Harm Reduction ⫸CASE STUDIES - It could happen to YOU!⫷

[sm0kestack]

Thanks Speetz. So it was bad fever that tipped off the endocarditis?

 

[Speetz]

Yeah that and delusion/memory loss. Hallucinations, which all also were pointing toward the TIAs I had (mini strokes) also, you smell like death when you are septic. The worse the smell the worse the infraction has gotten, but these symptoms get more noticeable really by the time you already now it's hospital o clock, aside from the rising temp.

Now, the second time I got it couldn't even figure out how to put on my shoes, would black out and my mom would tell me multiple times to get ready to leave (she was going to take me to a walk in, before she realized I smelled like death) and I tried putting my leather coat on by just hanging it on top of my head. It would have been funny if not life threatening. The second, not as life threatening time I wasn't as violent and angry, which I'll post about some time in the future. I did all that from my phone lol.

As far as what to do, just get cold rags and or ice to lower temp, maybe even paracetamol/acetaminophen, and call a doctor/EMT, and be honest, even if you haven't shot for a long time. That shit can build up over a year or more according to the top mitral valve surgeon who I somehow was luckily enough to meet. He treated me and oversaw my surgery (since he technically sent me home he was worried when the damage was done and the antibiotics alone were too late)

Would be more detailed with links if I had a computer to use

 

[sm0kestack]

Right. That stuff is some serious shit. Can they detect endocarditis by blood test. Because last time I went to the ER for accidentally hitting my radial artery in my right arm, they said no signs of any infection ...and I haven't noticed any terrible fevers. But I have noticed I get weird heart palpitations , especially at night sometimes, causing me to jerk awake and gasp for air, because it feels like I can't breathe. Is this a symptom you experienced during your bouts with EC Speetz?

 

[Speetz]

Sorry for taking so long to reply. With EC (love the abbrev) it was a sudden high fever and serious delusions but it presents in different ways. The first, much worse time I also had painful red dots (embolisms) all over my hands and feet, going up my arms. Worst physical pain ever beside a huge shot of narcan. Even worse than the abcess that almost took my leg.

It's worth noting shooting sub is still something that happens on my end. Not because of anything beside lack of support in my area; there is one cash only clinic and it's over 300$ to start, and after open heart surgery and mental health issues it's hard for me to work, and near impossible for me to get the cash before hand, because to stay sane and do the things I need to do I take sub but have so little injection is the only option, since it lasts much longer that way. I avoid IV as much as I can (unless I am sick, for quicker onset) but at SC injections allow one strip to last days and days. Of course, I am much, much cleaner than I used to be, but again, I hadn't shot in a few months before I got EC the first time. I pray everyday that I can get on maintence legit so I can move on with my life; it's crazy how many are able to get on it with so little help and take it for granted or it doesn't help them. Sub is the only reason I don't do cheap H or other opiates anymore.

But that's a small part of a bigger, really political issue.

As far as your breathing, I would get some X-rays and maybe some other scans of your chest done to make sure you don't have like a walking one pneumonia. Opiates can fuck with your lungs when combined with high hits from the respitory depression and smoking and fluid build up. It's rare but happens. Otherwise, depending on what your shooting, it could be a direct affect but I wouldn be surprised if it's from the lifestyle. I've realized over the years that the more excercise I am getting (personally I skate, a lot when I can. Less after being cracked open like an egg via chest cavity) the less health issue from use I have. Even more veins.

But it's never a bad idea to go to the doctor. Worst case tell them you were out of town, were in an accident and got prescribed opiates and they may be affecting your health or something. Or if it's an infection say it's a cut or etc. there are ways around telling them whatever is wrong is from use, though they also realize the lie often. I only bring it up because it seems that holds many of us back from getting help, especially since there are many MDs out there who give little fucks about addicts.

Whatever is up, it may be nothing, and probably is nothing or just from lifestyle changes due to use, but it's always better safe than sorry. Hell, I use alcohol and even triple antibiotic ointment every shot I would do anymore. May be futile or useless, but I would rather waste time than life.

 

[tightlywound]

wow this thread is crazy ...all the buprenorphrine horror stories, man. I have been IVing 8.6mg zubsolv (bupe/naloxone) in 2-3mg shots w/ cotton ball filters 3-4x/day for the past year and a half almost w/ oft reused needles and have never experienced any complications (and yes I have had recent chest x-rays as well as an EKG), nor did I in my ~year of shooting dope then dilaudid and morphine 100s (yes the ones that gel). now I fear what may be waiting for me but my needle fixation does not allow me stop. =/

 

[sm0kestack]

wow this thread is crazy ...all the buprenorphrine horror stories, man. I have been IVing 8.6mg zubsolv (bupe/naloxone) in 2-3mg shots w/ cotton ball filters 3-4x/day for the past year and a half almost w/ oft reused needles and have never experienced any complications (and yes I have had recent chest x-rays as well as an EKG), nor did I in my ~year of shooting dope then dilaudid and morphine 100s (yes the ones that gel). now I fear what may be waiting for me but my needle fixation does not allow me stop. =/

You ain't alone bud... I wish I would have never ran low on $$ that day and was willing to give IV drug use a try... . It feels as if I'm doomed to this lifestyle.

 

[arfacsad22]

Maybe

 

[hashballs]

Probably someone already said it, but I think that the need to be more responsible with drugs is not the only lesson here. All these problems are ultimately caused by the brutal and relentless prohibition and things like that would disappear overnight if doctors were allowed to prescribe heroin or morphine suited for injection to addicts.

 

[sm0kestack]

Or taking back laws that require you to have a prescription for fresh syringes, forcing addicts to reuse and share needles.

 

[Tina Dopemau5]

I haven't read this whole thread, but I get the general idea so I'll share my personal experience that made me swear off shooting drugs for a whole year. I was on a suicide mission one night about 7 years ago. I injected 4 five mg percocets using only cotton to filter. I also injected a Xanax the same way. I probably heated the pills too, which I now know is a big no-no. A couple hours later I noticed some swelling in my arm. I don't remember if I missed some of the shot or not. The swelling gradually got worse over the course of a week until my arm was nearly double in size and I could barely bend my elbow. I was also feeling dizzy and lightheaded. Finally I went to the ER. It was an absess which they had to slice open and drain, an incredibly painful ordeal. I still have the scar from where they drained the absess, since it had to heal from the inside out. So while it was healing I basically had a hole in my arm. It was disgusting. That horrid experience turned me off needles for a whole year. Now I'm more educated and when I do inject I always double filter with micron filters and I don't shoot percs or benzos!

 

[sm0kestack]

Yes, pills have binders and fillers in them that are not 100% water soluble. Which is terrible. Very high chances of getting abscesses. If you plan on injecting pills look into micron filtering. Way safer.

 

[krock619]

Sorry if this post is out of place but...is there a reason why I am unable to see any of the attatched thumbs ?

 

[svacheme3]

So I'll add to this thread as I'm enjoying the worst case of a unique injection complication I never had seen before. Non-infectious tissue necrotizing. There's no pain, no swelling, no discoloration outside the dead parts... the dope simply killed the skin for about 4mm deep. +12-24h from missed shot, it starts turning black, then just dies. The shot doesn't even have to be strictly a miss... register, no lump forms, get rush, but it hurt going in, but not in the arterial kind of way (no pain downstream only local). I've had smaller ones before, but this time it took the entire top of my hand out. Will take months to heal and will be scarred forever.
Oh how nice a simple abscess would have been.

Warning: graphic.

NSFW:

All the black is hard, dry dead skin still very much attached to living skin underneath, painful to remove.

 

[ABetterWay]

^^ It might be because you are on mobile version of site. I have same issue. Will edit and place a link in here you can get to the full site, one sec....
Edit. Go here, to the first post in this thread, where you can click the link for either full or mobile versions of this site:

http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/713150-Bluelight-Mobile-(With-Links-to-Both-Mobile-and-Full-Site!)

 

[Spideronthewall]

So I'll add to this thread as I'm enjoying the worst case of a unique injection complication I never had seen before. Non-infectious tissue necrotizing. There's no pain, no swelling, no discoloration outside the dead parts... the dope simply killed the skin for about 4mm deep. +12-24h from missed shot, it starts turning black, then just dies. The shot doesn't even have to be strictly a miss... register, no lump forms, get rush, but it hurt going in, but not in the arterial kind of way (no pain downstream only local). I've had smaller ones before, but this time it took the entire top of my hand out. Will take months to heal and will be scarred forever.
Oh how nice a simple abscess would have been.

Warning: graphic.

NSFW:

All the black is hard, dry dead skin still very much attached to living skin underneath, painful to remove.

I almost puked from this. I've never seen one that bad before. How do you keep getting abscesses without learning your lesson? Are you using dirty dope? It reminded me of my when I had an abscess my in my arm. Almost lost the fucking thing. Its a scary thing and I know you know the feeling of the radiating heat, the accompanying pain and general uncomfortable feeling. When they finally sliced open my arm it burst out a shit ton of green and yellow stuff.

I just wanted to add my experience.

About 8 months ago I was on a bender with those fake CDN 80s that contained fentynal. I was IVing most of them. One night I had gotten pretty drunk and rigged up 2 pills in a 3cc shot and missed. I left the inflamed mess to get worse for 3 weeks since I was working 200km from the nearest town/hospital. Long story short I got a huge abcess. It had to be cut open and drained. I now have a 3.5 inch scar down my forearm.
Other then the stupidity of touching those fake 80s, you should be careful with IV. Doctors were in shock and said I was very close to losing my arm.

Graphic
This is what a small abscess looks like on the inside after the skin is opened up to relieve pressure. Hope you feel sick from seeing it and think before you act!

[/URL][/IMG]

That picture was from a few weeks after I had the arm sliced open. Its tough trying to explain the big scar on my arm that wrecked my tattoo when you're laying in bed with a chick and don't wanna tell her its from shooting pills

 

[Nod Alot]

Thought I would share a personal experience with a freak accident that resulted from drugs. This isn't IV related, so sorry if this isn't in the right place..

Ok so the summer of 2010 for me (age 20) was spent in rehab, my first of a few rehab stints. I did great for 2 and a half months but began hanging around the wrong people and subsequently took some pain pills (which is what I was in rehab for) and peed dirty on a UA. The rehab facility kicked me to the curb. My mom picked me up and didn't know what to do with me, so I told her I was going to stay at my dads. Unbeknownst to her, the mental health lady at the rehab had scripted me some .5 klonopins. Once I got to my dads and my mom left I started poppin some klonies.

My dad has always been an on again off again alcoholic (he's been completely sober now since 2011). I asked him to buy me some jagermeister while he was making a trip to the liq and got hammered with him that night. It was SO fucking STUPID of me to get wasted on top of the klonies. I probably took at least 7mg's and drank half the bottle of jager. Dumb as fuck I know..

So after my dad went to bed I got the wild idea of breaking into the pharmacy in the tiny ass town my dad lives in and stealing some pain pills. I made my way there without seeing a single car and went to the back door of the place and kicked it in. Then I ran and hid in a bush in case an alarm went off. And would you believe it? NO alarm! I covered my face with my shirt and put my hood up and went in. I grabbed several strengths of morphine pills, everything labeled oxycodone, fent patches, and exactly what I wanted: oxymorphone IR's.

i made it home just fine, and I KNEW I shouldn't throw some pain pills into my deadly mix, but I couldn't wait til tomorrow... I snorted 20mg's of Opana. The last thing I remember I was smoking a cig then I woke up choking on a tube in my throat. The nurse informed me I was in a hospital 5 hours away from my dads town! They had flown me on a flight for life helicopter. The next day the ICU Doc told me what was going on- I had OD'd and passed out on my side on top of my right arm and cut off circulation. He said when I got off the helicopter my arm was swollen to 6 times it's normal size! He said he'd never seen swelling like that in his whole career. He had to make lots of large and small incisions to relieve the pressure from the swelling.
Because my muscles were starved for blood for so long there was some muscle death (not much though luckily). The dead muscle flooded my bloodstream with potassium. So much that it poisoned my kidneys and they were failing, which is why he had me hooked up to a dialysis machine.

The medical disorder, or whatever, that happened to my arm was called Compartment Syndrome. He left all the cuts open on my arm for something like 10 days so fluid would drain out and into the dressings wrapped around my arm. Then I had to have skin graft surgery to cover the gaping incisions. Before putting me under for the surgery he told me there was high probability that he would have to amputate my arm. You can imagine how fucking happy and grateful I was to wake up and find it still attached!

I was in the hospital for 2 months with 3 surgeries and 3 weeks of dialysis ( my kidneys made a full recovery!)
lots of physical therapy and time later, I am left with very major scars and skin grafts, but also full use of my arm! I am forever grateful to my family for helping me through everything, and most importantly, God.
Be safe.

 

[Jportillo91]

Why can't I see the pictures

 

[Rachella666]

Fuck guys, they are some dreadful pics there, at least the are still with us, thank the stars xxx

 

[Rachella666]

So I'll add to this thread as I'm enjoying the worst case of a unique injection complication I never had seen before. Non-infectious tissue necrotizing. There's no pain, no swelling, no discoloration outside the dead parts... the dope simply killed the skin for about 4mm deep. +12-24h from missed shot, it starts turning black, then just dies. The shot doesn't even have to be strictly a miss... register, no lump forms, get rush, but it hurt going in, but not in the arterial kind of way (no pain downstream only local). I've had smaller ones before, but this time it took the entire top of my hand out. Will take months to heal and will be scarred forever.
Oh how nice a simple abscess would have been.

Warning: graphic.

NSFW:

All the black is hard, dry dead skin still very much attached to living skin underneath, painful to remove.

How is your arm now my friend?

 

[Rachella666]

And you Spider? How's your your arm now?