shock
This morning I was at work when my phone started vibrating. Caller ID showed an unfamiliar number. The voice on the other end didn't enunciate particularly well, so at first I thought I heard him wrong. He was a policeman in Alabama. This could only be about one thing, and I knew it, but still, he had to repeat it a couple times before it registered ..."Your sister passed." I just couldn't believe it. He asked for my address and my mom's phone number.
While I was on the phone with the policeman, my sister's ex husband left me a voicemail. I called him back and he told me he was driving down to Mobile, where Melanie was.
My hands were shaking. I guess she's the closest person to me to ever die. I sat down at my desk and found myself needing to take deep breaths and unable to focus on my work. I spoke with my boss and he kindly encouraged me to go home. So I took my laptop (intending to do some work from home) and left.
Once at home, I got a call from a "Jennifer" who told me she was Melanie's best friend. She wanted to talk...but couldn't then. I told her I'd call her in the evening.
My parents came over. At one point, an eye place called saying Melanie was an organ donor and asking for permission to give someone her corneas. They ended up deciding not to use them after learning more of her medical history. We also found out her body was being autopsied and hopefully tomorrow we will learn the results of that. From Jennifer we learned that Melanie had been to a pain specialist for severe back pain and been prescribed Methadone, which she started Saturday. Apparently she overdosed on that. She also had other health problems...asthma, kidney trouble.
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT DOCTOR THINKING PRESCRIBING AN ALREADY UNHEALTHY PERSON SUCH A DANGEROUS DRUG?!?! WTF. WTF. I'm extremely eager to learn the results of the autopsy....*taking deep breaths* SO MANY people die from methadone overdoses. I personally feel that it should only be administered in a hospital under close supervision of a doctor.
While I was on the phone with the policeman, my sister's ex husband left me a voicemail. I called him back and he told me he was driving down to Mobile, where Melanie was.
My hands were shaking. I guess she's the closest person to me to ever die. I sat down at my desk and found myself needing to take deep breaths and unable to focus on my work. I spoke with my boss and he kindly encouraged me to go home. So I took my laptop (intending to do some work from home) and left.
Once at home, I got a call from a "Jennifer" who told me she was Melanie's best friend. She wanted to talk...but couldn't then. I told her I'd call her in the evening.
My parents came over. At one point, an eye place called saying Melanie was an organ donor and asking for permission to give someone her corneas. They ended up deciding not to use them after learning more of her medical history. We also found out her body was being autopsied and hopefully tomorrow we will learn the results of that. From Jennifer we learned that Melanie had been to a pain specialist for severe back pain and been prescribed Methadone, which she started Saturday. Apparently she overdosed on that. She also had other health problems...asthma, kidney trouble.
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT DOCTOR THINKING PRESCRIBING AN ALREADY UNHEALTHY PERSON SUCH A DANGEROUS DRUG?!?! WTF. WTF. I'm extremely eager to learn the results of the autopsy....*taking deep breaths* SO MANY people die from methadone overdoses. I personally feel that it should only be administered in a hospital under close supervision of a doctor.