I am in no way asking for medical advice, though if you have ever experienced something like this or know someone who has and have something I can ask the doctors about, my god I would appreciate it. I am going to try to keep this brief and may not respond right away as I am back and forth to the hospital. I am so sorry to do this but I don't know what to do and I am losing it.
My partner was getting clean and he was doing really well. He had gone from binging to very occasional use, and was cutting back from there, too.
On Monday, he was found unresponsive in his truck at work- he likes to go out there on his lunch break and watch videos until he goes back, so it was running. He was incoherent and couldn't control his movements. They took him to the hospital. The hospital and everyone else assumed it was drugs, but, he was acting so wildly that he had to be restrained- he literally couldn't control his movements at all, and they couldn't get a UA because of this. (Until later when they catheterized him) He had taken a percocet on Sunday and a xanax. Prior to this, last week, someone had given him something that they claimed was a concerta but it didn't have a mark on it. It was a circular pill with brownish coating and inside had a blue stripe ontop of a bigger whiter/pinkish section.
Beyond the percocet and xanax, nothing else was found in his system on the standard toxicology screen and those two weren't enough to cause what happened. They sent off a test for bath salts, but we haven't gotten the results of that back yet.
My partner was never into the harder things, matter of fact, they scared the shit out of him- he was a pill popper. But as I said, he'd been cutting way back and working on quitting completely. I know a lot of people will lie about those types of things but he wouldn't, he was genuinely afraid of the other drugs.
I was honest with the doctors about everything- but, when the tox screen came back negative, everyone was at a loss. He's got delerium, he's shaking, twitching, can't control his movements and sweats like crazy. He eventually had to be intubated because his breathing got messed up and they put him under with propofol. He is strapped down.
Yesterday afternoon he started to get better, so they figured maybe he'd been on something that was leaving his system. He started to recognize us, started to be able to do the things they asked him and answer questions. However, though he recognized us, he couldn't remember our names, it was like he couldn't get words out right. He was checked for other infections and had a UTI. He seemed like he was having more trouble moving things on his left side than his right. Still, he seemed much more coherent and was kind of trying to make jokes and things. I noticed that though he's usually incredibly modest, he didn't seem to care that he was flashing everyone when he'd move around. Even when he is seriously sick that is unlike him. He was able to tell us that he couldn't even remember getting to work, let alone anything that happened after.
They made me go home to get some sleep but then last night, he went right back to how he was before he got better- and was again put under with the propofol as a result.
They hadn't tested for encephalitis and things like that so I suggested it last night.
This morning I am trying to keep it together and figure out everything I need to do- I am in St. Louis, Missouri if that matters, in terms of practical things I need to get straightened out and otherwise.
Any advice about the practical stuff like do I try to get him to another hospital? Do I try to talk to the doctors about certain things? Have you ever seen anything like this and what was it- what can I tell the doctors to look into, would be helpful. Even if it is just something to maybe help me stop losing it- I can't stop crying, this is the most horrible thing I have ever seen and I know I need to keep my shit together and deal but my heart is breaking.
The night before this, we were talking and spending time together like we always do, everything was fine and we were excitedly talking about our plans and what might happen because he'd been working on a promotion at work that seemed promising. With all the positive changes he'd made, I don't know. I don't know how to handle this.
My partner was getting clean and he was doing really well. He had gone from binging to very occasional use, and was cutting back from there, too.
On Monday, he was found unresponsive in his truck at work- he likes to go out there on his lunch break and watch videos until he goes back, so it was running. He was incoherent and couldn't control his movements. They took him to the hospital. The hospital and everyone else assumed it was drugs, but, he was acting so wildly that he had to be restrained- he literally couldn't control his movements at all, and they couldn't get a UA because of this. (Until later when they catheterized him) He had taken a percocet on Sunday and a xanax. Prior to this, last week, someone had given him something that they claimed was a concerta but it didn't have a mark on it. It was a circular pill with brownish coating and inside had a blue stripe ontop of a bigger whiter/pinkish section.
Beyond the percocet and xanax, nothing else was found in his system on the standard toxicology screen and those two weren't enough to cause what happened. They sent off a test for bath salts, but we haven't gotten the results of that back yet.
My partner was never into the harder things, matter of fact, they scared the shit out of him- he was a pill popper. But as I said, he'd been cutting way back and working on quitting completely. I know a lot of people will lie about those types of things but he wouldn't, he was genuinely afraid of the other drugs.
I was honest with the doctors about everything- but, when the tox screen came back negative, everyone was at a loss. He's got delerium, he's shaking, twitching, can't control his movements and sweats like crazy. He eventually had to be intubated because his breathing got messed up and they put him under with propofol. He is strapped down.
Yesterday afternoon he started to get better, so they figured maybe he'd been on something that was leaving his system. He started to recognize us, started to be able to do the things they asked him and answer questions. However, though he recognized us, he couldn't remember our names, it was like he couldn't get words out right. He was checked for other infections and had a UTI. He seemed like he was having more trouble moving things on his left side than his right. Still, he seemed much more coherent and was kind of trying to make jokes and things. I noticed that though he's usually incredibly modest, he didn't seem to care that he was flashing everyone when he'd move around. Even when he is seriously sick that is unlike him. He was able to tell us that he couldn't even remember getting to work, let alone anything that happened after.
They made me go home to get some sleep but then last night, he went right back to how he was before he got better- and was again put under with the propofol as a result.
They hadn't tested for encephalitis and things like that so I suggested it last night.
This morning I am trying to keep it together and figure out everything I need to do- I am in St. Louis, Missouri if that matters, in terms of practical things I need to get straightened out and otherwise.
Any advice about the practical stuff like do I try to get him to another hospital? Do I try to talk to the doctors about certain things? Have you ever seen anything like this and what was it- what can I tell the doctors to look into, would be helpful. Even if it is just something to maybe help me stop losing it- I can't stop crying, this is the most horrible thing I have ever seen and I know I need to keep my shit together and deal but my heart is breaking.
The night before this, we were talking and spending time together like we always do, everything was fine and we were excitedly talking about our plans and what might happen because he'd been working on a promotion at work that seemed promising. With all the positive changes he'd made, I don't know. I don't know how to handle this.
. I didn't see this. I'm glad they found the cause and that he is going to be ok - and that it wasn't drugs!
