A tragedy, or a miracle? You decide.

[exjunky]

True story:

A woman with no particular drug problems acquired lower-back pain as a result of her job (nursing) and started to be prescribed opiates.

She quickly became an opiate addict. After a few years she was working three doctors at once, using the needle almost exclusively, and struggling with a massive addiction. Everybody thought she was going to kill herself and was powerless to really help.

A few weeks ago she overdosed, then in the hospital she required emergency heart surgery, and then in recovery from the heart surgery she underwent a massive stroke. After the stroke she couldn't talk, walk, or recognize people. Recently she is starting to talk a little bit, she is able to walk (with a walker) in defiance of what doctors had predicted.

I know you're thinking "God, how horrible", but wait, here's where it gets perhaps miraculous.

It turns out that she has a very selective amnesia. She remembers some people and not others. She remembers her name but she doesn't remember why she went to the hospital or her life leading up to the overdose.

She doesn't remember that she used to be a drug addict!!!

And what's more, her back pain has gone away!!!

In a way, this is like a miracle cure for opaite addiction. How easy would it be to quit drugs if you forgot that you ever took them in the first place, while at the same time, your chronic pain vanished?

I almost feel guilty for thinking that good has come out of such a horrible tragedy. You don't hear people talking about a "good stroke" or "good brain damage" very often, but if there was ever such a case, this is it.

Her mother is guarding her hospital room like it's Fort Knox. Certain people are allowed to visit her but it's absolutely forbidden that anybody say anything which might remind her of her previous problem. This is the "giant secret" that must be kept from her as long as possible.

Truth is stranger than fiction, no?

[Jane63]

Interesting story!! Thanks for the post, ex!!

[Done-With-It]

Thanks, Interesting~

[northbelle]

Oh wow..I wonder if she lost her addiction too??
love north

[exjunky]

Originally Posted by northbelle

Oh wow..I wonder if she lost her addiction too??
love north

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying!

I imagine as time goes on she'll start to reconstruct her memory but for the time being, ignorance is most definitely bliss.

I was going to go see her, as I've known her for 20+ years. We knew each other during good times and bad, so I have no way to know if she'll remember the "clean me", or the "junky me", or maybe she won't remember me at all.

But based on this new information I think I'm just going to let the family & doctors do their things for now.

[littlethings]

That's an amazing story.... keep posting on her progress....

I wish I could wake up one day and forget that I ever touched opiates.

[northbelle]

Hey Ex....she is sure to remember some of the BETTER memories of you if she has known you for 20 years!! I bet it will jog her memory a little!
just my opinon..
love north

[tcorral1256]

i would love to wake up and not be an addict with chronic pain anymore, that would be a miracle to me

[windysan]

I wish Maxwell's silver hammer would hit me on the head and get rid of some of my painful memories.