In 1987 the General Assembly of the United Nations decided to observe June 26th as International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Sadly, the only reason this was done is that both problems exist worldwide at a level that made members pay attention. As this day approaches, I have decided to share a blog I wrote in 2019 about a personal experience I have had with drug abuse. I hope this story provides a stronger understanding of how serious an approach Industry Lab takes when it comes to testing the samples we receive.
In July of 2008, a 17-year high school junior was setting off fireworks by lighting them and dropping them down PVC tubes. They would explode out of the open end of the tube. The display was mildly spectacular, until…He mistakenly dropped one down one of the tubes with the point down. When it went off, the compression had nowhere to go and the PVC tube exploded. A sharp, jagged piece of the tube entered just below his knee cap and created a two-inch slice down to the patellar tendon. The young man was carried to a vehicle and rushed to an ER where he spent the night. He was given Opana for his pain. The following day, a surgeon explored, cleaned, and closed the gaping wound. He was given antibiotics, a script for 90 Opana, and sent home on crutches.
Skipping ahead 8 years, that same young man is found by his mother in his pickup truck at 2 am outside his girlfriend’s apartment. A needle and syringe sticking out of his arm. His lips were blue and he wasn’t breathing. She pulled him from the truck and did CPR on him for what seemed like forever, waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
My wife and I were vacationing in South Dakota and the phone rang at 3 am. I can still hear my wife’s screams, and those of her sister, as she informed my wife our 25-year-old nephew, Tyler, was dead from a straight heroin overdose. The next 24 hours getting back to Tennessee, as well as the months that followed, remain a blur. I debated a long time before sharing, however, I made up my mind to do so last month while sitting in a Tennessee Federal court watching my nephew’s dealer get sentenced to 10 years, down from the recommended 19 years.
Listening to the judge pontificate about the shared responsibility of the drug user and the drug seller, my mind drifted to what-ifs. What if the ER doctor and the surgeon prescribed 3-5 days of Hydrocodone versus 90 Opana?
What if the caregivers spent a little extra time explaining to Tyler and his parents the reasonable expectations regarding the pain medication?
What if my sister and brother-in-law knew what to look for before allowing him to get the second script of Opana from his primary doctor?
What if they had called me before he had already been in two different treatment centers?
What if I stepped up and told him how dangerous it was to drop fireworks down PVC tubes? I was the one who carried him to the truck and rushed him to the ER.
Yes, the questions could go on forever. I am sure those in the cheap seats have the answers to some of these questions, and I don’t pretend to be ignorant of the culpability of my nephew. When I see the reports of some of your patients, I see my nephew. I know the struggles they go through. The pain they cause their families as well as those in their lives. The anguish they live with moment to moment. Industry Lab Diagnostic Partners takes drug testing seriously.
We respect you and your patients and report with the highest level of accuracy as quickly as possible. We do appreciate you trusting in us. Thank you for your business and please take a moment to reflect on all of the blessings you have in your life.
President/CEO Industry Lab Diagnostic Partners