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t m c » p u l s e | j u ly 2 0 1 6 28 By Shanley Chien W ith the growing public concern about the opioid addiction epidemic, news of music icon Prince's death by fentanyl overdose in April added to the nation's increasing death toll by prescription painkillers and fueled even more discussion around this ongoing problem. For 64-year-old John Bell, a retired database archi- tect and former Special Forces medic, the nation's opioid addiction epidemic is an issue that is all too familiar to him. In February 2011, Bell underwent a total knee replacement. Because of a previous cervical lam- inectomy—a surgical operation performed at the back of the neck to relieve pressure on the spinal cord—his neck was damaged during intubation while preparing for the surgery. "Since I was on the pain medication for five months after the operation, I didn't realize my neck was damaged. It slowly progressed and spiraled downwards to the point where I couldn't work," Bell said. Bell was prescribed hydrocodone and Soma, a muscle relaxant that blocks pain signals between the nerves and the brain, but—like the 1.9 million Americans who had a substance use disorder with prescription painkillers in 2014, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine—he quickly developed an addiction to his painkillers. "Sure, I was a lightweight," Bell said. "I didn't chase it on the street or anything like that. A lot of I was just in a different world. It really hurt. You don't realize the hyperalgesia is eventually taking over. "I like to beat myself up over it, but I have to give myself a little grace," he added. "I didn't know. If I have another operation, I'm not going to take the pain medication longer than I have to." Bell, who recently celebrated two years of sobri- ety, helps fellow recovering addicts at Memorial Hermann's Prevention and Recovery Center (PaRC) and sponsors five individuals. Although his life took an unexpected turn because of his addiction to opioids, he said his recovery at PaRC helped him regain his freedom from the deep hold the drugs had on him. "It was one of these journeys that I didn't expect to have. I [was at] a six," Bell said of his level of pain. "To be at a zero today and be free, that's huge." * * * * * F I N A L I N A T H R E E - PA R T S E R I E S O N O P I O I D A D D I C T I O N THE NATIONAL OPIOID ADDICTION CRISIS PROMPTS SURGEONS TO INNOVATE PERIOPERATIVE CARE TO REDUCE OPIOID USE IN THE OPERATING ROOM AND BEYOND O p i T Ng O uT It was one of these journeys that I didn't expect to have. I [was at] a six. To be at a zero today and be free, that's huge. — JOHN BELL Memorial Hermann Prevention and Recovery Center Patient people do and it's unfortunate. I didn't doctor shop, but still, I was dependent on the medication." His hydrocodone and Soma regimen provided a temporary quick fix, but he soon found that his pain was escalating due to opioid-induced hyperalgesia, a condition in which people experience heightened sensitivity and painful responses to certain stimuli. It was then that he realized his addiction had finally come to a head. "When my fingers didn't work and I couldn't get off the floor, I thought life was over. Going to the store just four blocks away was a big deal," he said. "I couldn't concentrate on anyone saying 'hello.'