You Take What?
1/31/14
Modern medicine is a wondrous cause and even though there
are some areas that lack desire the overall capacity of the modern world can
handle the challenges that its medical customers present. I am no longer taken back at our demand for
pain comfort nor am I surprised at our so called “need” for pain control but I
am concerned of how we have progressed in our beliefs that we need higher doses
and stronger medications on a regular basis to cope with the everyday pains of
life. This setting paints a grave
picture in our abilities to function with a clear conscious and it slows our
reaction times when we need those actions the most and above all it lulls us to
sleep and allows our enemies to overrun our borders without a fight.
Back in the early 2000s I carried with me an umbilical
hernia. For the most part it did not
give me any problems and since it did not hurt I had no reason to take any
medication. I eventually gave my hernia
a funny name and continued to harbor it, for my philosophy was that if it did
not hurt and since I was not limited in my abilities or movements, why would I
need to get the thing fixed? Yes, being
in the medical field can sometimes dull your perception of things and yes many
of us who work in the medical field can become stubborn when it comes to seeing
a physician. I do not recommend any
person waiting until something bad happens to them to see a doctor, but in all
honesty that is how some of us in the medical field operate.
Even though my umbilical hernia was not hurting it was
becoming kind of funny to look at since it was slowly growing. So, I eventually went to the surgeon and she
agreed with my family that it should be taken care of now rather than
later. Reluctantly, I informed my boss about
everyone else’s wishes and then made all of the necessary arrangements for the
insurance, time off, recovery time, etc and then waited for that day to
arrive. I was not worried so much about
the procedure itself as I was of how I was going to react with the heavy doses
of medication that they were going to give me, see I do not do well with heavy
drugs.
All was going according to plan that morning and it
looked like everything was right on schedule.
The IV was started and flushed with no problems and all of my vitals
were taken and well within normal limits.
Every adult of my family that lived in Delta was in my room waiting for
the final go ahead for the surgery; with my brother in Tennessee on the phone
as well. The anesthetist came in and
talked for a few minutes and asked if I had any questions. As we were speaking my pre op nurse came in
and gave me some medication to begin the process for my surgery, I knew this
was coming and took it like a man as they would say. The question and answer session with the
anesthetist ended and her final words as she was leaving the room startled me. It was nothing scary but when preparing for
the surgery I was told that I would not have to stay overnight and that I would
be allowed to go home shortly after the surgery was complete. She contradicted this message just as my
sleepy time medicine kicked in and at the same time my adrenaline kicked
in. The combination did not set well
with me but I kept quiet for a bit but I knew that my insides were not feeling
right.
The drugs along with my adrenaline made me want to change
my mind so I sat back up and began to take off my oxygen. I got that off and started for my IV before
my wife noticed what I was doing and asked me “where are you going?” I promptly told her that I was getting out of
here and that the surgery could wait for another day. My dad opened up the curtain and called for
the nurse to bring more drugs because I was trying to leave. It was kind of comical but as soon as the
nurse entered and softly pushed me back down on the bed I began to settle down
a bit. According to my dad it only a few
seconds later that another nurse entered with more sleepy time meds and it was
not too much longer that I really did not care too much about things any
longer.
What had occurred was not a reaction to the medication
but a combination of a drug that my body was not used to being entered into my
body and then my adrenaline kicking in and taking over like it was supposed to
after some sort of excitement occurred. One
portion of the equation I could handle but the other portion of the equation
that I was not expecting set me off into another plan of action, and this is
the point that I wish to make about some of the new laws that this country and
other western societal countries have introduced and endorsed.
There have been plenty of times in my life that I have
required the usage of certain pain medication when my body was in need of some
relief. From a broken arm when I was in
elementary school to my shredded ligaments in my ankle when I was in high
school and many other opportunities in between.
I understand and agree with the concept that in many cases that
controlled drugs needs to be given to patients in order that they are spared
severe agony after procedures are completed and in my case for this minor
operation I guess it was established that those medications were necessary in
order to prepare me for the procedure.
With the exception of one other time in my life, due to another surgical
procedure, I have not taken any major drugs that would take me away from having
complete control of what I am doing or saying.
When I was growing up I heard many of my friends tell me
that they were so wasted that they had no idea what they had done the night
before. I have also heard them say that
even though they did know what they were doing when loaded on a drug that they
did things that they probably would not have done if they were sober or
thinking straight. In my medical career I
have heard this type of words protrude out of many mouths as their parents,
siblings, or significant others sit and stare at them with a concerned yet bum
fuzzled look on their faces. I have also
heard the wail of a mother’s cry after she has learned that her child is no
longer alive on this earth because of an accident where certain drugs have been
identified. None of these settings are
pretty yet all of them are by choice.
Whether the choices were made to attend the party and accept the
beverages at hat party or to voluntarily participate in the partaking of such
items; it all boils down to choice.
As I stated above there are certain medical conditions
that I understand that needs a bit more of a controlled substance in order to
take the pain away. I work in a cancer
center and I have been witness to some of the patients in so much pain that it
seems like they would rather end their fight instead of living in this
capacity. As we all know medical
marijuana has been a highly debated subject over the past few years and there
are plenty of people on both sides of the issue. I am not here to offend anyone with my views
or opinions but I must say that medical marijuana is as effective as any other
opiate or narcotic drug on the market; and furthermore, the drug works in
relieving the pain that these tumors produce.
I am still skeptical about its usage in this manner but I do not condemn
anyone for using it either. But I must
say, if I have a limit about this drug then the medical side of things, by strictly
prescription only, is my limit.
I have drawn and helped hundreds of patients throughout
my medical career who have been high on this drug and when I go back to draw
them at a later date or time many of them act like they have never seen me
before, even if they had carried on a complete conversation with me hours
before. This is the part of marijuana
that bothers me and scares me the most.
It has been proven that many people who use this drug have some kind of
memory loss whether it is long term or short term. Marijuana is not the only drug that produces
this side effect but it is the drug that is readily accessible now and one that
will surely become infamous after a while.
I am so not against anyone having fun in life for we all
know that times can be tough and we all need to relax at some point. But why do we have to intake drugs that alter
out mental capacities and when ingested enough will allow ourselves to
participate in acts that we would otherwise not complete? What about the spiritual aspect of things and
if the human side of the issue can be altered then what goes on when we
voluntarily give up control to our spirits?
We know what can happen in the physical realms of our lives, what are we
allowing to be planted in our spiritual realms as well?
For the last few weeks, the topic of my articles have
been addressing the issues of choice and how that word is so easily thrown
around and how many arguments that it has ignited. This word choice is a huge and powerful word and
every time we use this word, no matter in what capacity, its results engulf our
lives completely. It is a word that has a
defined meaning and a final meaning all wrapped up together. The word is so powerful that God even
addresses it in the Bible both in the spiritual side of our lives and in the
physical side. If God uses something
that means it can only be used in a complete and final way for what God created
is just that, complete and final. Keep
this concept in mind as you choose to ingest copious amounts of a mind altering
drug that may or may not result in serious consequences. One thing to remember is this, even though a
human response does not mean that god will forget or hide it under His “rug.” Every act that we do and every choice that we
accept into our lives shall never be forgotten no matter how hard we humans try
and bury the results of our choices.
In no way am I advocating that a person refuses to have a
medical condition treated because of a drug that will be administered to them
during the procedure. This topic is
strictly about how we voluntarily give up our minds and spirits to unknown
situations and people when we take mind altering drugs on a social plane. I may balk at having surgery because I am a
little bit “phobic” when it comes to heavy sedating drugs but I am still going
to have that procedure because if I do not then my body may not function as it
properly should.
God loves us so very much and it is His desire that we
continually have a sound mind and a clean heart. Life is tough enough without us adding to our
woes. While we may not believe that
taking mind altering drugs will harm our lives, the choice has already been
made and the consequences and results of that choice will at some point be
reflected in your life. If you want a super high and rush in life, turn to God
and open your eyes to the battles that are being fought for your life. No one can speak life while their mind is
being voluntarily altered for their words cannot contain the truth. God is all about truth and completeness and
that is His wish and desire or you as well.
DLB
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