The "Do You Really Know About Opioids? - Part I - The Crisis" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Making a visit to the hospital in Ephrata, Pennsylvania to have an EMG.  I recently had an appointment with a neurologist who happened to have his office near the hospital.  My reason for the visit was numbness in my left foot and leg and the start of numbness in my right foot.  After my visit and a manual examination, Dr. Fisher ordered the EMG (electromyography) to see if my problem might be neurological.  The test went well and after ruling out a neurological problem, he set up a MRI appointment for a later date.  As I was leaving the hospital, an ambulance arrived, the rear door burst open and the two EMT's pulled out a gurney that had a lifeless young man covered with blankets on him.  He was rushed past me into the emergency room.  Didn't think much about it until two days later when the local newspaper featured a series of stories on the opioid crisis in the small town of Ephrara which lies about 16 miles to the north of Lancaster, PA.  The main headline cried out "Fighting A Familiar Enemy" and told the story of the Ephrata Mayor who declared a heroin crisis twenty years ago in his town, but was faced with citizens that complained he was putting a black mark on the town and it was hurting business.  Anyway, most thought he didn't know what he was talking about.  Seems the Police Chief in the town had told the Mayor in 1997 that drug overdoses had tripled from two years prior.  His warnings and efforts were pushed off and now the town has a major problem.  Eventually, the drug problem did subside somewhat, but now, it has returned with a vengeance.  Not just a heroin epidemic, but a full-blown opioid crisis.  

The hospital where I just visited is now treating about 300 overdoses a year.  That's almost one a day.  And, perhaps the gurney I saw today was carrying the next victim.  Ephrata, as well as many other cities and towns all over the world are faced with an opioid crisis.  People of all ages, races and wealth are effected.  Do you know what opioids are?  Do you happen to have some in your medicine cabinet?  My guess is you do.  May not realize it, but I'll bet many of you do.  Opioids are drugs that act on the nervous system to relieve pain.  You may have had a tooth pulled or had a medical procedure done at your doctor's office or local hospital and were given pain pills to help with your pain.  Those pills were probably opioids.  Recognize these names: Robitussin A-C, Tylenol with Codeine, Empirin with Codeine, Demerol, Percocet or OxyContin to name a few; all listed as opioids.  Today these drugs carry street names such as: Captain Cody, Schoolboy, Doors & Fours, Pancakes & Syrup and Loads.  I had a few containers in my kitchen cabinet a few weeks ago until I went through the cabinet and took all the unused pills to my local police department so I could deposit them in a secure place they have for them.  After each of my three back surgeries I was given opioids.  After each of my hand surgeries I was given opioids.  After I had my kidney stones removed and after I had my prostate cancer procedure I was given opioids.  And, I'm one person!  Can you imagine how many containers of opioids are in your medicine cabinet the cabinets of your neighbors.  And, how many of their children, friends and relatives might grab the containers figuring they will never miss a few of them.  

And now we have an opioid crisis throughout the world.  Big money is involved in the making of synthetic opioids and sold to just about anyone who can afford them or who can offer their services to get them.  When will it ever end?  I, for one, have no idea what to look for to tell if someone is an abuser of opioids.  All I know is what I read and needless to say if you are reading this story you see I have absolutely no idea how big a problem it may be.  I only know what I read.  Lucky for me I was able to bypass the use of all those prescriptions I was given over the years and have dispensed of the opioids at the police station.  Have you?  What's next?  More suffering and pain for those addicted to opioids?  Some problems never seem to go away do they.  I'm afraid this may be one of them.  And, I hope it doesn't affect any of you reading this story today, but I know that's not going to be the case.  It could be any one you!  So sad!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.