"My partner"

My partner had an operation about four and a half years ago in his testicular area. He suffered some pain afterwards, so he was back and forward every week asking for an appointment for urology. He was told there would be a six-month wait. So they put him on the medication oxycodine.

Quickly I noticed a change in my partner. He would lie in bed confused and dazed, falling asleep in his food.  So we waited. The appointment was coming up so I thought great won’t be long. The doctor explained he wouldn’t need to be on these tablets any longer as the appointment would deal with the pain, maybe via operation. 

The appointment was cancelled by the urologist 2 days before the due date and another put in its place. Another six months wait again. This appointment was also cancelled, and another put in its place. Six months later that appointment also cancelled. 

The next appointment we did go to was January after the long wait and me trying every avenue to get him help. He was very ill. We had had four years of him in bed. He had now locked himself away with only these pills that he now treasures so much. I had complained to the gp a number of times about the length of time we had waited and the fact he was now dependent and all he seemed to think about was these pills. He stopped eating really and lay in the dark. He suffered from low mood, and became agitated if he was ten minutes late with his pills. The arguments caused by this began to get me down.

I took action and called the GP. I called NHS help. I called an MP for help and they got us the appointment for January, so we were happy finally. We got to the appointment and they announced they couldn’t see us because the receptionist had put the wrong year in the appointment. So we were sent home again deflated. 

The GP said they had made a new referral. They hadn’t. I called them to make them aware more than 4/5 times my husband's pills were affecting his reality. He’s lay in a room for that length of time. Years have went by. He’s been left. They said they would try ween him down and sort it. 

Nothing happened and he’s still getting these tablets. I saw him arguing with himself in the mirror. I called the urologist myself. In this state, my husband wasn’t able to urinate and his stomach had blown to 3x its size. They told me to get him into A&E now. 

As I did. He was then put on a catheter and kept in for 3 days. My husband's priority was these pills. The staff member explained to him that his prescription for a man in his thirties was shocking. He was on really heavy things, seemingly for reasons unknown. The surgeon had said that there is no reason for him to be on these oxycodine with diazepam and other drowsy medication. The reason that he was in there was opium poisoning from that medication. They said they will get the GP to start taking him off slowly to stop his body going into shock. By now I feel that his body he may as well he a heroin addict it’s the same thing. 

So now he’s home with a catheter because his body is rejecting things. We are now 2 weeks out of hospital and his reality is seriously alarming me. He’s hearing voices and he’s paranoid. He’s had the police called as he was in walking the streets with no shoes on. I had to get him help yesterday. He’s now been put on meds to stop the voices and I feel may well be sectioned as a result. He’s not the man he was. Before this, my husband was a bodybuilder, a very strong man who did have issues but dealt with them. He has children that have gone to the back of his mind because he’s lay in a bed. The children have been terrified there dad is going to die. As have I. I feel that he has been let down massively and that this has ruined nearly 5 years of his, my and his 3 children’s life. It would take 3 weeks to write everything down that’s happened in them years but I don’t know what to do now. He’s in terrible condition and even after me begging with the doctor they still haven’t started to reduce his medication. I’m horrified. Something needs to be done as I’ve contacted them so many times, pleading. I also made a complaint twice to the practice manager who haven’t even bothered to write me back. Now at the end of my wits.