Greg had a low-back injury over ten years ago. It caused sciatica-like back pain and, later, disability.We know that people handle pain in many different ways. Some realize that pain is a passing thing, or can be treated naturally. They understand that their body wants to be well, and sometimes just needs a little help to get back to where it feels good.
Others, like Greg, may have a low tolerance for pain, or an addictive-type personality, or some other reason to rely on pain medication and muscle relaxants long-term. Some become dependent on the drugs.
Unless one is dying in hospice, dependency on pain medications is never a good thing for many reasons. But can it mask a more serious problem, such a brain tumor?
Over the past couple of years there were times when Greg seemed over-medicated. His eyes were half closed, his speech was slow and so were his thought processes. The family always figured it was overuse of prescription pain medication, although Greg always denied this. His doctor would only prescribe the pain-killing narcotics and muscle relaxers in amounts that would last for two weeks.
Greg started having something that seemed like seizures or mini-strokes about a year ago. He stayed in a hospital for several days while tests were run. The neurologist said, "This seems to be seizures, not strokes." His family doctor, the one who had him on pain medication, said, "Don't worry, buddy, I will help you and you will never have another mini-stroke again." The family doctor disregarded the diagnosis of the neurologist.
Greg went home and continued on his pain medication. The family doctor also treated him with typical medications to prevent mini-strokes, also called TIA's.
Greg continued to have the "strokes," several a day, every day.
Upon insistence of family members, Greg asked his family doctor for referral to a neurologist. That doctor said, "You need to get more exercise." His diagnosis was off, probably because he also looked at a record of prescription drug usage instead of symptoms. He did not order new tests.
Family members insisted on seeing the original neurologist who said, "I don't know what this is, but it is definitely not TIA's. TIA's do not act like this. They only occur randomly, once in a while, not every day, and certainly not several times a day." He wanted to refer Greg to University of Michigan Hospital for further testing.
But Greg still trusted his family doctor, who had said, "I'll take care of you, buddy."
That last visit to the neurologist may have been too late anyway.
The family always figured his symptoms that looked like drug overuse were drug overuse. But they had concerns about these "TIA's" which still continued.
Greg's speech became garbled last week and he ended up in the emergency room of a hospital. He was transferred to Oakwood Main in Dearborn where there is an excellent neurosciences department.
The biopsy showed an incurable, inoperable brain tumor.
What if Greg was not using prescription medications for his back pain? The symptoms would have been very clear. No one would have thought, "It's just too much medicine causing him to look and act like this."
Could this tumor have been successfully treated by surgery a year ago? Two years ago?
The medication for chronic back pain caused family and even doctors to overlook the obvious.
Greg is in hospice now, dying.
On a happier note...
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