College student and w/d :(

[fighting16]

I am a new member as of a few days ago, and have been touched in so many ways with people's stories and the responses you guys have provided.  

Well here is my story in a nut shell...

I am a senior in college and am about to graduation in 3 weeks to move onto professional school!!  However..something horrid, terrible, daunting is effecting my everyday life right now...that is the withdraw I am experiencing from oxy.  In Dec of 2007 i was in a car accident and injured my back pretty bad, which ultimately ended in me getting surgery.  I was never prescribed oxy, but was given mild pain killers.  After time, and several months of physical therapy I was feeling much better.  After a sudden fall, the back pain came back.  Over the past 3 months, I have been abusing oxy.  Before I decided to quit, I was up to around 160mg daily (probably for only a week or so)  Nevertheless, it was the months of tolerance I built up.  Now, as I am preparing to graduate, I am experiencing HELL!  As you can see, its 4:50AM in the morning.  I am on day 5 of being clear, and am starting to actually feel a little better.  I been in bed for the last 3 days, havnt gone to any classes, and really just feel worthless.  I am fighting, and am not going to give up on this.  I have worked so hard to earn a 3.6 GPA, and cant destroy it now.  

I need your help guys, this is a place where I feel safe and can communicate with people who are going through the exact same things!  My strongest w/d symptom right now would have to be a constant fever, and the inability to sleep.  You know what is funny though?  As I am writing this, I am starting to feel better, and maybe possibly shut my eyes for a little bit and make it to my 8:30AM class in the morning!  

All in all, what do it do!  I have family local (20 min away) that have been the absolute BEST to me my whole life.  My mom would be destroyed if she knew about my problems.  I know in the end though she would always be there for me, but I want to see if I have the self control to do it on my own.  I am getting through it as of now (day 5 clean, going on day 6), and also reading this forum daily.  I usually try to read this site for about 30 min a day to substitute for any sort of NA meetings.  

The support on here is ridiculous!  I love it!  I really cant stop reading peoples stories and the help they are receiving.  

So I guess my question to all of you is, how do I help myself get through this on my own?  I know I can do it.  I am a very self driven person, with a great eye to succeed.  As this last 3 weeks of school dwindles down, I NEED to be active and participate in classes, and do well on my finals.  I know if my finals were next week I would fail all of them.  

To my new friends on this forum, please provide me any suggestion to help myself in this recovery process.  Thank you SO much!

-Z

[refusingbondage]

Cold sweats and cold feet and insomnia are all par for the course. Very typical withdrawal symptoms..  Day 6 and you should be turning a corner really soon.  Congrats - you are doing great!  It gets better and once it does you will be amazed at how good you feel.

[fighting16]

Thanks for the responses...I have cold sweats during the night (for the few hours I am able to sleep).  Also, really really cold feet.  I have no idea whats going on!  I am still going through my first week of soberness (day 6), so I hope these go away soon.  

-Z

[refusingbondage]

Hey there... I always have had fevers during withdrawal.  Usually low grade 99-100.  I dont know if its common/normal but I definitely had fevers for at least the first week of any detox, longer with sub.  Any other symptoms?  (other than withdrawal??).. it of course does not hurt at all to talk to a doctor.  

[road2recovery]

I have only heard a few times here where someone has had a fever...I did not..Sometimes these things mask something we can have, and we don't know because of all the tylenol, etc...If i were you, i would go to the doctor just to be sure...You are doing great!!!  
r2r

[fighting16]

Hey guys, i have a quick question...

Is a constant fever normal with w/d?  I have seem to have a 99-100 (sometimes up to 100.5-101) fever the last 3-4 days.  Thanks!

-Z

[fighting16]

THANK YOU AGAIN EVERYONE!  Wow you guys are so great.  I just got back from a 20 min walk/run which felt really good.  I was a division I lacrosse player for two years, and was forced to quit with a wrist injury, so I really want to use my athleticism to aid me in my recovery.  I really think this is going to start to help me!!  

Again thank you so much!  I appreciate everything with all my heart with this horrid recovery.

-Z

[flmagi]

Big Congrats to you. It's great to hear when people decide to get out of the heII before it takes everything away from them. You'll now have the future you have been working so hard for. Hopefully you'll never know how close you came to loosing it all.
Exercise and plenty of fluids, make sure you're getting some vitamins in you, especially proteins and Amino Acids. You can try some over the counter sleep aids, but be careful and take them early enough, because they can make you foggy the next day( not good for studying). Look up in the health pages and read about The Thomas Recipe and Amino Acid Protocol, maybe try some of/ or all of those suggestions.
Keep your mind busy and tire your body out during the day so you can get as much sleep as possible.
When you start getting cravings, move, get out, do something or post on this forum. you also need to disconnect yourself from any of your drug sources. You may feel strong now, but when the cravings hit......it's really hard.
Stay strong, post often and good luck with your finals.

[fighting16]

one more thing here....something that has helped me SO much is music.  I grew up listening/playing music and its honestly a safe haven for me right now.  Just a thought for anyone else trying to find ways to feel better!  Try listening to music!  

-Z

[fighting16]

Thank you guys sooo much!  This honestly brings me to tears knowing i have people here with me and people going through the same thing!  Im fighting and staying stong!  I will keep you guys updated on my status!  ahhh this is great and its making me feel better already!!  

-Z

[ginsa]

Way to go! You seem like a very determined person. That's a real plus. You realized you needed to quit before using ruined your life. Any time a person decides to quit using is a good time. All of the things you have going on now and are looking forward to are a real plus. Continuing to go to class will give you something to focus on. That's really important to getting through the awful mental symptoms of withdrawl. You probably feel better writing and posting because it focuses your mental energy on the positive. Feel really good about your decision to quit. You are probably over the worst of the physical wd now, but you really do need to prepare for the mental rebound. Finding support from others who share your struggle is so important. Find a NA meeting, keep posting here. Let us know how things are progressing for you. It's really gratifying to see others succeed. Keep up the good work!

[refusingbondage]

Congrats on 5 going on 6 days!  The above posts are right on.  At day 6 you are over the worst of it.. the physical will begin to melllow out now.. Definitely stay as busy as you can - class, exercise, etc.  Hopefully by tonight you will be able to get a few hours sleep.  Try maybe behadryl -- others swear by the natural stuff (melatonin or valerian root).  You should be so proud of yourself for coming to these realizations now and dealing with it now-- way to go.  Aftercare is really important - you should start thinking about how your going to stay clean.  As hard as withdrawal is, staying clean is much harder then getting clean.  Best of luck to you and take care.. oh and good luck on your last few weeks in school!

[worried878]

5 days is great!  over the hump...support is so so so important for long term recovery...meetings help lots of people especially in the beginning...be sure to hold onto a plan to stay clean...staying clean is the hard part of this addiction thing...keep moving forward and try hard not to move backward...hope u keep posting

[beatingthis]

You are on your 5 th day!!! Congrads. Just a few more. Maybe 1 or 2 and the physical w/d's will be over. You are over 1/2 way there.
Hang in there. Can you go for a walk, do some type of moving. Going to class is a good way to keep your mind busy.

Really hang tuff!!

Terry