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| Drugs and Binge drinking - effects; *caution - graphic descriptions* | |
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| Topic Started: Nov 1 2009, 08:23 AM (114 Views) | |
| Tiredwithtwins | Nov 1 2009, 08:23 AM Post #1 |
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When I started my nursing career, it was very rare to come across anyone with alcoholic liver disease under the age of 40/50ish. Likewise, it was practically unheard of to come across anyone with longterm problems associated with IV drug use. In the last 2 days at work I have encountered about 12 young people under 25 with severe alcoholic liver disease. I have also had to deal with about 6 young people, mainly age 25-40, who have leg veins/arteries seriously damaged from iv drug use, 3 of whom who have life threatening abcesses in their groins. All these people are ordinary working class folks who chose to take the extreme path in life thinking drugs would never hurt them. and that is a normal day to day statistic in our dept ... we only see a few of what come through a&e so god knows how many they have to deal with on a daily basis. It makes me so sad to see them. one guy of 30ish had hep c and hiv from previous drug use, he was about to loose his left leg at the pelvis (a high hindquarter amputation) as he had f##ked up the veins and arteries in his groin from injecting into them - his other veins were non-existent - he had a 14cmx10cmx8cm abcess in his groin from using dirty needles ... he was going to theatre to have the leg removed, and they had to scan him for a deep vein to cannulate as they couldnt find any ordinary veins to put a drip in ... :huh: about 6 months ago we had a crash call to CT for a young bloke whose groin abcess had burst ... taking his main artery with it ... resulting in an arterial spray of hep c blood all over one of our youngish registrars, who had just become the dad to twins - he is undergoing his screening to find out if he caught anything ... so far nothing but who knows. The scanner was shut down for 24 hours for intensive cleaning ... how many people had scans cancelled because of that? = 62 people :( when are the goverments going to do something about this state we are in??? i know its not just the uk, its a worldwide probem ... but its causing serious problems and has such wide implications on police, nhs, welfare state, social services ... i cant beleive the govt are just letting these problems get worse and worse and worse ... I despair of the world my kids will have to grow up in, and im sad that we have govts that seem impotent to take control of the situation. I dont know what the solution is, but god help us all (and i aint religious) :( |
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| LIAYF | Nov 1 2009, 08:48 AM Post #2 |
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Drug abuse is out of control. In my last year of secondary school in 79 I didn't know a single person who did any kind of drugs. The wrost we all did was to go to "smoker's corner" by the caretakers shed in break time to have a quick fag, watching out for teachers sneaking around freezing with their coffee mug wrapped around their hands. Now my next door neighbours are so f****d on speed that on weekends we have had their 3 kids knock on our door looking to be fed. So sick of it we called DOCS who showed up during the week when the binge had finished through lack of funds so all they saw was a roof over the kids head, probably a few tins of beans in the cupboard so they do nothing. 2 weeks ago though it was really bad on a weekend, I had it out with them, they could'nt even get a word out of their mouths they were so out of it. Something must have gone on because since then, one of the mothers comes every morning & they sneak off at 5.30am (leaving the kids alone, oldest 10) & return an hour later. I think they travel to the city to an all night paharmacy to get methadone. Kids at least seem to be looked after a little more now & though they leave their kids alone at 5.30am I'm prepared to turn a blind eye to that if they are getting help with their addiction. I look out for the kids so if they wake, they wont leave the house. Awful situation. |
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 ohippy
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Nov 1 2009, 11:03 AM Post #3 |
Original Opulent Optimist
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A friend of mine died at 35 with alcohol. Left behind a wife and young child. Sheer stupidity. |
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 Melibeam
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Nov 1 2009, 02:23 PM Post #4 |
Most Exceptional Lady
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Its the same here, I have seen it regularly in hospitals I have worked in. I see poor little babies withdrawing from heroin in the special care baby units, and its heartbreaking, and their druggie parents come in and question why their babies are on IV fluids etc, and blame the doctors and nurses that their babies are suffering, as they are too bloody stupid to acknowledge that their drug abuse has actually done this and thats why their babies are where they are :no: I honestly dont know what the answer is, its horrible and a part of society I never want to work with again!!!!! |
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| Tiredwithtwins | Nov 1 2009, 07:25 PM Post #5 |
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I think that is part of the problem mel - none of these addicts are made to feel responsible for their actions. The drug addicts we get in all moan and groan, and often kick off about being treated badly by staff, but no one - except me!! - tells them to thier face the truth! We had one guy who had an abcess in his arm from iv drug use, who was sat picking at this monumental scab ... a few minutes later he started yelling as it erupted everywhere. he frightened several elderly patients, but i just put my gloves on told him to shut the f##k up. He was very startled by my response, and calmed down but acted scared, saying he was bleeding to death. again i told him to shut the f##k up, if he didnt sit still and silent this instant i would send him back to a&e as i didnt have to treat him when he was acting like that. He sat still and silent whilst i sorted him out, then said 'its a reight mess, dunno why its gone like this' I replied that it was like that because he was a moron who injected illegal substances in his body, what the f##k did he expect? he was wasting everyones time, and hell of a lot of nhs resources because he was an selfish idiot who had no concern for anyone else but himself. I bandaged him up and told him he had to wait longer now as he had made me miss a patients appointment time - i actually made him apologise to the patient who he had held up. the consultant i was working with said id handled him brilliantly, and when the lad started complaining to my matron who happened to walk past at that moment, the student nurse who had witnessed the episode said she hadnt heard me say anything ... :yess: :thumbsup: I told him if he wanted to take it further he could, and gave him the PALS card, but said id also noted his details and would report him to the police for assault. whenever we get druggies in the dept now, the staff all come and find me to deal with them ... :lol: but joking aside, its a huge drain on hospital resources ... i wonder what the solution is???? will legalising stuff make it any easier to control? do any of you worry about your kids and the influences around them? I know i do, living where i do at the moment - but its not just a working class problem. id like to find out how its affecting the private healthcare sector, if at all? |
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catgirl
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Nov 1 2009, 08:48 PM Post #6 |
Courageous Cuddly Kitty
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good for you Sue, bet he went back outside and ignored what you said though |
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Melibeam
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Nov 1 2009, 09:23 PM Post #7 |
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Most Exceptional Lady
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Well done Sue, I would not mind having you around when I have had to deal with a few of these drug addicts :thumbsup: I dont even think its a case of them being made to feel responsible for their own actions, I think the drugs have screwed their brains so much that they are incapable of it, and think the world owes them big time. When I was in Melbourne and worked as a midwife, I went to a study day about heroin addicts and the effects of their drug use on pregnancy and breastfeeding, and this so called expert claimed that it was better to let these babies go home with the mother, and breastfeeding was to be encouraged so the babies got their fix through the breastmilk, and also if the mothers were so out of it and could not remember to feed the baby, the older babies could crawl onto the passed out mother and help themselves to a breastfeed!!!!, something they would be unable to do if formula fed!!!! I seriously could not believe I was hearing this, but that is whats being encouraged as best for these mothers and babies. I still find it difficult to actually believe its in the babies best interest, as what sort of exposure to drugs will these poor kids grow up with :no: I only ever came across this in public hospitals and never saw any evidence of drug abuse in private hospitals :no: |
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| ABCDiamond | Nov 1 2009, 09:23 PM Post #8 |
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I worry, but as I don't hear too much about it, I don't seem to worry too much. Common sense comes into it a lot, and I hope my daughter has that. She told me the other day that sometimes she thinks she has too much, blaming me for drumming it into her all the time. But I do it in such a way that she understands and realises, so she sort of accepts it. I just keep my fingers crossed, and hope she is similar to me.... When I was younger, I had "opportunities" in the drug trade, due to my group of friends, but actually kept clear of it all. Hope she does the same, if and when it gets close to her. |
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moneypen20
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Nov 2 2009, 08:34 PM Post #9 |
Bond's Beaut Bombshell
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I know I am stressing a lot about Abs at the moment but taking everything in consideration I know her rebelliousness is harmless. She's very anti smoking, drugs etc. She could be drinking, drugging and sleeping around. She's not, she's just pushing boundaries. I think the education both girls have had from school and from me and Kevan have seriously made them understand that drugs and smoking is stupid. A friend of hers smokes and whilst she doesn't hang around with her, if she sees her out and about, this girl always offers Abs a cigarette. Abs's response is always to look at the girl as though she's daft and asks why she would want to kill herself. Who knows what will happen in the future, or if either of them end up in a place where they step on that slippery slope but I hope that the strength of their feelings now, will continue and grow and they won't ever wonder 'what if I try this........' |
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| LIAYF | Nov 3 2009, 12:45 PM Post #10 |
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Just no privacy in public hospitals like you'd see in centres meant for the affluent in society. The thing is that many "feral" type junkies have very little education, are less able to understand that a serious drug problem is happening & usually end up in hospital involuntarily. A more "educated" problem drug user may recognise the issue sooner and if he/she is a professional, he/she has more at stake than a person on centrelink benefits therefore more apt to seek help sooner & privately since he may have a reputation to uphold in the community. Getting to the point in an addiction as bad as "a commoner", would't be an option. I'm not saying professionals never get as bad as common folk, just think mostly they are able or willing more often than the common junkie. |
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Melibeam
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Nov 3 2009, 02:00 PM Post #11 |
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Most Exceptional Lady
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or able to afford private health insurance :lol: |
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Bridiej
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Nov 5 2009, 05:40 PM Post #12 |
Chattermonster Extraordinaire!
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I dont know what the answer is, other than taking schoolkids round hospitals to see first hand the horrific after effects of too much alcohol and drugs. I dont think governments can do much more, although I'd like to see public figures given harsher sentences when they are involved. laughing at and publicising people like Pete Doherty and that woman who's name I cant remember who is always in rehab (singer woman) doesnt help. |
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Melibeam
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Nov 5 2009, 06:16 PM Post #13 |
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Most Exceptional Lady
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Amy Winehouse, I am sure thats who you mean Bridie - and yes I agree :yes: |
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Bridiej
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Nov 5 2009, 07:30 PM Post #14 |
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Chattermonster Extraordinaire!
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yes that's the one! |
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