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What it’s like to experience a drug overdose when you have kids #GettheMostOutofLife

It was a Tuesday afternoon at the beginning of April 2014. I had been hospitalized with serious health issues for the previous eight days. I had been given a new dose of medication and sent home for a few days until the first of several medical procedures to come. I was excited to be heading home unexpectedly to see my family after several days apart. As my dad drove me home I started feeling a little shortness of breath but figured it was just from the excitement of going home and seeing my family whom I missed dearly. As the afternoon progressed my shortness of breath grew more noticeable, as did my fatigue.

The kids were over the moon to see me after several days apart. The floor I was admitted to in the hospital had a no children policy, making evening visits nearly impossible. My husband was excited to have me home but weary when he felt something did not look right. He asked me several times if I felt like I was ready to be home and if my chief doctor knew I had been temporarily discharged.

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We put the kids to bed. I cuddled with them, kissed their foreheads and tucked them into bed. The day must have really caught up to me, I felt, as my breathing felt more laboured and I felt downright exhausted. As soon as we put the kids to sleep I asked my husband to run out to Shoppers Drug Mart and pick up my new prescription. Thankfully it was under a two minute drive away. He gave me a look of concern then told me to rest and he’d be back before I knew it. 

Once he got to the pharmacy, our incredible pharmacist Helen took a look at the prescription and told him something did not look right. Would he mind getting me on the phone so she could ask me some questions. When my husband called back with Helen, I started answering her questions about my recent health diagnosis and other medications I was taking. All of a sudden I told her, “Helen, I can’t breathe, tell my husband to come home please,” and I hung up. I texted him “911”. I don’t remember too well what happened after that. I remember it being nearly impossible to draw a breath, feeling like I was blanking out and a fear that I might not see my children again. My husband raced home, got me to the hospital at the speed of lightening and eventually everything ended well. It turns out I had a drug overdose.

The next day, Helen called us to make sure I was okay. She was concerned about my health and worried about the way my husband darted out of the store. She went above and beyond to follow up with us, to take time to ask questions that ultimately led me discover I had experienced a drug overdose. That’s right. As a thirty year old mother of two, I had a drug overdose. The unintentional legal drug kind, but an overdose nonetheless.

Helen will forever remain a Godsend for me. Her kindness and care go above and beyond her job outline. Since that day last March, she continues to ask my husband how I am doing, take time to come over and speak to me when I’m shopping at Shoppers Drug Mart and play a critical role in my healthcare. Doctors and nurses play important roles in our healthcare but the role of a great pharmacist is never to be underestimated. Helen has won our allegiance to Shoppers Drug Mart for life. She exemplifies a passion for her job and that speaks more to me about a brand I have trusted for decades than any ad campaign could ever do.

This is only one of the reasons why I am honoured to be a Shoppers Drug Mart Ambassador for the month of April. Shoppers is having a tweet chat on April 22nd from 12-1 EST and I really hope you can join us. We’ll be talking about oral health and you will have a chance to win some great prizes.

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In case you missed it, you can win an awesome $50 Shoppers Life Brand Prize pack every three days this month!! You will not want to miss out on this one. Simply follow this link and enter for your chance to win. 

I will forever be grateful to Helen and the staff at my local Shoppers Drug Mart for going above and beyond in their commitment to excellence.

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29 Comments

  1. Having a great pharmacist on your team is a blessing. […] We also have the kind of relationship that you are lucky enough to have found. Our pharmacy goes above and beyond and with my little ones history of health problems we are grateful for the personal and professional care.

  2. That is so scary! I can’t imagine the panic you must have felt, thank God for Helen. What an amazing pharmacist. I don’t think pharmacists get enough credit, they do so much for us. I had a close relationship with mine in my previous town, and he was always looking out for me and reactions I could have with my thyroid medications.

  3. That is an amazing and scary story all at once. To think that someone who barely knows you had that much care and concern for you is great.

  4. What a scary story! It’s so great that Helen was there to help you guys through that. That kind of pharmacist is such a blessing!

  5. Wow what a story! Helen seems like a fantastic woman! I can’t believe you experienced a drug overdose! How scary. But thank you for sharing your story.

  6. That must have been so scary. Thanks for sharing your story to help others avoid the same situation. Thank goodness for Helen!

  7. Such perfect timing that she had you call home when she did. I’m glad she took the extra step of caring, and glad too that you have a happy ending!

  8. I have a great pharmacist. He has been a huge help to me when picking out medicines that are okay to take with my medicine. He even caught a prescription i was given that i was allergic to.

  9. Oh my! How scary. Thank goodness that the pharmacist noticed something wrong. Some people really go above in their jobs and are surely appreciated.

  10. Oh my. I am so glad to hear that you are alive and well. Whenever I’m prescribed medications I ask 532 questions and must annoy everyone around me but I don’t care. I’ve heard about stories like yours (that don;t turn out the same) and I don’t want to be another statistic.

    Besos, Sarah
    Journeys of The Zoo

  11. What a scary story! Glad it had a happy ending and you’re doing well! I have a chronic illness and I am forever asking ‘is this ok to take with that’ kind of questions. The Pharmacists here are awesome and patient with my million questions!

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