Tom Reynolds
that the patient had constipation. It was only as we were wheeling him out of his front door that he mentioned that he had diverticulitis – a medical condition that can cause exactly the type of pain he was describing. At least he mentioned it to us rather than waiting and telling the nurses, making us look like fools, something that happens with some regularity (they’ll then go on to tell the doctors something additional, thereby making the nurses look bad).
A Warning Dear Opiate Addict, Just a quick letter to give you a warning – especially if you are in the east London area (although I do not know how far the distribution of drugs stretches). It appears that there is a batch of illegal opiates on the streets of east London. What is unusual about this particular batch is that I believe it to be cut with a little less chalk/rat poison/talcum powder than usual. I can tell you this because my friends and I have come across a number of regular users of these substances who have overdosed. Signs of an overdose include a reduced desire to breathe, purplish lips and ending up being buried in a cemetery in a wooden box called a coffin. As a suggestion – if you desire to inject/smoke opiate-based drugs, try a little less than you normally use, and make sure that there is someone ‘straight’ to watch over you. If your rate of breathing drops below ten breaths a minute they should call for an ambulance. Tell the caller not to worry, the ambulance service and the hospitals don’t involve the police. If they wish, just ask them to leave the door open before they run away. A note pinned to your chest may also be useful. Try not to vomit. It just makes a mess. I would also ask that when we revive you, try not to attack the ambulance crew for ‘ruining the buzz’ – trust me, we only do this if 86