Politics, 200 Days Clean and NO PAIN PILLS FOR ME

Oh how annoying the political commercials are becoming. Every one is arguing on social media, including myself, lol. I'm not sure the point of even arguing, because how often do we change people's minds?

I myself had an interesting little personal poll. I emailed the candidates for Missouri Governor and US Senator for Missouri about their positions on prescription drug monitoring, the opiate and heroin crisis and methadone/MAT clinics and funding. I sent letters also to Claire McCaskill and Governor Nixon, even though they are not on the ballot.

Here were my responses--I got a form letter from Claire McCaskill that basically answered nothing. I got no response from Eric Greitens, candidate for Missouri Governor. I got no response from Jason Kander, candidate for US Senate.

I got a very lengthy response and two follow up phone calls from Roy Blunt's office and factual information and continue to get follow up emails from his local and DC staff. They have gotten to the root of some of my biggest questions, which I could not get answered on the state level.

I got a rapid and thorough response from Jay Nixon, which also put me in contact with a lady from the Missouri Department of Health and she contacted me by phone and we had a great conversation.

I got a thorough letter from Chris Koster's office which explained in detail his positions and my concerns and although I was raised Republican and I love Ronald Reagan with each fiber of my soul--I am voting for a Democrat for Governor.

Don't panic quite yet, my fellow Republicans.

I am with Roy Blunt 100%. He has kept his word to me throughout this entire opiate nightmare and I trust him with my family values and well, with my family.

So there is my plug on politics. It really means nothing and may get me some enemies on social media, but it is truth...and well, like or hate it...I speak it...and like my first paragraph, it won't change anyone's minds and I will respect whomever gets elected and hope that I can work with them to better the State of Missouri and country.

So--on a much greater and important note---my Addi had her 200th day of being clean this week AND she has an A in both of her college classes.  YAY ADDI!!!!!-- and she gets to go see Joyce Meyer, so she is pretty much walking on sunshine right now. I never thought my daughter, who was determined she would marry Nelly or Lil' Wayne and had a major thing for the Jonas Brother would become a person who eats, breathes and adores Joyce Meyer--but thank you GOD! I'm excited to hear her sound so excited about so many positive things in her life.

As for myself--I had some surgery last Monday and Tuesday.  I had some skin cancer removed from my nose. Right smack in the middle, I had about a quarter sized HOLE taken from my nose. Not a pretty sight. So...I had to have reconstructive surgery the next day (last Tuesday). My surgeons were incredible. My plastic surgeon who fixed it, is the "Sculptor with the Scalpel." He is simply amazing. No way on earth I would ever have any sort of cosmetic surgery done now for jolly's though. Not fun. I will just take my wrinkles as they come. WOWZA that was painful.  Swollen face, stitches everywhere on my little nose and the first 3 days was absolute hell---but guess what? THIS GAL DID NOT TAKE ONE SINGLE PAIN PILL. NOT A ONE. Obviously I had pain medicine in my IV before I woke up from anesthesia, but I didn't know it and didn't ask for it and I was determined that I didn't need it. I slept forever it seemed like. I woke up looking like the bandaged elephant man. I easily could have taken pain pills and I had plenty of reasons to need them...but I wanted to prove to Addi that I could walk the walk instead of just talking it. I used Tylenol only and one week later, I haven't even used Tylenol today. I'm going to make it. I thought if my son can have knee surgery and not use pain pills--then so can I. Addi was very proud of me.

So--sorry I have been behind on blogging. I've just been taking care of Steph and haven't even been able to see to type because my face was so swollen. I'm on the mend now. I'll be fine.

The moral of this story is---don't be a wimp. You don't need those pain pills. They are not worth the risk...and vote for Roy Blunt for US Senate.

The Gala...6 months Clean...and Let's Get You Help NOW

I got the honor to speak at the Primrose Hill Teen Challenge Gala held in Columbia this past Thursday. I have been speaking in front of various groups locally and don't usually have a script or ever feel particularly nervous. This event made me nervous because I have not spoken with Addi present. Also, my husband, sister, mother, step mom and husband and a dear family friend, Janeene were there. I was nervous about crying in front of 250 people but even more nervous about making Addi cry. My husband is so encouraging of my mission in drug awareness. The whole way to Columbia I was writing a timeline and making various notes to myself of points I wanted to make. I would try to rehearse and get even more nervous. He said, "Steph...speak from your heart. This is our life and you know it by heart. Just tell her story." He was right. As I stood up to speak, I felt comfortable. My voice cracked several times but my 5 minutes of allotted time ended up being ten and I found the words I wanted and needed to say.

The thing I have learned the most in the last 6 months is that everything is within a plan of a whole lot larger plan than any notes I make or anything I personally say or do. I am a small little speck in this world with a whole lot of problems, but also a world with a whole lot of people who care about virtual strangers. The amount of people who have supported my family with encouragement, kind words, cards, hugs and messages has been a source of strength to me. I may not be able to thank all of you enough in my lifetime, but your kindness to my family means so much to us. The thing that struck me at the Gala was that there are so many people who love my daughter and are feeding her soul, giving her confidence, showing her love and support and helping her rise up from the hell she was sinking so deep into just 6 months ago. They didn't know her but they welcomed her and they didn't judge her--they accepted her. There are so many places that are out there just like Primrose Teen Challenge who are willing to help your son or daughter too. There are so many places that can help YOU if you seek it.

I know the idea of entering a 12 month program is scary for some. I also know that the last 6 months has flown by and in 6 more months, it terrifies me that she will be back into this world. I love the concept though of her treatment center in that they don't institutionalize their "students." They are called students, not "patients."  They go to the Y to work out; they go grocery shopping; they go to church each Sunday; they go to the pool; they go to plays; they walk in charity walks with Mizzou; they interact in real life, but positive ways of life. It is not nearly as traumatic for a person to enter the real world again if they have been living in it. Yes they have a strict schedule. Yes, they are strong in their Assembly of God faith and yes, they require you to learn about the Bible. They teach women to be mother's, they teach young women to respect their bodies again and they teach a woman to heal themselves from the inside out.

I was so happy that my sister, stepmom and her husband got to tour the home the next day. My stepmom's husband is a man who is kind, but quiet and definitely a strong man. After the tour of the house and a lot of hugs from Addi, they were getting ready to leave. They both had tears in their eyes. I said to my stepmom's husband (or Addi's Poppy, I should say), "I try not to get too excited but I am cautiously optimistic." He said "I went from no faith to a whole lot in about 30 minutes." THAT is the kind of place Primrose is and the impact it has had on all of us. It has a peaceful, healing, loving and welcoming feeling that is indescribable unless you see it. We were all pretty moved from the last 24 hours of the gala, hearing the stories of the girls who live there and seeing all the support they had at such a nice event.

Now, let's focus on YOU...

I challenge all of you who need help to find the place that is calling YOUR name. I challenge you to find a facility that will heal you from the inside out and give you the time to truly find yourself and forgive yourself. There are many places in this nation that can give you that same love and same help. Although 12 months seems scary--your death of an overdose is permanent. Each day that you put a needle in your arm, take a hit of drugs or stray further from accepting that you need help--the closer you are to death. Only YOU can take that first step to find help. Only YOU can make the decision that this is no longer the life you want to live.

Stop and visualize a life free of chains, free of chasing the drugs, free of the daily fear of being dope sick. Picture yourself being the type of son, daughter, mother, father, sister, brother that your family deserves. Close your eyes and remember the days before you tried drugs to mask your pain or whatever reason you began. Take the step to change your life today, whether it is by getting online and emailing a Teen Challenge that fits your needs; contacting Freedom Christian Church in Aurora; by contacting The Road Recovery in Webb City; or God's Army; or Ascent Recovery in Joplin; or walking into Impact Life Church and telling Howie you need help; or walk into Carterville Christian Church and talk to Robin Sigars; or walk into Christ Church of Oronogo who has many people willing to help you...or any church in any town in this nation, whether you live in Southwest Missouri or Minnesota--wherever you are, there are people willing to help you.  If you are a teen, contact Children's Division and they will find you a program or even the juvenile office. They don't want to take your life away. They don't want to put you in a home. They want to help people who want to get help and change their lives. They are there to help you, not for you to fear them. There is an avenue and place to get you help if you want it. I promise you, life can be beautiful and you are worth it.

Today can be the day that you start your journey. Do it.

Why is a Newborn Expected to Kick a Drug Habit So Much Easier than an Adult?

I recently met with a director of pain clinic to discuss our obvious disagreement about Methadone and Suboxone treatment. One of the issues that rubs me the rawest, is unborn babies. I do not believe that people should be able to take these medications if they are at risk of getting pregnant. Relying on a new patient's "self-reporting" that she is on birth control, they do nothing further to verify. "It's against their privacy rights", eh?  I mean, legally, it's not really even a baby once someone is pregnant, so the unborn child has zero rights in this nation...so why would these clinics care? They make their weekly money, they keep patients coming back for more and more and more, because once they are pregnant and on Methadone or Suboxone, they can't be taken off of the medication because it will terminate the pregnancy; and in fact, the Mother's doses increase as their pregnancy progresses because the baby is taking some of the medication from the mother. So let me get this right...it's against the woman's rights to require they are on birth control; an unborn baby has no rights; yet, when we are talking about disbursing narcotics, we MUST do so, to prevent the termination of the pregnancy? Am I missing something here? I mean, when the government is doling out $600,000,000 to curb this opiate problem in the nation and these "MAT Clinics" are getting a lot of that funding, do taxpayers have no rights to require women to prevent pregnancy while taking these dangerous drugs? Why are they not REQUIRED to have an arm implant if they must be on these drugs? Why aren't these clinics required to report a pregnancy of a patient to the Children's Division or other state agency that protects children? Which is it? Are they protecting the baby or protecting the addiction? This issue infuriates me.

If a woman is truly wanting help, truly wanting to change her life--then she is going to the clinic short term. I will play my own Devil's Advocate and even go as far as---Suppose birth control makes her sick and she can't take it (which would be very unlikely if she can handle Methadone)--but suppose that is the circumstance. Why wouldn't these clinics still be required to report pregnancies to the agencies that protect children? What would there be to hide, if her intentions are to get clean and she is in the program for that reason?  Again--who are we protecting? According to several NICU nurses in Joplin, there are at least 1-3 babies in the NICU at all times battling a Methadone addiction. Those numbers don't add up, when you hear that the local Methadone/Suboxone Clinic only supposedly has 4 pregnant patient's at this time. That would be 6 babies at all times in Joplin's NICU's dealing with drug addiction due to this type of "treatment". Obviously due to HIPAA, I do not have actual statistics on that---but wouldn't the State of Missouri Children's Division be able to get that information? Shouldn't they get that information? Better yet, what if those babies don't go to the NICU, because the clinic will tell you that "most babies are born on time and perfectly healthy with no need to go into a NICU."  So supposed that baby goes home just normal. Withdrawal starts 7-10 days afterward--and that baby has no one to help them. That baby is going through withdrawal outside of medical supervision and no one knows any different because no one has reported it. This is wrong. This is unfair to the most innocent victims in this drug ridden mess of a healthcare system that we are creating.

Lastly, answer me this---these babies that go into a NICU to wean off of Methadone and Suboxone are often kept for a few weeks. Sometimes they require morphine for withdrawal. They cannot be touched or comforted because stimulation, light, loud sounds can upset them and make their physical pain worse. NICU nurses state that they scream a high pitched scream and are impossible to comfort. How is it that we as a nation have decided that adults should be coddled and given medication that they do not feel any discomfort during withdrawal---yet we expect the littlest of drug addicts to kick it within three weeks...sometimes unattended in silence because no one bothered to ensure they were safe.

This is unfair, this is unethical, unacceptable and irresponsible healthcare. This is unacceptable to treat the littlest of human beings in this manner. They have rights too. They have a voice too. Lawmakers need to speak up and impose restrictions on these clinics and ensure that these babies are protected. It is time to stop coddling adults and start coddling the innocent. This issue needs immediate attention from our nation and the State of Missouri. These clinics have a responsibility to protect those who cannot protect themselves. If they truly are in the business of "treating people" then this should not even be a question. Enough is enough. We are creating more addiction and less personal responsibility. It's time to truly TURN THE TIDE, as the US Surgeon General has recommended. Turn the tide away from protecting addiction and start protecting families.

When researching for this blog, I found this article. Read it. Be prepared to cry, be prepared to be sick to your stomach and be prepared to be outraged.

http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/baby-opioids/

Change needs to come NOW.