Not like yesterday! sings Bif Naked. That might be one apt title for my synaptic gaps and changeups in Always Breathe my first real “indie” book, a better way to approach an auto-fiction or an autobiography. I made the choice when two years ago I nearly lost my autobio, to graph here there or anywhere. There is a great fear of opioids, and not enough understanding about how they reduce pain and suffering.
DIGRESSION: FEATURED IMAGE
The image to the right is by Murray Toews a friend and frequent collaborator in Winnipeg. Throughout these blog posts up to my Always Breathe launch on April 3, 2025, I will develop the story, most likely not included in the 186 pages crisply printed by Friesens, and talk about how the 186 page book was made. It’s a good story, and encourages everyone to buy a copy for themselves because it is a “blistering candid memoir,” a blurb by Armin Wiebe who has read the book from A to Z. . More about Armin when I post his full blurb from the back cover. Oh, yes, that is me pictured, in one of many different representations by Murray Toews.
There are new “ists” entering medical parlance, like “hospitalist” which serves as a General Practitioner working g in hospitals because we don’t have enough general practitioners to keep them without using capital letters, and they are needed to write a certain degree of prescriptions. Then we have “addictionists”somebody, usually in a hospital, with the thankless job of supervising the prescriptions and use of opioids and other such like medicines, with the lovely “other duties as assigned” (yes I made that up) to treat patients who take opioids for pain management, and are not to be considered addicts. Try getting others, even doctors to believe I use opioids to manage my pain. Still, the addictionists are charged with the responsibility of reducing the number of opioid users in BC, which counts one less user whether dead or alive. No I haven’t checked yet if the fact is true, but it stands to reason, especially what passes for reasonality in my woods. But think about it. You are treating one addict, who stays clear for a year; You treat an addict who dies in ICU without a DNR soon after admission. One less addict. two less addicts, though the good news story is 50% treated successfully, but 100% stopped using.
I still take opioids for severe pain. There are some now choosing Medical Assistance in Death or is it dying. instead. Either way you stop breathing. I was within a hair-breaths of dying by accident. Poorly {press robed, spell check mistake} prescribed, unsupervised, first dose of Methadone because my addictions used only one treatment. Switch to methadone or I don’t treat you. Well, with that choice after losing my GP and none to one had at a moment’s notice, its was my only choice. Thankfully my wife noticed I had nearly stopped breathing and was “unresponsive” thankfully with our publicly funded health system, they came and rescued me, but the story was just beginning. The book was already called Always Breathe, after the close call, and a reminder that the health professionals at all levels in ICU for six days did not think I would pull through. They also told my wife, that with the initial loss of oxygen, they were not guaranteeing what a Victor Michelle would get back. Many days I am reminded that time slips away, and there are jokes in the book Always Breathe my biological clock is running out.