Addiction and health issues
Self-neglect is one of the typical side-effects of habitual substance abuse. The user is often so busy trying to find the next portion of whatever they are using or has reached such a state of apathy that hardly any attention is paid to personal hygiene, the need for a reasonably balanced diet and a regular sleeping pattern that a gradual decay of the body sets in after a while.
Yesterday evening I was asked by the staff to accompany one of the crisis unit patients to the local hospital. I have no idea why they asked me but the clinic is so sadly short-staffed at the moment they didn't really have a choice but to ask one of the patients to do so. Somebody had to be found to make sure the patient was taken by taxi, that he was safely delivered to the first aid unit and if necessary wait until a diagnosis was made and either leave him there overnight under medical supervision or bring him back afterwards.
The man involved is a few months younger than myself, has been drinking heavily and using heroine for years and had been admitted a week ago for the third time in as many years. He'd been complaining about tingling fingers and feet for a couple of days, now his ankles were starting to swell up and he was running a slight fever. The staff decided they needed a professional opinion since the facility here is staffed by professionals in addiction treatment but aren't qualified for most other medical procedures.
In the end it was more or less a false alarm in the sense that there was no immediate danger to the patient involved, apart from the fact that he would be needing his regular methadone medication later that evening. Apparently he'd been prescribed a diuretic (any drug that speeds up the excretion of fluids from the body) two months ago which wasn't really suited to him and wasn't working as effectively as hoped. Instead of consulting his doctor, he had thrown them away and had done nothing since. He was prescribed a different sort of diuretic which (as he told me this morning) worked almost directly so the "crisis" passed without too much fuss in the end.
While we were waiting, we made some small talk and I quietly asked him about his stay at the clinic, his way of life and how he filled his days. The conversation was somewhat confused since he wasn't particularly coherent at moments, but from what I gathered was that he was receiving a disability allowance for some unspecified condition, that most of his time was taken up by looking after his elderly father in whatever ways he could, doing the daily shopping, watching television and drinking beer, up to 10 litres a day (about 2.6 US gallons or 17.5 imperial pints if I've calculated correctly). The food he'd buy was of the cheap, microwave or take-away quality with little or no vegetables or fruit whatsoever. This, coupled with little physical activity and a reasonable degree of obesity had led to all sorts of health problems across the years, a fact the casualty doctor also quietly mentioned in passing.
Many of the patients here at this facility are in serious medical trouble. One or two are grossly obese, many have tooth decay and most of those with more severe alcohol problems have liver damage. A number have physical disabilities incurred whilst under influence, others have severe rashes and dermatological problems, hair loss and eye troubles. Practically none have access to effective medical attention since the costs of insurance have soared since the privatisation of the health schemes was introduced.
It's really sad to see how a person can degenerate to a state in which they can barely function efficiently. One gets to wondering how an individual who was once a (mostly) healthy boy or girl could end up in such a state. And once again (and that's one of my ongoing preoccupations) I get to wondering how a social system which is so obsessed by "keeping up appearances" and maintaining social control, refuses to acknowledge or even see that an individual or a family is in deep trouble, unable to cope in some way and left to their own devices.
I operate from the premise that each and every individual is in essence a good and well-natured individual, but wonder how it could be that the social systems we devise for ourselves can be so callous and indifferent toward those in (often desperate) need, denying them the means to lead a fulfilling and rewarding life in the way most others can.
I wonder why and always will do so I'm afraid. I hope you do too.
Keep well...
---------------
Yesterday evening I was asked by the staff to accompany one of the crisis unit patients to the local hospital. I have no idea why they asked me but the clinic is so sadly short-staffed at the moment they didn't really have a choice but to ask one of the patients to do so. Somebody had to be found to make sure the patient was taken by taxi, that he was safely delivered to the first aid unit and if necessary wait until a diagnosis was made and either leave him there overnight under medical supervision or bring him back afterwards.
The man involved is a few months younger than myself, has been drinking heavily and using heroine for years and had been admitted a week ago for the third time in as many years. He'd been complaining about tingling fingers and feet for a couple of days, now his ankles were starting to swell up and he was running a slight fever. The staff decided they needed a professional opinion since the facility here is staffed by professionals in addiction treatment but aren't qualified for most other medical procedures.
In the end it was more or less a false alarm in the sense that there was no immediate danger to the patient involved, apart from the fact that he would be needing his regular methadone medication later that evening. Apparently he'd been prescribed a diuretic (any drug that speeds up the excretion of fluids from the body) two months ago which wasn't really suited to him and wasn't working as effectively as hoped. Instead of consulting his doctor, he had thrown them away and had done nothing since. He was prescribed a different sort of diuretic which (as he told me this morning) worked almost directly so the "crisis" passed without too much fuss in the end.
While we were waiting, we made some small talk and I quietly asked him about his stay at the clinic, his way of life and how he filled his days. The conversation was somewhat confused since he wasn't particularly coherent at moments, but from what I gathered was that he was receiving a disability allowance for some unspecified condition, that most of his time was taken up by looking after his elderly father in whatever ways he could, doing the daily shopping, watching television and drinking beer, up to 10 litres a day (about 2.6 US gallons or 17.5 imperial pints if I've calculated correctly). The food he'd buy was of the cheap, microwave or take-away quality with little or no vegetables or fruit whatsoever. This, coupled with little physical activity and a reasonable degree of obesity had led to all sorts of health problems across the years, a fact the casualty doctor also quietly mentioned in passing.
Many of the patients here at this facility are in serious medical trouble. One or two are grossly obese, many have tooth decay and most of those with more severe alcohol problems have liver damage. A number have physical disabilities incurred whilst under influence, others have severe rashes and dermatological problems, hair loss and eye troubles. Practically none have access to effective medical attention since the costs of insurance have soared since the privatisation of the health schemes was introduced.
It's really sad to see how a person can degenerate to a state in which they can barely function efficiently. One gets to wondering how an individual who was once a (mostly) healthy boy or girl could end up in such a state. And once again (and that's one of my ongoing preoccupations) I get to wondering how a social system which is so obsessed by "keeping up appearances" and maintaining social control, refuses to acknowledge or even see that an individual or a family is in deep trouble, unable to cope in some way and left to their own devices.
I operate from the premise that each and every individual is in essence a good and well-natured individual, but wonder how it could be that the social systems we devise for ourselves can be so callous and indifferent toward those in (often desperate) need, denying them the means to lead a fulfilling and rewarding life in the way most others can.
I wonder why and always will do so I'm afraid. I hope you do too.
Keep well...
---------------
posted by bart | 06:06
3 Comments:
It's what we humans do, we practice studied non observance. We often times only see what we want to see. It's a sad reality that society will turn a blind eye towards those in need. Thankfully there are people like you Bart, to remind us all, and to carry on the good fight. xx
I'll always wonder, and one thing I'm wondering is why I don't take better care of myself physically.
"Practically none have access to effective medical attention since the costs of insurance have soared since the privatisation of the health schemes was introduced."
You're kidding me.
I would think that one short glance at the travesty we're experiencing in the US would alert any government that privatizing health insurance is a detour on the road to hell.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home