When Cape Town medical researcher Heidi Facey-Thomas took her 24-year-old daughter Anna to a day clinic to have her wisdom teeth removed, she was taken aback when she overheard the young anaesthetist talking to the mother of a 19-year old about to go into theatre before Anna. He said he would give her intravenous OxyContin and then send her home with 10 OxyContin tablets so she would have no pain.
‘He was reassuring us. But as a trained nurse, I asked him why Oxy was being given to young people when it has a serious reputation and is highly addictive, and there are alternatives. He said he himself had had Oxy and it worked well – Anna could take a few tablets if necessary and throw the rest away, as he’d done, because he’d “felt strange” after taking three or four. He was very relaxed about it and I didn’t like to argue.’
Both young women’s procedures went smoothly. But back in the ward, a drowsy Anna complained of pain.
‘A nurse then gave her an intravenous injection of OxyContin. In minutes, Anna was cold and clammy. Her blood pressure plummeted and all the alarms on the machine she was hooked up to went off. It was terrifying. Her surgeon and anaesthetist had already left the day hospital, but I found a theatre nurse, who said Anna had been given OxyContin before she left the theatre. She’d been given a double dose. It took two hours for her pulse to get above 40 (normal is 60 to 100 beats a minute) and for the alarms to stop.
Esta historia es de la edición September/October 2023 de Fairlady.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September/October 2023 de Fairlady.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Easter with edge
Grant knows what it's like to miss out on the celebrations that anchor family life.
The MALE bias
Historically, medical studies were mainly done on male mice and on men; and then extrapolated to treat women, as if a female body were just a smaller version of a male one. Here’s why that doesn’t make sense, and how to work with your body’s natural rhythm for better health.
Wellbeing
How to sleep better, feel better and look better!
The other type of CHEATING
Lies about money can have devastating consequences in a relationship.
THE 'PEST' IN PESTICIDES
oe r Despite many highly Hs hazardous pesticides being banned in their countries of origin, 192 of them are still legally exported to South Africa
START A BUSINESS LIKE a Saffer
There's nothing quite like a South African entrepreneur. In the face of adversity, they innovate and persevere. But what fuels that determination? We chatted to some self-starters to find out.
How to take the MONOTONY OUT OF MONOGAMY
It's easy to get complacent in a long-term relationship. Before you know it, your partner is little more than your roommate. Here's how to shake things up.
SUPER TROUPER
At one point, Josie Borain was the most famous model in the world. Her face was on every magazine that mattered. And in the madness of all that attention, she never lost her sense of self. She talks to us about turning 60, being single, and starting her third act with a move to the platteland.
Little wonder
Over the years we have visited 16 Greek islands, but when we first set foot on Halki, the little-known gem just south of Rhodes, we knew we'd found the closest thing to the perfect one. And we vowed to return. Often.
HOME AFFAIRS
These three entrepreneurs are redefining the heartbeat of homes through their unique blend of creativity, sustainability and purposeful design.