Primo: My dad keeps having these heart problems. They keep changing his meds. He's not sleeping well. He's really agitated.
Me: I'm sorry sweetie. That has to be hard for you to see.
Primo: Jack and I had dinner with a friend of his last night. The friend said my dad might be going through withdrawal.
Me: Oh! Of course!
Primo: It makes perfect sense, except it's been five days since the surgery and so five days since he's had a drink.
Me: I don't know how this works.
Primo: But the friend said it can take that long.
Me: With as much as your dad drinks, I'm not surprised that he would have some kind of withdrawal reaction.
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yet another reason why Primo should have leveled with the docs.
ReplyDeleteWhat responsibility does another person have if he knows that his Sly has lied about his alcohol consumption? I grappled with that.
DeleteA friend's dad was secretly drinking heavily before a surgery. He ended up never really coming out of the anesthesia. He wasn't unconscious, but he raved insensibly for a few weeks after surgery and then died. Then the family found all the empty bottle around the house. He was a pretty cool guy, he taught history at the university. After the surgery he was raving about Joseph,"Joseph, you bastard!" he'd yell. They finally figured out he was yelling at Stalin.
ReplyDeleteSo, yeah, doctors need to know this stuff, even if the patient is in denial.
Addiction just sucks.
That is sad, but the Stalin part is pretty funny!
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ReplyDeleteWhen your body withdraws from a substance, it creates a pendulum-like effect. If you were taking things to stimulate, you will crash; if you were taking depressants, you become stimulated. Alcohol withdrawal can be fatal, cause your blood pressure to rise, cause a stroke, etc. The post-acute side effects are not fun either - mood swings, irritability, vertigo, sleep and appetite disturbance. Those can last a very long time. However, as an addiction counselor, it's fun to watch the recovery after the withdrawal is over. It's great to see eyes brighten and skin clear, puffiness go away, moods improve, thinking clear up. Very rewarding.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Sly is interested in stopping. He does not think he has a problem.
DeleteThe various drugs he has been given in the hospital can delay or bounce his withdrawal reactions around. Really hard on the body and mind, he might be come MORE crabby and mean . . . OH NO.
ReplyDeleteYep. I don't think there is a drug that could make Sly nice.
DeleteNo,but there are drugs that can help the person deal with the withdrawl. Not necessarily to help in this situation (at this point) but for people going forward. Even if you think "Well my dad doesn't drink that much..." please please please- tell the hospital staff. Trust me, they'd rather know and prescribe accordingly. You can even say, "He doesn't think he has a problem so do not make any efforts to recommend he stop drinking." If it makes you feel better.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kat. That is good information and a good way to approach it.
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