sublingual method.

The sublingual worked beautifully, it's only drawback, the cost. In the beginning and for years I could afford it. I had a job. When I did retire, I had savings. My drug copays were managable, even after I retired ten years ago.

But the perfect storm of Covid, lockdown, the opiod scandle, moving house and rising costs made Belbuca impossible. My pain doctor was forty five minutes away, impossible when I no longer had a car, and cost climbed to a $300 a month copay, more than I could afford.

My year of ibuprohpen has become a failure. My personal opinion is I did not augment my pain by quitting Belbuca. I am a classic chronic pain syndrome patient and as additional bones and vertebrae disintigrate, pain increases. So I am back to my original pain management doctor and buprenorphine patches. $13 per month at my lowest dose. It will increase as the dose increases, but probably will remaine "reasonable".

I am at the lowest dose, and it is not effective. Every three weeks it can be increased. That will be next week. I believe I am on a better path, and eventually will be as good as a year ago.

In the meantime, I miss living. In the last six months I have finished one color of towels. Just off the loom last week and on the web today, purple. I've increased the price to $34, the same as most woven towels my size on the internet today. The chief difference is they charge additional postage and I include postage in that $34. It's a charge I hate, and I'm sure you do too. Of course I think mine are better! I explain all that on my web page.

I don't expect to have more towels soon, and my thread is getting way down.

Lavendar, grey, lime, scarlet, peacock. What do you suggest? This may be the last rosepath towel; it's time to find a new pattern with an affinity for water and other things that need soaking up.

That pretty much summarizes my last several months. I remain the in-house organizer. Old folks make a fine cadre of rear guard. We keep elected officials' phones busy and we buy porta-potties for events. Use your rights to prove you have them!