Too much knowledge a bad thing?

[VOsRose]

I know this may sound naive, as I am a seasoned addict...13 years now and too many w/d's to count, but...last April I went into an in-patient detox and had a hell of a time w/d.  I was taking a huge amount of Lortab 10s per day and, basically, my withdrawal was equal to c/t heroin withdrawal.  I was soooooo weak after 7 days of detox.  I began throwing up on day 2 and that continued solidly for almost 3 days and then the fog started lifting.  Still, I was in the hospital for 7 full days and then, when I came home, I was still so weak I could hardly function.  Taking a shower took 30 minutes of psyching myself up...raising my arms to wash my hair was sheer torture and wore me out to the point that I'd have to lay down for an hour or so to get my strength back.  Needless to say, getting dressed for the day took me all morning...

During this time, I was very frustrated by this.  I figured this weakness and extreme fatigue had to be because I had been so sick and hadn't eaten in over a week and was completely dehydrated, as I still had absolutely no appetite and had to force myself to sip water, which was all I could stand to drink.  I started forcing myself to do things and eat...I couldn't eat much and nothing tasted good, but I tried to eat every hour.  I pushed myself...cleaned house, drove my daughter to school (even though I felt like I was driving drunk) and anything else I could do.  Within a couple of weeks I was feeling well enough to travel across the country with my husband...

My point is this...prior to finding this website I had never heard of PAWS.  I had NO IDEA about it.  If I had, I'm sure I would have figured that was it and not fought it as hard as I did.  I can't believe that nobody in the hospital, patient or nurse/counselors/doctor told me about it.  But...I'm thinking it's probably good I didn't know at the time...I think NOT knowing was probably better for me.  And...I find myself wondering if I'm going to have PAWS this time and dreading it, because, to me, it was WAY worse than the withdrawals.  At least in the withdrawals I was too sick to care that I felt so weak and unable to do anything.  Once that sickness was over, I was eager to get back on track with my life and very determined to get past that "malnourishment" that was making me so weak.  

I may be rambling...I'm tired and that was just a thought that occured to me tonight.  Can anyone else relate?

Peace, guys...

[worried878]

now u r armed with more ammo///info///to fight with...you will get it done this time...someone posted relapse is part of the process..it is not an event/avis I think

[Lsufan3103]

I actually had started PAWS before I started quitting and then about a month after when I went c/t. But now that I have quit using suboxone, I haven't gotten them at all. I don't know if its the amino acids that I'm taking or that I used suboxone but I haven't gotten it yet.

[GoingToMakeIt]

PAWS seems to have a mind of it's own.LOL

[VOsRose]

Don't get me wrong...I usually ARM myself with information...too much, in fact.  Except when it has come to detox.  I just always went with it.  Frankly, each time I quit or went into a detox facility, I just made my mind up that day and went and checked in.  Kind of strange, really.  I never did much research prior.  I just don't know...I think I may have tried to do what the literature said to do, I just don't know if I would have fought it with the same intensity I did not knowing what I was fighting, really.  

By the way...that was the first time I had ever experienced PAWS and about the 4th "official" detox and had gone through some degree of withdrawal on my own too many times to count...I wonder if the PAWS gets worse with each w/d?  

[worried878]

knowing why i feel the way i feel helps me try to get a grip on it...knowledge is the source of any improvements i make...glad u found this info on your own at least...keep posting

[GoingToMakeIt]

To me, knowledge helped me fight it. I took it serous and did all I could do to fight PAWS when it did hit. It does not hit everybody.