Thirty Seven Days: I Liked Three or Four Instead

My friend was going through something I could not even begin to feel or understand.

You might think you understand being dependent on a powerful drug like morphine but until you go through it yourself I doubt that anyone can fully get the meaning of it all.

This dependency was caused by misinformation and a desire to have a better quality of life.

The chronic pain my friend had been in for the last 10 years had been building up to a point where morphine slow release capsules and morphine patches were the last hope of getting relief.

The doctor advised that the patches could become addictive over time but the amount given was a manageable dose and it was all done under supervision.

Little did my friend know that inside the brain a change was happening.

Everyone said that as long as the medication was for medical reasons and the body was using it for the pain, it was unlikely addiction would occur.

Apparently that was not the correct advice.

Family members upon hearing that morphine in any form was being prescribed raised their concerns but were always assured by my friend that all was fine and there were no problems with the drug.

In fact it was said that there was no feeling of even being on a drug at all.

As time went on the dosage was increased as the pain was still there.

After a few months it was decided by both the doctor and my friend that there was not a big change in the level of pain on a significant basis.

It was time to go in reverse and decrease the dosage every two weeks until the morphine was at the lowest level and end the medication all together.

I have to say that what happened to my friend was a horror story to say the least.

In my opinion,you would not treat an animal the way this person was treated.

They were left to deal with severe withdraw symptoms without any help or guidance or medical intervention.

In the next three days or so it was said that the worst would be over and the drug would not be able to cause any problems.

Needless to say this was not the way it turned out.

Thirty seven days, 20 pounds,3 ambulance rides to the emergency room and one suicide attempt later my friend suffered a heart attack.

Even when the doctor was called right before the suicide attempt there was no response from his office.

My friend waited for six hours ,in agony for that doctor to return the call for help. It is no wonder why that attempt was made.

The mind was in a state of shock and confusion and it was looking for more morphine.

After talking to a drug specialist in the emergency room my friend was given some treatment options and managed to survive the ordeal.

I think there must have been divine intervention and a strong inner core to get through a withdraw period of such length.

The scars are evident when you speak to my friend.

The story that is told causes pain, anxiety and a great sadness that has gone to the center of the soul.

Sometimes even tears well up in my eyes as I tell the story here.

The point is , be informed about your own medical treatment and do not put all your faith and trust in one person.

Just because they have a medical degree does not mean that they know everything.

I have learned a valuable lesson because my friend chose to speak out and not hide the story of this ordeal.

Knowledge is power and we could all use a little more knowledge.

If you have a story to tell, then tell it. Let others be helped by your experience.

There is no better way to help yourself with anxiety and fear then letting go of the past and helping someone else .

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