Junkies

Junkies

Today I thought I’d have a bit of a grumpy rant about Junkies and I’ll premise this post by quoting Russell Brand when he appeared on Alan Carr’s Grand National Spectacular.

If you are not familiar with his show, he’s from the UK and he’s night time show is similar to the American late-night shows and he starts the show offering his guest a beverage that he throws together at his drinks tray.

Now, Russell Brand has very publicly quit all of his bad habits and advocated to Governments about the problems of living as a heroin junky and such.

So, there is that awkward moment where Alan Carr turns to his guest and prompts him with a “Oh, now you have a problem with…..?” Bit of an open-ended question. Very awkward.

But rather brilliantly, Russell Brand responds with “I didn’t have a problem with drugs and alcohol” “I had a problem dealing with Life Problems” and I find that I greatly admire Russell Brand for that infinite wisdom.

So, it’s with infinite annoyance as not having a problem “dealing with life/pills/drugs/alcohol” that when I went to the chemist a month ago to get my over the counter packet of Panadeine, side bar, Panadeine, pretty low on Opiate list and it takes me months to get through a packet of 24, as I skip out my Panadol (very low grade opiate) for period pain as I’m not allowed to have blood thinners.

NO MORE NAPROGESIC or as one pharmacist I have known call them the “Special Blue Pill, that stop us killing men” once at the chemist, I was informed I now needed a script for Panadeine.

Damn Junkies

Of course, the pharmacist came over and in front of the regular chic, I mostly get to see at the chemist, comes over to recommend another option off the shelf. I mention I can’t do blood thinners and when anyone starts mentioning Codeine and “whatever” my eyes glaze over.

I mention my baseline pain management is Panamax and that during my crazy-lady hormone time I swap out the Panamax for Panadeine. But I’ll get a script and this month I’ll hit it with some Oxy norm (5mg high on the Opiate family tree, but only takes the edge off serious pain for me for three hours).

The regular woman immediately laughed appreciating my humour. The pharmacist looked somewhat concerned and I think I only got exempted from a lecture about being careful etc, because the other lady laughed.

And I got a script.

I returned to the chemist a week later with said script and was informed there was a problem at the manufacturers, so no appropriate pain relief again.

I gave it a rest for a few weeks before revisiting the chemist, only to be informed the script was rendered useless, because they had discontinued. I was offered other, other options and codeine and other words were bandied about. (My brain just goes to sleep)

I don’t want to have to think about other options, I can’t do blood thinners. Why do I keep having to have the same conversation?

Fine!  I’ll go home and hit my pain with some (Oxy norm) and a sledge hammer.

Apparently now, I can get Panadeine Extra and guess what I need, a different script. FARK!!!

Luckily, I book my GP every four to six weeks and even if I rang him, he would happily send me a script. But my point is, JUNKIES and their inability to deal with life (thanks Russell Brand) I had to jump through hoops to get.

Furthermore, ironically when I started writing this post a week ago, in the back room of my favourite café, where I overhear the usual first world problems.

Three older ladies at a table beside me were discussing their ‘Problem Child’. The way she was speaking, I imagined said child to be around seven and maybe on the Autism Spectrum? I imagine Autism to be diagnosed earlier than that and I also imagine this woman to be too old to have seven-year-old. Not being “Ageist” but also imagined she was talking about a grandchild, because there was a slight sense of ‘distance’ in how she was discussing the ‘issue’.

So, write busy, eating, drinking and writing several pages of this post, I soaked up the conversation around me and managed not to react. (I’ve been accused at work years ago of having Dumbo Ears. Well, in my defence you do learn by osmosis in some work environments)

So, the problem child, I’ll give it to you straight, seventeen years old, male, addicted to gaming. Um? Yes, it’s an addiction when you have to have your internet cut off at midnight so your teenage kids sleep. Sure, but seventeen-year-old boy.

Poor kid, was getting slammed for doing what a lot of teenage boys (sometimes grown men) do for oddly, their social down time.

So, yeah, also my eye rolls that this mum was putting her son’s addiction to computer games in the same league as Heroin.

I have two words for how to snap teenagers out of their habits of too much gaming. Adult diapers. That should snap them right out of it, no.

Oddly having struggled to get any sugar from the sugar dispenser, I had helped myself to sugar from the ladies table, I had struggled so much, I gave up.

I couldn’t be bothered asking for their help so had given up, eventually, Gabriella came to clear the tables and I mentioned the sugar bottle being blocked and I asked the ladies beside me if they had trouble with getting any sugar? I was informed they hadn’t even used the sugar and the look I received as if I had a ‘Problem’ with sugar. I have half a teaspoon, hardly a problem.

“Several months later I am horrified to realise the solution now called Panadeine Extra, comes in a 24 packet and costs me $16 and I use half of this over a 3-day time frame.

My other scripts only cost me $6.50 each. And then there’s everything else I take to keep me healthy I pay out of pocket, that I can’t get on a script.

 

I am aware this sounds like first world problems but I don’t have the option to not get medications and vitamins and the like. These things keep me healthy. Keeping healthy keeps a roof over my head and my independence. That’s how I deal with life issues!

I’m not drowning my sorrows in a bottle, yet when others do it, it still impacts me too.

 

Pain to Avoid Pain

Pain to Avoid Pain

Today, amongst all my other choices, appointments and allocated for today, I decided to restock on some pills.

Panamax, OK, if you don’t know it, it’s similar to Panadol. I like to imagine that’s worldwide. Sure, Panamax is in the Opiate family, But, for crying out loud.

The effort today, I went to get 3 packets (300 tablets) for a cost I can afford, you would think I looked like someone who was going to go home and chow down on all 300, in as little time as possible.

Allow me to do some dumb maths.

I can get a script from my GP, one packet (100) $6.30

I can get a different script from my GP, 3 packets (300) $6.30

Then there’s a bulk chemist that’s low on bling and high on affordability.

Today, I hit a shop in the city where I had hoped to get all 3 packets and I was surprised they were only $0.99. But, I was only allocated 1 packet (100).

FRUSTRATION

I explained Panamax is not my medication for serious pain relief. I joked it’s in the Heroin family and we all laughed.

Ok, it’s higher up in the food chain in the family of opiates.

I use Oxynorm.

The facts

5 mg’s works in about thirty minutes, lasts about three hours.

I’m not going to get much help at all from Panamax. No matter how many I imagine I would need to take. Not suggesting I’m going to try. Not issuing a challenge to anybody else. But, I often meet people who are medicated for short treatment with something like Endone.

Endone, the basic facts.

Takes a little while to kick in. For Helen level pain, it’s barely going to take the edge off for thirty minutes.

So, those who get head spin from Endone? Amateur. Anyway, general education about opiates over.

After a few brief stops in the city, I catch a tram half way home. It’s not a flatbed tram (not disability friendly) I manage by pulling myself up with my good arm.

Half way home, I get off the tram to venture to another Chemist, this time, Panamax one packet (100) $2.00.

Still one packet short for the target for the day, I really don’t want to go through this again for a while.

Ah! Quick calculation, I go through in a week, so I get back on another tram, up two steps and catch the tram almost there and hit a third chemist.

Dedicated Right!

Third Chemist another $2.00.

Bad habit.

Get back on tram, about five or 6 tram stops then walk home about twenty minutes.

I can feel my left foot and it’s not happy.

My pedometer tells me I’ve done 5,370 steps today. That’s when I’m wearing my bag since my clothes don’t have pockets.

Let’s hope my brain remains pain free as it would be counter-productive to need more opiates.

Isn’t it funny that we suffer some to avoid other suffering later? It’s a calculated risk.