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Nurses Recovery

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Specializes in Psych, ER, OB, M/S, teaching, FNP.

Hi,

I know that no one here needs any guilt or scare tactics to help them get or remain substance free. I just want to tell you about the other side of the fence.

Just one month ago my 45 year old sister passed away. Today we got the results of her toxicology report. She had twice the lethal amount of hydrocodone in her system.

She was a professional woman with a social work degree, she worked with battered women and abused children. She did not do it on purpose, it was listed as "Accidental overdose of legally prescribed medication".

She lost her husband unexpectedly about 2 years ago and had been on some lortab for a recent foot injury. She kept going to doctors and getting more prescriptions, got lots of Valium, klonopin, and xanax because she was going through so much with her husband's recent death and then would "trade" them with others for lortabs. Her 13 year old daughter had to come live with me 150 miles from her because she was incapacitated but kept denying any problems. We as a family (my other sister, mother, brother and dad) did an intervention and got her off the meds about 9 months ago. She was mad at the time but later thanked us. Her daughter got to go live with her again and about 3 months ago she came and stayed with me for a few days and I felt like I had my sister back. It was wonderful.

Then my niece got an ear infection about 2 months ago and some doctor prescribed lortab for the pain. Well guess where the lortab went. Then she was off and running again.

So one month ago, my sister and her daughter came home from church and my niece went to her room for a nap and my sister sat in her recliner for a nap and when my niece got up a few hours later she found her mother cold and dead.

There is no reason to believe it was on purpose, she would never have done that to her daughter.

Now there is a 14 year old girl that lost her dad 2 years ago and her mom just before the holidays.

Please, please think of your loved ones and try with everything you have to stay strait. I keep seeing here how embarrassed everyone is to go back to work after being discovered and how much courage that must take. I also think of how much courage it takes my niece to go back to school when everyone in this small town "knows" what happened.

There is a huge rise in accidental overdoses of prescribed medication. People believe that "It comes from a doctor so it must be fine" Please don't think that just because you are careful or are a nurse an accident can't happen to you.

I understand how hard addiction is, and I hope that maybe our painful loss may help someone and their family.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss and my heart goes out to your niece. Thank you for sharing your story.

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Specializes in ICU.

Thank you so much for posting this... read my pm also. I am so sorry for the loss of your sister. And for her daughter I will pray that she will be alright.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

My sincere condolences. Thanks for sharing your story.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

So very sorry. Thanks for sharing.

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Specializes in LTC, Psych, Med/Surg.

Dear ruralnurs-

I am very sorry for your and your family's loss. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

Catmom :paw:

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Specializes in Oncology, Cardiology, ER, L/D.

I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your story here. Your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. Hugs to you and especially hugs to your niece. Thank God she has you.:redbeathe You may have even saved someone's life on this board, you never know.

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