safety

KN, p. 326 “Death by Opioids”

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From the American Society of Anesthesiologists:

“Opioids, sometimes called narcotics, are medications prescribed by doctors to treat persistent or severe pain. They are used by patients recovering from surgery, experiencing severe pain associated with cancer, hurt playing sports, or seriously injured in falls or auto accidents.”

(https://madeforthismoment.asahq.org/pain-management/opioid-treatment/what-are-opioids/)

Potential side effects
Mild side effects of opioids include sleepiness, constipation, and nausea.

More serious side effects associated with an overdose (even accidental) can be life-threatening and include shallow breathing, slowed heart rate, and/or loss of consciousness.

And then there is the possibility of addiction, for some people and with some drugs, in as quickly as five days. “Opioids can make your brain and body believe the drug is necessary for survival. As you tolerate the dose you’ve been prescribed, you may find that you need even more medication to relieve the pain.”

More than 2 million Americans misuse opioids, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and every day more than 90 Americans die by opioid overdose.

The most common opioids are sold under several names:

  • Codeine
  • Fentanyl
  • Hydrocodone
  • Oxycodone
  • Oxymorphone
  • Morphine

If you think your pain meds are not on this list, here are some brand names also used, depending on your physician preference or insurance carrier:

  • OxyContin
  • Percocet
  • Palladone
  • Vicodin

Not to forget heroin…”it is an illegal and highly addictive form of opioid with no sanctioned medical use.”

If we are not among the legal or illegal drug users, why should we care?

While the numbers have dropped from a year ago, the stats posted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, indicate just over 100,000 people died of a drug overdose during the 12-month period ending in April 2024. With numbers like that, it’s likely somebody you know has a family member affected by the deadly side of opioids.

https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates

Real Life Experiences
When we’re young and invincible, we generally don’t think about the toll that life exerts on our bodies. It never occurs to most of us that popping a tendon would ever happen to anyone not involved in professional tennis or football or rugby. Or that tripping and falling on macadam would result in a smashed kneecap. Or that a nasty car accident would change our lives forever. Thank goodness we don’t live life based on what accident might ensue in the next five minutes.

The point being…nobody wakes up planning to become addicted to pain-numbing drugs, but those normal activities might be the path to get you to the dark side of what is designed to help us get through recovery.

Friends of ours have suffered through multiple sports and accident related injuries and surgeries, and lived to tell the tale. But, two became heavily dependent on opioids while the complications post-op were dealt with. One became addicted and needed to go to a drug rehab center for a time. Counseling wasn’t enough. A supportive family wasn’t enough. Long after the injury healed, he had to deal with getting away from the dangerous drugs he had taken in good faith.

Why does this happen? A physical therapist mentioned that opioids can affect people quite differently. Just as no two patients recover from the same surgery in the same way, some patients never have withdrawal symptoms from them. Many  are extremely sensitive to being on any Class A narcotic for even the five days.

Once addicted, the likelihood of a successful outcome becomes an almost impossible task. Reputable doctors and pharmacists carefully monitor which drugs they prescribe and deliver, but for the desperate, other avenues are available. Take a look at celebrities with unlimited resources and lowlifes willing to supply them.

In other cases, unintentional deadly combinations can and do put people into an early grave. The brother of a close friend wound up in an institution at age 26 because of party drugs. He’s been there for 15 years and will be there for the rest of his life, the brain damage permanent.

Death by Opioids? Yup. 90 times a day, in the USA alone.

 

KN, p. 326 “Death by Opioids” Read More »

KN, p. 298 “Halloween Crime Revisited – 2023”

Kelley reads to the neighbors

We owe many of our Halloween celebrations to the Irish and Scottish immigrants who arrived in the United States in the 1800s. For centuries in England, it was the custom to travel from house to house dressed in scary outfits, asking for food in order to keep the goblins from doing mischief.

When I was in elementary school, my dad told us to repeat the phrase “Trick or treat?” and be prepared to demonstrate a trick if asked. Imagine my shock when I was actually asked to perform my trick by a neighbor who knew my dad and had recognized me in my pirate costume. Over the years, ‘cabbage night’ was added to the Halloween events. Cabbage night played out on the night before Halloween as a way for the local high schoolers to prank the neighbors. Toilet paper was sometimes involved, along with chalk, soap, and eggs. One year, the local grocery store refused to sell eggs to anyone under 21. Somebody had too many broken eggshells to clean up and protested to the unsuspecting suppliers.

Somewhere along the way, adults decided that if the kids could have parties, why couldn’t grownups do it as well, but instead, substitute hard apple cider for the kiddy stuff. But, as the adult parties grew in popularity, so did the size of the parties and the mischief that invariably comes with big crowds.

In 2019, the NY Post reported that there were only 21 days in 2018 that saw more crime reports than Halloween. That night, there were 277 cases of petty theft and numerous cases of people damaging graves and creating graffiti around the city.

In a suburb of Chicago in 2021, two people were killed and 12 more were injured when men with guns opened fire on a late-night costume party with almost 200 guests in attendance. It was one of at least 11 mass shootings (four or more dead – not including the shooter) in the US over that holiday weekend. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, police reported two dead and four injured during another Halloween shooting.

Grownups can get out of hand and I often wonder where their supervision is…

An uptick in violence is not the only area of danger at this spooky time of year. According to the Office of Consumer Product Safety, between 2020-2023, 3200 Halloween-related injuries were treated at USA E.R. rooms. Over 1,600 of those were due to pumpkin carving mishaps, but another 800 (approx) were caused by falls while dealing with decorations or tripping on costumes.

How do we keep the kids safe?

Some police departments recommend that children trick-or-treat between the hours of 6 and 8 p.m. Check the other safety suggestions listed below:

  • Make sure costumes are short enough to allow for easy walking.
  • Consider non-toxic makeup instead of masks, which are hard to see out of.
  • Take flashlights to light the sometimes dark sidewalks.
  • Eat only the candy that has been commercially wrapped. 
  • Best tip? Make sure the kids look both ways before crossing the street to get to the ‘best candy’ house on the other side. Getting hit by a car tops the list as the most dangerous thing that happens to children on Halloween.

In this post-pandemic world, more children have been out and about on Halloween, hopefully with parents somewhere close. In 2023, our neighborhood had crowds of people during the popular hours from 6:30pm to 8pm. The parents dressed up as well and sometimes a family theme was evident. Great fun for everyone.

Be safe and enjoy!

 

 

KN, p. 298 “Halloween Crime Revisited – 2023” Read More »

KN, p. 129 “Christmas Shopping and Home Safety”

 

‘Tis the season for shopping, shopping, and more shopping! Even with Black Friday, online stores, and Cyber Monday thrown into the mix, the malls are  more crowded at this time of year than at any other.

Wait 30 minutes for a cold cup of coffee in the mall, crowded.

Unfortunately with the crowds, come a few pickpockets and pocketbook snatchers and package thieves. So, what can you do to cut down on the chances of getting robbed after you’ve slaved at your job to earn the Christmas money? Here are a few easy tips.

Gals, I know this is a tough one, but if you can…leave the pocketbook at home. If that can’t be worked out, take a pocketbook that can be worn with the strap across your body. Under no circumstances should you carry a pocketbook dangling from your hand while walking through the mall. At the very least, use a shoulder bag and rest the straps on your shoulder while holding onto it securely.

Guys, don’t put your wallet in your back pocket. That’s a pickpocket’s dream. 

Don’t leave the cash register until you have put your cash and/or credit cards away. People behind you in a rush? Too bad. Give ‘em a big smile and let ‘em wait until you have put the money stuff away and your pocketbook is closed. 

Try to do your shopping during the day – lunch hours are good and the stores are less crowded. If you are shopping after dark, go with a pal. 

If you are buying lots of gifts and need to make trips to the car to unload packages, put them in the trunk. Bags in the backseat are an open invitation for a thief. 

Use the restrooms in the stores where you are shopping (and have bought something). Much safer. 

Stay off the cellphone in the parking lots. You need to stay alert to people that might be following you. If someone is following you, head straight back to the closest mall entrance and report the incident. 

Park as close as possible to the well-lit entrances of the stores. If it’s after dark when you leave, ask a security guard to walk you to your car. Once you’re in the car, lock it right away and leave.

 

About those cellphones. Most people I know carry their cellphones with them everywhere. Did you know that the phone can be cloned by the new tech thieves? If someone is walking near you for too long – zig-zagging in step with you around the food court or through a big store – turn the phone off and change your direction. It only take a minute of close proximity to copy your entire phone contents. That means photos, texts, contact information, credit card info, etc.

You’re done shopping and you’re home. What should you do to reduce the chances of getting burglarized?

Don’t put your Christmas tree in the front window for all to see. At least turn off the Christmas lights and close the curtains when you’re not home. Burglars case the neighborhoods this time of year for likely targets. 

If you’re going skiing or to a beach for the holiday, cancel the paper and the mail. Either one of those piling up is a clear signal that nobody is home. 

Contact the police department and let them know you’ll be away on vacation. Many towns have a neighborhood watch program and will check on the house while you’re gone. 

Don’t hide spare keys under rocks, in flowerpots, or above door ledges. 

Don’t post information about your trip on Facebook or Instagram or any other Social Media site until after you return. We’d love to see your photos of the trip, not the photos of the missing new TV and the burglarized house.

 

Above all, use common sense, stay safe, and enjoy the holidays!

 

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