Jack’s Blog

As I posted before I left, I spent the past two days at Stanford Hospital.  The reason: for several years I have been dealing with severe back pain.  In 2005, I had a morphine pump implanted in the right side of my abdomen.  Yeah, that severe.

The pump worked wonderfully for about 3 1/2 years, but recently I’ve developed - not only a tolerance for morphine, rendering it ineffective - but “morphine toxicity.”  These symptoms (affecting my brain and breathing) caused my doctor at the Stanford Pain Management Clinic to make the decision to get me off morphine.  That was the reason for my recent trip north.

When I got there, it seemed that Murphy’s Law took over and a series of mishaps took place.  Actually, that’s what this blog was going to be about (”Even the Best Have Their Bad Days”).  Until what followed.

I had a few procedures done at Stanford, one of which was similar to one I had in 2005, around 3 months after the pump was implanted.  While trying to aspirate cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) from the catheter (the first time) and the remaining morphine (this time), apparently, there was an interruption in the flow of the drug.  The first time this happened, I went into withdrawl - all the normal symptoms (sweating, itching, flulike symptons, irritablility), plus one other.  I had this godawful smell (when I would breathe through my nose) and taste (when I would breathe through my mouth).  A trip to the local ER got me back to “normal” the first time.  Not so lucky this time around.

I told the doctors at Stanford I was experiencing this identical smell/taste on Tuesday morning (prior to my third and last procedure).  I was told that it probably had to do with lingering morphine that wasn’t yet out of my system and it would pass, allowing the new drug to take over. 

Two or so months ago, I had made an appointment with my surgeon (the one who fixed me after the first withdrawl session by accurately predicting the catheter had been dislodged) for this past Tuesday (I hadn’t seen him in over a year).  That date was the first he had open.

However, since our school district gives us the entire Thanksgiving week off, Monday was the day we chose (about three weeks ago) to do the change of drugs in the pump.  Although my surgeon’s office is in the same building, the fact I had been admitted to the hospital precluded my leaving my room to see him.  I asked if it was possible for him to come to my room, but told he couldn’t do that because his entire afternoon was booked and I understood. 

For whatever reason, my pain doctor did not show up either, mainly, I believe, because she doesn’t actually do these procedures.  Still, I was disappointed I didn’t get to see her.  I was discharged yesterday morning.  I had told each of the three doctors and the nurse of this “smell/taste” problem, but was told they couldn’t do anything about it, and that it should pass.  It hasn’t.

I’ve called the Betty Ford Clinic and spoke to a counselor as well as a counselor at a detox facility in southern California.  Neither had ever heard of anything resembling this obnoxious smell/taste problem when it came to withdrawl.  The following is a copy of the text I sent my pain doctor - and herein lies my plea to you, the reader.  Please read on.

“Is there any way you could do some research on withdrawl symptoms?  I am exoeriencing an incredibly offensive smell and taste, exactly like I had the last time I went through withdrawl. 

“Imagine yourself stuck in a crowded elevator and someone passes gas.  You’re revolted and try to hold your breath.  Then the elevator breaks down.  Every breath you take sickens you.  Panic sets in.  If someone told you help was on the way in a minute or ten minutes or an hour, you could handle it.  But if not and you thought there was no end in sight, . . .

“That’s how I feel.  Can you help?  Doctor —– said he didn’t know and it would probably wear off.  It hasn’t.  And I’m in my second day.” 

I haven’t received a reply from the doctor yet. 

If there is someone out there who can give me some direction, I would be oh so thankful. And what better time of year?  Â

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 26th, 2009 at 3:08 am and is filed under customer service, communication, problem solving, persistence, dealing with adversity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.