Good for you!!!

I was injured in the Army in Iraq and while still in the Army, I remember getting a huge bottle of pain killers. At that point in my life, I thought, "I'm not the type of person with the personality that could be addicted to anything." After a month, I felt like I needed them and I could tell it was changing me and my behavior. It sucked to go through that process of weaning off them but I made it happen.

That Fentanyl shit is killing more people than I think many people realize. My Dad works in the Coroner's office and I can't even tell how many people he told me overdosed on it. They actually made it a priority with the CDC it was that bad.

Not to get you any ideas with getting off one thing and getting on another thing but as someone who lives in a state where weed is legal, have you tried that approach for pain management? I know that opiate abuse where I'm at has drastically reduced for people using weed. I use the type that has high CBD but low THC and I have no pain now. It really helped me recover and get back into shape and have more movement. I should say it wasn't the weed that did it but it helped with the pain where I could get moving again and gain mobility.

I went from being barely able to walk and being scared of getting stuck in a wheelchair to being able to run 4-6 miles with no pain after a few years. Staying active and just moving and stretching is critical because once you get stiff and the pain is there, it gets worse by doing less activity, then that causes more pain, which in turn causes you to do less, and it keeps going around in that vicious cycle. I've been there. Good on you for pushing through that and coming out on the other side a stronger person.