Paula’s life changed after her car accident.
Her injuries in the accident left her with permanent health issues and chronic pain. To help manage her pain, Paula was prescribed a narcotic pain medication. She became dependent on the medication, and over time her dependence on the drugs increased.
“Eventually, my doctors stopped prescribing the pain medication. Without it, I was physically sick, extremely anxious, and still in pain. I couldn’t get out of bed or function normally,” said Paula. “I was desperate to not feel the withdrawals, as I still needed to work and take care of my family.”
Paula turned to heroin and other drugs to avoid withdrawals and ease the pain she was experiencing. After several years, she sought treatment at Integrations Wellness & Recovery Center in Hutchinson, where GRH provider Jake Traxler, MD, serves as the medical director.
“I’m so grateful to have met Dr. Traxler,” said Paula. “He truly understands addiction and is non-judgmental. This is so important to me, because many people judge you and think you are a bad person because you struggle with addiction. His nurses are also very caring, friendly, and non-judgmental. This means so much to me.”
After she began receiving treatment at Glencoe Regional Health in June of 2022, Dr. Traxler helped Paula begin taking Suboxone, a brand of buprenorphine which is used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). Learn more here. Suboxone can help patients gently ease out of withdrawal symptoms and reduce the physical dependency on opioids, along with reducing the likelihood of a patient overdosing if they do relapse while using Suboxone.
“The Suboxone helped me feel normal again, and like my old self,” said Paula. “I’ve been able to get back to living a productive life because of this medication and support I’ve received.”
After receiving treatment, Paula began to slowly rebuild her life.
“When I started treatment, my family was separated, I was jobless, and I was homeless,” said Paula. “I’ve been in recovery for 16 months now, and have not relapsed. My family is back together, I’m working, and I have my own home again. I’ve had a life-changing experience and would definitely recommend that others reach out if they need help.”
Individuals seeking help with an opioid addiction may schedule an appointment with Dr. Traxler by calling us at 320-864-7618. Patients in active withdrawal may also visit our Emergency Department for care before seeing us in our clinic setting.
“I have my life back because of this program,” said Paula. “I can’t say enough good things about this program and the staff. I am so thankful I found Dr. Traxler, his team, and Glencoe Regional Health.”
