Morphine withdrawl

[cwokie]

My son,24 years old, a tough ice hockey player and in his first year of law school, had to have his colon removed after a severe bout of Ulcerative Colitis and his colon perforating. He now has a temporary ileostomy bag. He spent a total of 36 days in the hospital and was on morphine for almost 2 months. He has been off morphine for a couple of weeks and used Norco for the last 2 weeks and is not using any pain meds now. He has been very depressed since his operation, over 8 weeks ago. I felt I could understand the depression while in a hospital room for a month, but he has been home for over a month and his depression seems to be worse. He keeps asking why this happened to him and I tell him I don't know why, but that it really doesn't matter and he needs to accept what has happened. He refuses to learn how to change his ileostomy bag. Finally talked him into getting professional counseling, but cant get an appointment for almost a month with the recommended doctor. Any thoughts on what we can do while waiting for an appointment?

[msdelight]

I completely disagree. The depression your son is experiencing is all about the ostomy bag. His body image is shattered, especially devastating if you are a young person. The fact that it is temporary is lost on him. All he knows is that right now he feels unattractive, disgusting and smelly, and too embarrassed to be with a girl. It likely has nothing to do with morphine. Get him into counciling asap, and keep reinforcing the temporary nature of the ostomy. TLC and encouragement. Best of luck to you both.

[CRSeaside]

Contact NAMI & DBSA. Free support groups for him. In person or online. Plus they offer friends and family support groups.
  Some psychiatrists will take you in sooner if you pay upfront & get your reimbursable $ back later.
  He's experiencing the depression as a result of the opioid withdrawls. It is serious and he will need love and extra attention during this time.
  The Pdoc may give him Wellbutrin. It's a good antidepressant IMO.
  Natural supplements from Heath food store help too. Long Epsom salt baths. Plenty of bananas for extra potassium.
  Exercise will kick start the feel good chemicals in the brain. Is he up for a hike yet? Yoga. Meditation. Help a lot.  Blessings & the best to you. Maxy

[aba3_29_90]

I'm 24 and I have a dependency to morphine, I was off it for about a week ,I was very depressed and all i thought about was suicide. ! I have a long history with suicide but before i let it get to that point ,I seeked help before i acted on it..I'm really sorry he is going threw this ! Just keep giving him support and watch for any unusual behavior