“Holy shit, Rick! I am so glad to hear your voice. Is it getting any better for you?” I asked.
“Well, I don't know. I died last night.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah, I was dead for three and a half minutes. The entire room was filled with people pounding on me and racing around when I woke up,” he said.
This poor soul broke his neck fifteen years ago while wrestling with his twenty-year old son, who had that day made the University of Idaho's varsity basketball team as a walk-on player, an amazing feat to accomplish. They were going to head into town for a celebration steak dinner. They were goofing around like they had done thousands of times before, Rick fell and couldn't move. An hour later, he was taking a helicopter ride to Spokane, the dinner forgotten, where he spent four months learning to deal with his new life of being a quadriplegic.
What the immediate future holds for Rick is impossible to predict. His support group and Rick keep hoping that he will recover and return to his comfortable country home someday. Lots of people get sick and suffer each day in this world. But to me this entire scenario could have and should have been avoided.
I didn't have any idea that a pressure sore could be such a big deal. That is until an experienced worker with the disabled told me that a pressure sore the size of a dime could be life-threatening and could cost around $30,000 of medical treatment to cure.
“If it gets the size of a nickel, it could take months to heal and could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to cure.”
Rick got a sore, evidently when one of the new day aides put him in his wheelchair without the cushion being inflated and positioned correctly. This young woman was the thirteenth day worker in the four years I have known Rick. She is a part of a never-ending collection of rotating workers paid a buck over minimum wage per hour that Rick trains and then ends up counseling as many of them are struggling with their own existence.
The sore would not heal at home and finally the doctors ordered Rick to the hospital. He was supposed to go in, have a procedure, and head home three or four days later for a six-week convalescing period in an air bed at his home. Well, that was the plan, at least. The sore did not respond as hoped and his stay was extended. Rick started feeling anxious which always increases his already chronic, nagging, daily pain. For those in the know concerning chronic pain management, humanity is in the dark ages still.
He ingests several Oxycontin pills, a few Valium, and a handful of Hydros each day to get by. He has a pain pump and an experimental spinal stimulator that was implanted in him a year and a half ago. This stimulator actually worked for almost a year and Rick was a different person living pain free for the first time since he broke his neck while wrestling with his son fifteen years ago. But the stimulator's effectiveness slowly diminished and he had to return to the one source of relief that worked consistently-marijuana.
Rick's pain level on even a good day is about a six on the one-to-ten scale. By taking a few tokes of pot three or four times a day he could reduce the pain. He has so many health problems in addition to his paralysis that he needs constant one-on-one attention. A hospital is not set up for that needy of a patient. He started to feel helpless away from his regular routine, caregivers and his marijuana. This increase in anxiety multiplied the normal pain to the point that he was in tears most of the time by the second week of his stay. The doctors tried to administer to his pain by pumping him full of morphine which did nothing but make him incoherent, uncomfortable, and confused. He started telling me about morbid, vivid dreams that scared him. And he talked of dying. I read him a story and played a full Elbow concert on his computer which put him to sleep. I gave him a couple soft pats before leaving him for the night.
***
The next morning, I got bundled up and grunted up the fairly steep hill on my mountain bike to the hospital a dozen blocks away from my home. I enjoyed the challenge of defeating a hill as I knew the reward would be a fun few seconds blasting downhill later and feeling like a kid again. Plus, I appreciated that I was still able to do physically challenging things, especially after seven straight days of visiting and seeing my good pal, Rick, crippled up and stuck in a hospital bed suffering with his chronic pain. I parked my trusty bike and entered the hospital on this Thanksgiving morn. I could not shake the memories this damn place keep dredging up as I strolled down the hallway toward Rick's room. As a young man, this was the very spot where my lovely, vibrant wife had her insides torn out which made bearing children for her impossible and I was the lucky guy that got to tell her. These haunting reviews came to an abrupt end when I entered Rick's room and noticed a syringe sticking out of his neck.
"Good morning, Rick. What the hell is a syringe doing sticking out of your neck?"
"Really? I didn't notice."
"I'll go get someone," I said in a fake soft voice that I used to protect Rick from my flash of anger. I was ready to chew some ass and believe me, that is a skill I am a master at performing. I stopped the first nurse and quietly and calmly informed her of my concern. She gave me a brisk, "I'll be back to check on it," and bustled off toward the nurse's station. I got the distinct feeling that she thought me an asshole for even mentioning it. I'll spare you the litany of cuss words I mumbled, perhaps a little too loudly. I could see the nurses were overworked here, like probably everywhere, but this was no place for a guy like Rick who needs constant, individual care.
Rick is a remarkable man and a most courageous fighter. How he ended up in a hospital again is part one of this tale. It went like this. Idaho is ruled by right-wingers who last year tried to cut out all money for mental health services and severely restrict the care hours for those with physical disabilities. The theory was that volunteers and the churches could serve those with mental ill problems and guys like Rick could travel for treatment as home services were advertised as a frivolous luxury that a cash-strapped state could no longer afford. After these mental midgets found out that they would need nearly 30,000 volunteers they backed off and reduced the services which was at least something as many of us were concerned of what would happen if all the services were eliminated.
Often we talk about society's problems as if they were abstractions. But when I see problems become real-life, concrete, observable dilemmas then my frustration with bullshit gets nearly out of control. This is my main problem with Rick's suffering. It didn't need to fucking happen.
This cavalier, mean, callous attitude toward those in chronic pain held by an ignorant, loud mob has kept marijuana possession and use a crime even with all the mountains of evidence of how innocuous and helpful a substance the wonderful green herb actually is. If marijuana was suddenly discovered it would be hailed as a miracle, natural substance with no troubling side effects. But no, we have allowed our brothers and sisters to be put in jail for recreational use, simple possession, and prevented medical marijuana use for serious illnesses and pain relief. This is unreal and unacceptable.
During the late sixties and early seventies pot use was so common and so open that those of us who lived back then would never have imagined that four decades later it would still be illegal. This pot hysteria could be the best example, next to evolution, of how myths and false morality dominate science. Here is an example.
I was playing in this golf tournament last fall with my brother and one of his long-time friends who recruited his college-age son to be his partner for the weekend. The young man was a total gentleman, good company and played some great golf. He also sneaked off on several occasions to take a few tokes of pot. This enraged his father, a notorious hard drinker, who announced that he wished his son “would get off that damn pot.” He said this while taking a big sip from his favorite drink -a Snake River Bummer- that contains enough alcohol to cause a confirmed wino to start quoting Shakespeare after one serving. I found this terribly amusing and could not resist giving him some shit about it all. Yeah, alcohol is not a problem but a few harmless tokes is a grave concern.
Can you say stupid? 
That would be okay but that attitude is still alive today and is the prevailing attitude that has prevented marijuana law reforms. The latest polls show that 58% believe that marijuana should be legal. Here are the facts:
Marijuana Facts-( taken from the Drug Policy Alliance website)
"Marijuana is a plant containing a psychoactive chemical, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in its leaves, buds and flowers. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug, with forty-two percent of American adults reporting that they have used it.
Despite the fact that marijuana is less harmful than most other drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, it is the most common drug that people are arrested for possessing. US marijuana policy is unique among American criminal laws in being enforced so widely and harshly, yet deemed unnecessary by such a substantial portion of the population.
Fact: More than 800,000 people are arrested for marijuana each year, the vast majority of them for simple possession.
Police prosecuted 858,408 persons for marijuana violations in 2009, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s annual Uniform Crime Report. Marijuana arrests now comprise more than one-half (approximately 52 percent) of all drug arrests reported in the United States. A decade ago, marijuana arrests comprised just 44 percent of all drug arrests. Approximately 46 percent of all drug prosecutions nationwide are for marijuana possession. Of those charged with marijuana violations, approximately 88 percent (758,593 Americans) were charged with possession only. The remaining 99,815 individuals were charged with “sale/manufacture,” a category that includes virtually all cultivation offenses.[1]
Fact: Most marijuana users never use any other illicit drug.
Marijuana does not cause people to use hard drugs. Marijuana is the most popular illegal drug in the United States today. Therefore, people who have used less popular drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and LSD, are likely to have also used marijuana. Most marijuana users never use any other illegal drug and the vast majority of those who do try another drug never become addicted or go on to have associated problems. Indeed, for the large majority of people, marijuana is a terminus rather than a so-called gateway drug.[2]
Fact: Most people who use marijuana do so occasionally. Increasing admissions for treatment do not reflect increasing rates of clinical dependence.
According to a federal Institute of Medicine study in 1999, fewer than 10 percent of those who try marijuana ever meet the clinical criteria for dependence, while 32 percent of tobacco users and 15 percent of alcohol users do. According to federal data, marijuana treatment admissions referred by the criminal justice system rose from 48 percent in 1992 to 58 percent in 2006. Just 45 percent of marijuana admissions met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria for marijuana dependence. More than a third hadn’t used marijuana in the 30 days prior to admission for treatment.[3]
Fact: Claims about marijuana potency increases are vastly overstated. In addition, potency is not related to risk of dependence or health impacts.
Although marijuana potency may have increased somewhat in recent decades, claims about enormous increases in potency are vastly overstated and not supported by evidence. Nonetheless, potency is not related to risks of dependence or health impacts. According to the federal government's own data, the average THC in domestically grown marijuana – which comprises the bulk of the US market – is less than 5 percent, a figure that has remained unchanged for nearly a decade. In the 1980s, by comparison, the THC content averaged around 3 percent. Regardless of potency, THC is virtually non-toxic to healthy cells or organs, and is incapable of causing a fatal overdose. Currently, doctors may legally prescribe Marinol, an FDA-approved pill that contains 100 percent THC. The Food and Drug Administration found THC to be safe and effective for the treatment of nausea, vomiting, and wasting diseases. When consumers encounter unusually strong varieties of marijuana, they adjust their use accordingly and smoke less.[4]
Fact: Marijuana has not been shown to cause mental illness.
Some effects of marijuana ingestion may include feelings of panic, anxiety, and paranoia. Such experiences can be frightening, but the effects are temporary.
That said, none of this is to suggest that there may not be some correlation (but not causation) between marijuana use and certain psychiatric ailments. Marijuana use can correlate with mental illness for many reasons. People often turn to the alleviating effects of marijuana to treat symptoms of distress. One study performed in Germany showed that marijuana offsets certain cognitive declines in schizophrenic patients. Another study demonstrated that psychotic symptoms predict later use of marijuana, suggesting that people might turn to the plant for help rather than become ill after use.[5]
Fact: Marijuana use has not been shown to increase risk of cancer.
Several longitudinal studies have established that even long-term use of marijuana (via smoking) in humans is not associated with elevated cancer risk, including tobacco-related cancers or with cancer of the following sites: colorectal, lung, melanoma, prostate, breast, cervix. A more recent (2009) population-based case-control study found that moderate marijuana smoking over a 20 year period was associated with reduced risk of head and neck cancer (See Liang et al). And a 5-year-long population-based case control study found even long-term heavy marijuana smoking was not associated with lung cancer or UAT (upper aerodigestive tract) cancers.[6]
Fact: Marijuana has been proven helpful for treating the symptoms of a variety of medical conditions.
Marijuana has been shown to be effective in reducing the nausea induced by cancer chemotherapy, stimulating appetite in AIDS patients, and reducing intraocular pressure in people with glaucoma. There is also appreciable evidence that marijuana reduces muscle spasticity in patients with neurological disorders. A synthetic capsule is available by prescription, but it is not as effective as smoked marijuana for many patients. Learn more about medical marijuana. [7]"
More than 70% of voters support the right of patients to use marijuana with a doctor's recommendation — including substantial majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.
Seventy percent is a huge number-only 78% think the earth rotates around the sun-seriously- so what is the damn hangup? Get these laws changed, quit the insanity of filling prisons with pot smokers and allow those in chronic pain access to all the marijuana they want or need. This ridiculous notion that pot smoking is somehow an example of immorality is a myth that must and should die. Most of our representatives do not want to be branded as "pro drugs" so they avoid going on record for reform. Isn't four decades of this enough?
My good friend Sherrie repeats the story often of how marijuana saved her life after she was in a near fatal car accident. She was in severe pain so they pumped her full of morphine. She finally demanded after her weight dropped to eighty pounds and her husband had already signed the papers to have her legs amputated at the knee to be taken off the morphine. She started eating pot brownies and sneaking off to smoke pot on the hospital grounds when visitors came. She immediately and dramatically improved, her appetite increased, she gained weight, began thinking more clearly and both of her legs were saved. She claims that she would be dead without marijuana. Did she move on to other drugs as the myth suggests? No, in fact she no longer smokes pot nor drinks alcohol.
Why is it that it is always the rightwing Republicans that keep this bullshit about marijuana alive? Their cruelty toward those in chronic pain is not even recognized despite the numerous positive stories and mountain of scientific evidence. No, in the rightwing black and white world, marijuana, a natural plant is an evil and damn all those who suggest otherwise. Well, damn you chowderheads for all the suffering you cause and damn you for nearly killing my good friend.
I am an ardent supporter of President Obama but on this topic his justice department has become a travesty. He will hear from me, I guarantee that. Take a moment to write your representative and demand that they stop this insanity toward marijuana.
Rick has been in intensive care since late November and been moved three times. He currently is in a good facility a hundred miles north of me but in rough shape. He is being fed by a tube-hasn't eaten anything since December-and is thin and weak. I doubt he will ever get out and back home. Those in power are supremely ignorant. The pennies saved on cutting back his services which led to him counting on untrained amateurs rather than professionals has been swallowed up by the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent trying to keep him alive. And they claim to be the fiscal responsible ones.
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SheilaTGTG55
Matt Paust
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Comments
Just like the other one,
You've been hanging onto it
And I sure would like a hit...
The truth is, the elite probably haven't figured out how to corner the market, yet. Afterall, if they legalize it, everybody with a planter might make a little money.
And all the insane clown posse wants to talk about is getting rid of birth control. Ass-inine.
it ..i won't say "cures it"...though it DOES
for a glorious day or so...
but alleviates it..ameliorates it...
i have that pesky bipolar virus...
when i smoke a tiny tiny bit, my crippling anxiety
and agoraphobic fears
melt away to infinity.
I am whole.
yeah, i can see why people like me should never get any pot.
which i rarely do.
(i can't! cuz it would not be good for me! cuz i am mentally ill! see the logic?)
if i were a little higher i might actually come out of my exile
and make some noise.
your buddy is a heck of a good hard man, hm?
for god's sake, relieve the poor fucker's pain!
and I'm for legalizing it completely, not just for medical. Have age restrictions on it like cigarettes and alcohol, but other than that, government should tax the hell out of it and make some money.
"I could see the nurses were overworked here, like probably everywhere, but this was no place for a guy like Rick who needs constant, individual care." Nurses usually don't get to decide whether or not they can take another patient. The patient just shows up and the nurse does the best she can with the time and materials she has. No excuses for work that doesn't get done or mistakes that were made, but aren't we all human? Walk a mile in my crocs, bro.
That's smoking bad.
:(
HUGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Unreal isn't it Tom?
I hear you James....
Julie--Yikes! I did not mean to shotgun criticize nurses who are some of my favorite people in this world. Nurses are like real-life angels and there is no group I admire more. I understand the pressure they are under and they do not make the rules; I fully get that. Rick was and is such a needy patient that he would drive me batty with his constant needs--He needed to be placed in a situation where he could get more intensive care which didn't happen as the doctors who placed in the hospital had very little understanding of how much care he needs. I love nurses as much as I love teachers. I think both groups are heroes. Any interpretation of my words that seem critical is incorrect. I should have been more clear.
r./
Lezlie
Let's hope that in Obama's second term issues like this one will be taken up and dealt with in the best possible way. The sooner the better.
R♥
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