Mathew's Concerns About Becoming Addicted to Pain Meds

This is still that first day, Saturday, March 1st, 2014.

Mathew was very concerned about the amount of pain medication he was already on and becoming dependent on it and what will happen once he is no longer receiving treatment.

FROM THE NOTEBOOK

Dr G talked w/Mat about the difference between “dependence” and “addiction” and he cannot become addicted if used only to manage pain - they will wean him off slowly.

“What happens next?” I ask.

He tells me that they request the biopsy slides from Zhills Hospital and get them to their own lab.

“What is the timeline for that?”

He says they send the request on Monday and will probably receive them by Friday.

My niece, Allison, had already told me that I can pick up the slides myself.

So I offer to drive up Monday and hand deliver them.

Mathew needs to sign a release and call up there to let them know I will be the one picking them up.

Again, ‘crunching the timeline,' a day here, a few days there may not seem like much but I know it was the difference between Mathew surviving as long as he did or not making it to the first chemo.

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