GwenMarie30

Well Ive been working alot of hours again. 10 hour days and saturdays. I got really dehydrated and my kidneys started hurtin again. I have no insurance as of yet. So its the ER I have to go. I went and they started an IV fluid and he said he was gonna give me somethingfor nausea and an antibiotic. Well they gave me dulauted. Its a narcotic pain med. I was really hurting and didnt really care after that. So they gave me more. I kinda feel bad for letting them coninue to give me something I shouldnt have but I did tell them no more after the second shot. I told them I am a recovering addict and it should be in my chart. I go to this hospital all the time. Im there at least every 4-5 months. When I left they gave me a script for vicoden that I havent gotten filled yet. My question I ask myself is if I really need it. I did stay home from work today just to give myself time to recouperate. And without the drugs. I got a script for steroids and an antibiotic too. I will be trying to recover with just the steroids and antibiotic first.

Its truely amazing on how easy it is for an addict to find drugs. This ER physician was more than happy to supply me with my own treatment. Even after I told him I was a recovering addict. He still gave me narcotics. I have to question myself over and over if I should take what is prescribed by a professional or do things my way?

greeteachday

Hey there Gwen - I hope you are feeling better soon - So sorry to hear you had to go to the ER.

Here's my personal opinion as it relates to pain killers and other medicines that don't "cure" anything. It's not medical advice or opinion, just how I think and what works for me. To me, stuff like that is just if I can't stand the pain...if it is beyond what I can deal with at all, and only for as long as I just can't deal with it. The few times I have gotten to that point, it is usually 1 or 2 pills from the rx and then I am in a better place and ibubrofen works just fine. For me personally, not taking a pain killer does no harm - it isn't like failing to take antibiotics until they are finished, which could make one sicker. I realize there are people with unmanagable pain and my approach would probably be totally wrong. I guess all I am trying to say is from my personal perpsective, following doctor's advice doesn't really apply when it is about pain killers....Something that actually "cures" someone - well that is different. But that is just me.

Hugs. Hope you feel better soon!

rozied

Oh my thats a very hard question to answer. First off what were you addicted to, if it was an opiate I think you had better be very careful btw needing the drug & wanting it. Since you are in recovery you know yourself pretty well & I am sure you know what you can do & what you can't.
Wishing you the best of luck

GwenMarie30

My addiction is meth and any pain meds. I havent needed any today and dont think i will need them. The pain does get pretty sever and i think i will get them filled and hand them over to paul so i can take them as i really need it and not when i just want them. I will have 3 years this november. I thought it would be easier by now.

kelsh

There is a big difference between needing & wanting & for me the fact that any narcotic / opoid makes me crazy.... I never have had a problem with drugs and use my prescriptions as directed by my doc. My problem was alcohol and I did not want to do anything to tempt me to drink again.

I do agree that people with chronic pain have to evaluate their need versus wanting the med & usually most people are responsible but a few will skip the pain med and use ibuprofen instead if they feel it might jeopardize their sobriety. And some will be led right back into addiction again after taking a pain med.

My husband is not an alcoholic but has chronic pain from an old injury that ended up with him losing a leg when he was 26. They used several different pain meds trying to keep him from getting addicted to one certain med. He was in the hospital six months and just took asprin when he came home.

This happened 44 years ago and the use of a prosthetic for many years did damage to his back...then years just on crutches has contributed to more pain and arthritis pain that is severe.

I hope most people would not pass judgement on anyone that does need a pain med because it is totally up to the person themselves.

I don't understand the docs and why they don't acknowledge us as a recovering alcoholic / addict which does happen more than we really know.

It was in big letters on my chart that I was allergic to narcotics so what did they do when I had back surgery due to my osteoarthritis...they gave me Morphine and I went crazy & even my husband didn't pick up on it since it had been a long day....then that early morning after the surgery I was found not breathing...& was in ICU...they still didn't get what was wrong...did get me breathing again and then were giving me vicodin in my IV...a dirivative of morphine!

At this point I couldn't walk, couldn't feed myself...even pudding...didn't know how to use the spoon...and still talked mean to everyone.

This was in a hospital out of town...so my regular doc was not there...what an ordeal...but when I got home I got off the vicodin and just used Ibuprofen.
I told my doc that I would never agree to surgery again unless it was a life threatening issue. I do take anti-inflamatories for my arthritis & fibromyalgia.

kelsh :ghug2

marle

Gwen, Sorry you are hurting but glad you did not fill that script. My daughter used to go to the ER and say that she had a backache from her large breasts. They gave her vicodin. Yes it is that easy. Hugs, Marle

Rowan

About 5 years ago, I went to a walk-in clinic after running out of clonazepam. I told the doc I was an addict, and only needed enough until I could see my regular doc the week following. He gave me a bottle of 120 pills, and two repeats. I figured that since I was honest, and he trusted me (I had two years sober at the time), I would be fine. Wrong. I went through the pills in a little over a week, relapsed on booze, then ended up in rehab.

I talked about this not too long ago with my addictions doc and he reminded me that I am the only one responsible for what goes in my body. Just because this doc made the decision to write the script didn't absolve me of any responsibility.

Bottom line: just because a health care professional decides something might be good for me, ultimately, the decision is mine. I'm glad you didn't fill that script, Gwen. Toss it!

Jewelz

Gwen, I hope you are feeling better. I am not an addict and dont know what exactly what your going through.... but my thoughts were if you havent needed them yet you might as well rip up the prescription. Like the above poster said you are the only one responsible for your sobriety.

I think its great you are bringing this here!

Hugs,
Jewelz

GwenMarie30

I wont lie. Recovery has been hard. Not so much for meth but the pain pills just kill me. I know my mom has been getting them from a lady at work because she had total knee replacement surgery. She even caled me the other day asking ME what kind of pills she had. I knew just by the description and number what they were. Percocet. I know with out a doubt that all Id have to do is ask for some and she'd give me some. That burned in my brain for a week straight. I craved so bad. So yeah I know how bad my adiction can really be. I will just remember where it took me too. Im very careful and try to work things like this out with others who understand.

Ann

Well done, Gwen. They say to play that tape to the very end...to the part where your life became miserable because of pills.

And I agree with Rowan, just because some idiot doctor prescribes narcotics after being told you are a recovering addict, doesn't take the onus from you to take care of yourself.

Just for the record, we never tell people to disregard medications prescribed by their doctors...but in this case I think it's just obvious that they aren't needed and can be replaced with safer pain relievers.

Take care of yourself Gwen, I'm proud of you for talking this out and getting rid of the pills.

Hugs

sleepygoat

Somewhere in the basic text of NA it says, it is we, not our doctors, that are responsible for our recovery. It sounds like you handled this well, this time. But its always a dangerous thing for me to put drugs into my body that I had previously used to get high. My body can't tell the difference. Sometimes I really do need something for pain that is stronger than tylenol. this is something that only you, your sponsor, and your higher power can truly decide.