Bartlett Regional | House Calls | Spring 2018

10 House Calls Spring 2018 Her successful recovery from opioid addiction Juneau resident Joanne Dixon, 66, is one of the 2 million Americans with an opioid misuse disorder. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 115 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. Forty percent of all U.S. opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid. Despite chronic pain in her knees and lower back, Joanne no longer takes drugs containing opioids. Her journey to recovery is a successful one. Opioid dependency “I didn’t want to live from pill time to pill time anymore,” Joanne says. “So I started my detox. The last pill I took was Nov. 15, 2017.” Joanne became addicted after she was injured while moving boxes more than 20 years ago. Then she moved down south, where she was prescribed everything from oxycodone to morphine. Late last year, she moved back to Juneau to be with her daughter, Shannon. Joanne was also on a personal mission—to get off opioids once and for all. “It’s just like in the movies,” Joanne says. “You are jittery or ‘sketchy’ as I call it, and it feels like all your nerve endings are firing at the same time—randomly. You ache. You’re extremely nauseated nearly all the time. You’re just really, really sick.” Joanne knew if she missed a dose of opioids that she would start to feel sick. And she understands how opioid abuse has become a national crisis. “I was on so many opioids that I felt the essence of who I was going away. You feel really hot on the inside. I felt like from the shoulders down I was melting.” “My mom is a very strong and stoic woman, as a result of the cumulative effect of emotional trauma—life changes, loss and grief,” Shannon says. “Add medical crises to these and it all became too much for her to deal with by herself.” When Joanne became dehydrated, Shannon took her to the emergency department at Bartlett Regional Hospital. They were impressed with the care they received—from the nurses who came out and helped Joanne out of the car to the doctor who treated her. “They assessed the situation and they immediately took control, so we both felt safe. They were all super professional and proficient,” recalls Shannon. “But what impressed us especially was the real, human element—this element of dignity and care.” In caring hands Then they met Claire Geldhof, RN, Nurse Case Manager. For Joanne, meeting with Claire was a turning point on her journey to recovery. “Claire is a magnificent human being and very good at her job,” Shannon says. “At one point, my mom felt like she could get herself to Bartlett. She went in and was feeling very hopeless and discouraged. journey Joanne’s READY TO HELP: Claire Geldhof, RN, Nurse Case Manager, helps patients like Joanne Dixon navigate health care.