First responders of lemmy, do you ever find yourself hating the people you're saving when you're constantly dealing with easily-avoidable catastrophes?
P.S. Mentioning COVID-19 is considered cheating in this thread (just kidding, fire away).
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There's a patient that we would see a couple of days per month. They'd OD on heroin, we hit them with narcan and an electrolyte IV to hydrate. He'd eat something and leave. We would give him resources to get some help. Each time I'd get more and more angry.
6 months of this and I finally asked why he'd OD almost like clockwork. He said the good stuff sold fast and he'd only get enough for like 2 maybe 3 hits(?highs, fixes?) The guy's life was just waiting on his dealer to get it. He would figure out how to make enough cash to keep his withdrawals at bay while saving up to buy up as much as he could when the good stuff arrived.
The last time I saw him, day shift told me he came in, got hit with narcan twice, this was after EMTs had given him narcan as well. when he was steady enough, he left AMA(against medical advice). He came back 3 hrs later for another OD. Doctor came in and told him he's killing himself. this organ is damaged, this one has this, blah, blah, blah. He responded that he'd be fine if we would stop killing his high. I did the usual and he left sometime the next day.
We haven't seen him in 4 months. I guess he finally got to enjoy his high.
I have a friend who's a volunteer EMT and has basically the same story. Lots of repeat customers, and some people get all pissy after Narcan because it killed their high.
In New York City, they hand out Narcan for free. They also provide free training for people just in case you happen to see someone overdosing, which isn’t terrifically uncommon.
I used to carry around a dose of Narcan for just such a situation. Once, about four or five years ago I think, I saw some guy ODing on the A train platform. Hit him with the Narcan.
Since it’s a nasal spray, I’m all up in his face when he suddenly (and violently) wakes up and pukes on me. I was on my way to work… after about 2 seconds, he looks right at me and sucker punches me. Just laid me out on the platform.
Some big dude who was standing close by drags me away from the guy as he starts screaming at me about ruining the best high if his life (yeah, whatever asshole) before running off.
Thing is, I used to be a junkie myself. I’ve been off that shit for 21 years now, but I still very much remember. I get it. I feel somewhat obligated, as a service, to do what I can to help when I can. Was that guy shitty and an asshole? Absolutely because I can. Am I glad I probably saved his life? You bet. Am I gonna keep doing this? Absolutely. Why? Because it makes the world a better place, and the benefit far out weighs the cost.
Addiction isn’t a “weakness“. It’s a legitimate illness, and this country vilifies it rather than treating it as the medical condition that it is. Obviously, money is the motivation here. Or, rather, I should say: profit.
The world could deal with more kindness. If I can put more kindness in the world without it really being that big of a deal for me? Why shouldn’t I?
Edit: spelling and grammar
My dude, as a random Internet stranger, let me just say that the world needs more people like yourself. Thank you for being you and contributing to the world what you do.
(311 will also help obtaining naloxone kits)
In New York City, they hand out Narcan for free. They also provide free training for people just in case you happen to see someone overdosing, which isn’t terrifically uncommon.
I work for a city, and we (try to) do the same. Our current issue is that the nasal spray keeps vanishing out of our kits. They’re kept with the AEDs, which are stored in publicly accessible areas in case anyone needs it. But someone keeps taking the narcan out of the cases. It seems like every week or two, it vanishes again. On the one hand, we hope they’re actually getting put to good use. But our local political demographics make us suspect that some asshole redneck is just stealing them to “teach the druggies a lesson” or something equally depraved.
Not unheard of nor even unusual.
You can start by trying to put the word out that you’re willing to deal with this person, reasonably. Try to help them get what they need in a way that works better for everyone.
Just an idea to start. I don’t really know much about your situation, so I’ll leave it there for now.
The last time I saw him, day shift told me he came in, got hit with narcan twice, this was after EMTs had given him narcan as well. when he was steady enough, he left AMA(against medical advice). He came back 3 hrs later for another OD. Doctor came in and told him he's killing himself. this organ is damaged, this one has this, blah, blah, blah. He responded that he'd be fine if we would stop killing his high.
Situations like this are what make me occasionally go “society should be able to 5150 people for addiction, to keep them locked up long enough to detox and get clean.” But I know that:
A) forced rehab wouldn’t actually work, and they’d just go right back to using as soon as they got out
B) It would likely result in higher OD rates after detox, because addicts would lose their tolerance and then go right back to whatever dosage they were using last time
C) it would likely be rife with abuse, with cops using to hold people without formally charging them.
D) it would deter people from seeking help, out of fear of being locked up instead.
Actually, instead of 5150-ing people the solution that works in other countries is to provide medical access to drugs. So basically allow someone to live a life with their illness after treatments have failed to cure them: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/canada-now-allows-prescription-heroin-in-severe-opioid-addiction-1.3753312
Yep, imagine how many people wouldn't have their life ruined by addiction if they could work their job and buy their drugs. The system we have now just turns functional addicts into homeless addicts.
My nibling got off opioids that way. They treated him with methadone for a couple of years until he completely dropped it.
Here's the kicker; Changed his personality (in a positive way) so much that him and my niece were no longer compatible. Divorced within a couple of months of him getting clean.
I didn't expect a happy ending, but I'm glad it sounds like he cleaned up and got his act together.
That's... not what they're implying. They're implying that he died, and that's why he's not coming in
I'm certain that comment was dry humor, which I rather enjoy.
That’s not the message I took from the ending. I read it as “he likely ODed and was probably found dead in an alley two or three days later.”
I remember back when reddit was edgier there was an /r/opiates sub where users would share cheery thoughts like, "I'm sure we all have a part of us fantasising about dying when we hit the plunger on the syringe."
It was so bleak that it stuck with me.