Spoons. What a crazy tool in the drug world. We all have spoons in our home. Heck, you can go to Walmart and buy a pack of 5 for pretty cheap. I know, because I've had to go buy them...multiple times. My spoons are mismatched. I hate spoons. They aggravate me. I think, "How can drug addicts never hold a JOB, let alone an engineering job, since they can come up with the craziest ways of using common household goods such as a utensil for their drug use?"
I mentioned the spoon problem in one of my first blogs but I feel sometimes my warnings are falling on deaf ears. No one ever cares about "awareness" of issues until they are personally and painfully aware of that particular issue. I'm guilty of it. Sure I click on the "support the cause" buttons but do I have a clue how a mom feels who has a child with cancer? No, I have no clue. I have no clue what it feels like to deal with racism. I have no clue what it is like to deal with many things. I do, unfortunately have a clue what it feels like to be the mom of a drug addict. I sit here tonight, blogging and have absolutely no clue what tomorrow will bring for my daughter--which is why I am pounding my chest and trying to get YOUR attention.
Today I was thinking about my son. The kid has played sports since he could walk. He's had ankle, foot, finger, arm, head, shoulder, leg and you name it injuries. I was thinking back to the times we had to go to the ER after a sports related injury and how often he was written a script for "hyrdros". Thankfully, he never wanted them even filled because of his sister's issues with opiates. This year, however, his Senior year of college football ended with a knee injury. He had surgery. The doctor prescribed 40 hydrocodone. They gave him some immediately after surgery and told me to give him more about 6 hours later and then try to taper off to Advil. When it came time for his dose, I gave it to him and within 30 minutes he was puking up his brains. My 3 year old came running up the hall full speed and said "Dear Lord, D is sick... D is sick!!! Oh dear Lord he is sick." He sure was sick. He looked up at me and said "Why do people get hooked on this crap? It's the worst feeling in the world." Well, he had to go back to college and to rehab his leg, so he took his 38 pain pills with him. I was so nervous about it--but who was I to judge his threshold of pain? He said "Mom, I'm not going to become a drug addict. It's ok." I reluctantly gave him the "hydros" to go back to school.
In December, he graduated. He moved his belongings home so he could look for a job. He immediately left town to go to Colorado with a group of friends. His bathroom adjoins my 3 year olds. He had boxes scattered around and there sit the prescription bottle in the box of toiletries in his bathroom. I called my husband into the room and said "Oh my gosh. Count them." He said "How many should be in there?" I said, "Well, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and allow him a dose of 2 more since he has been rehabbing his knee...so how about 36?" He counted them and said, "There are 38 pills." I wanted to cry with joy. I took them and locked them up and to this day, 3 months later--he has not even seemed to notice they are gone.
Would you know how many pills your child is supposed to have? Have you ever counted? This is where we, as parents MUST stop the madness. They don't need them. They don't need a pill for every tooth pulled, every sprained ankle, even broken bone. They can survive on Tylenol or Aleve or Advil. I promise...they can...cause my son has done it.
I know that every parent wants to give their kid the benefit of the doubt but be aware. That is all I ask. Count your spoons, lock up your meds, look for straws around, check your child's room for aluminum foil...NOTICE THESE THINGS. I didn't. Don't give them the hydros. Don't give them free reign of your medicine cabinet. Teach your kid that the pain relief that hydro may give them, may not be worth it. My children's high school was and is still blessed with an awesome athletic trainer. Even after surgery, he tells parents to cut off the pain med within the week. Sometimes it's needed. Often times, they will survive without it. NEVER let them be in control of it. Ever. It's okay to be overbearing when it comes to opiates.
Don't let your kid become my heroin addict. Don't let your lack of awareness become your cause of awareness later. Seriously. Please. Count your spoons
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