babynoz said:

i want to blame everyone around him but to be honest we all know how Prince was. If doctor was showing up without his knowledge the next day, who's to say Prince wouldnt have refused to meet with him or turned him away? sadly, it's Prince who apparently needed medical help months and months ago and it looks like he never sought it out.

friend2001 said:

friend2001 said:

i want to blame everyone around him but to be honest we all know how Prince was. If doctor was showing up without his knowledge the next day, who's to say Prince wouldnt have refused to meet with him or turned him away? sadly, it's Prince who apparently needed medical help months and months ago and it looks like he never sought it out.

.

Yes he did...from some of the other reports, he saw a Dr the day before he died and was already in some kind of outpatient treatment program. But it just wasn't enough, apparently. I'm not saying he wasn't thickheaded about it, but I don't think it's true that he didn't get any medical help at all. But it was clearly too little, too late. He should have taken it more seriously, most likely. maybe it wouldn't have made a difference and saved him, but clearly would have greatly increased the chances of saving him.

[Edited 5/4/16 0:18am]

morningsong said:

jtfolden said:

Hey, I'd like to hear all the details and excuses myself but whether we get it or not is another matter.

However, we've heard for years and years that Prince has surrounded himself with "yes men" more and more... People who stand up to him get sent packing, etc... We, also, don't know Prince's frame of mind on the issue. He might have been in denial and his reps were acting on his best interests in spite of him - just way too damn late.

Given alll of this is too damned late. It's been said already but he dies folks are out of a job anyway, I don't know how big of a yes man you got to be but uh seems like a good enough motivation to push back.

...and yet it would seem not, because no one stayed with him and now he's gone... It's not like the emergency plane landing could have been the first sign, either. This has obviously been going on for ages and ages with nothing being seriously done... least of all by Prince. Yes men by definition don't tend to think or act for themselves. However, they did finally do something and we may not know all the reasons why it played out as badly as it did.

morningsong said:

friend2001 said:

i want to blame everyone around him but to be honest we all know how Prince was. If doctor was showing up without his knowledge the next day, who's to say Prince wouldnt have refused to meet with him or turned him away? sadly, it's Prince who apparently needed medical help months and months ago and it looks like he never sought it out.

Oh nobody's negating his role. He might have went, looks like he was trying. But lots of people go thru this and survive because others step in.

Most of us appreciate that P could get very ornery but I would have hoped that somebody would stick their neck out or at the very least get hold of somebody who could reason with him.

FunkiestOne said:

.

Yes he did...from some of the other reports, he saw a Dr the day before he died and was already in some kind of outpatient treatment program.

[Edited 5/4/16 0:18am]

I think it's possible the Dr he saw the day before was done because of the request by Kornfeld.

...and the rumor of outpatient treatment could have been the twisted truth of what was transpiring that final week as opposed to anything that happened before then. Purely conjecture of course...

We realize that it's all shoulda, coulda, woulda but when it's clear that this tragedy was so preventable it's just cringeworthy and sad.

He was concerned/sick enough to get help but was still trying to put on the brave face by going bike riding and throwing a party FFS.

I can't begin to imagine what P was going through, an absolutely tragic and unecessary death.

I blame whoever was writing the prescriptions, and/or providing him with the drugs.

Awful, awful news, I'm just too sad for words really.

morningsong said:

babynoz said:

He never should have left the hospital in Moline in the first place.

To know that was the warning shot.

I tell ya,

I was in church Sunday and before the sermon the Priest suddenly announced that he had no intention of preaching about the lesson in the bulletin. He said that he wanted to talk about the leper who couldn't get himself into the healing waters because he had no help. Then he talked about a wonderful woman he knew who was the rock that everybody depended on for help, but when she fell ill she was too independent and prideful to let anybody help her and died alone.

He admonished us that you have to be willing to let others in when you are in need.

Guess who's the first person I thought of?

MissMarySharon said:

I can't begin to imagine what P was going through, an absolutely tragic and unecessary death.

I blame whoever was writing the prescriptions, and/or providing him with the drugs.

Awful, awful news, I'm just too sad for words really.

I was wondering how he was getting the Rx filled because Walgreens don't play that. They told me I had to come back later so they could call my Dr. and check the database even though my first script lasted me over a year.

Then I remembered reading that people sometimes get multiple Rx under different names.

Also my pain is mild to moderate with only occasional flare ups in severity but his was chronic and more severe than mine. My heart goes out to him suffering like that.

so tragic and sad He knew he had a problem and tried to get help.

firebird319 said:

Selena4641 said:

I have a feeling that Prince passed due to being an addict. I know this because I was one too. It's called a functioning addict. To make my long story short, I'm a retired Mortician. I'm 5'2, weigh 115 pounds. My work caused me horrible back pain. My Dr. Started me on 4 Percocet 10 mg a day. Well after a few years, I decided I didn't want to take them anymore. I found out real quick what withdrawal was. withdrawal is like the Flu, but every nerve in your body is on fire. You will, puke and shit at the same time, you will be hot one minute and cold the next, your legs are restless. I wouldn't wish withdrawal on my worst enemy. Anyway, I started buying pills because I quit seeing my doctor. No one in my family had no idea I was buying and taking pills. That's why it's called a functioning addict. After 4 years of this, I heard of a medicine called Suboxone. Its a life saver. You take Suboxone until the doctor weens you off slowly. I was on it for 2 years. Everyone thinks that all addicts are like you see on tv, dirty, disheveled, stoned and begging people for money for drugs. Functioning addicts aren't like that. My family were in disbelief when I told them about why I was going to a Suboxone Doctor. I knew that Prince was probably hooked on something when I heard the news about the Narcan shot. I lost several of the people I used to buy pills from due to them overdosing. Prince was probably like me, he didn't take the pills to get fucked up and stoned, he took them for pain, and probably couldn't stand the agony of withdrawal. I bet when he got the Narcan shot, it threw him into withdrawal. He probably stopped his withdrawal by taking the pills again, and sadly overdosed. I don't think Prince was a Junkie, he was in genuine pain like I was, but couldn't stop because of withdrawal. If his death turns out to be due to overdose, please remember it can happen to anyone, and the way he died shouldn't diminish all he accomplished in his life. I don't understand why he didn't find a Suboxone Doctor in His city, or a nearby city. I found one in the phone book and I live in Nashville, Tn. I don't know why he wanted to go into full blown rehab facility. Maybe he didn't realize that he could go to a Suboxone Doctor and just get a script. Anyway, that's my long ass story. Sorry it was so long.

Thanks for sharing. The article explains the suboxone question. The name of the program is Recovery Without Walls, which doesn't suggest a full blown rehab facility. I think it was also mentioned elsewhere that he sought outpatient treatment.

"Howard Kornfeld also is known as an advocate for the expanded use of Suboxone, which contains buprenorphine and curbs opioid cravings. The drug has been underutilized, in part, because many doctors haven’t completed the federal training that is necessary to prescribe it."

I don't think anybody's judging Prince or others needing pain meds I'm sure we all agree it doesn't diminish his accomplishments at all. Like I said, my pain is probably less than what he suffered and I am extremely careful because I am terrified of overmedicating. I am vigilant about seeking alternatives to lessen the need for meds and thankfully accupuncture has been a big help.


I am thankful that you are in a better place now. Take good care.

"he didn't take the pills to get fucked up and stoned, he took them for pain, and probably couldn't stand the agony of withdrawal. I bet when he got the Narcan shot, it threw him into withdrawal. He probably stopped his withdrawal by taking the pills again, and sadly overdosed. I don't think Prince was a Junkie, he was in genuine pain like I was, but couldn't stop because of withdrawal."

thank you for this. i think its a very likely explanation. there's no way prince wanted to die and i dont think he thought he would. because of his faith, he wasnt afraid of dying. i hope he didnt suffer.

babynoz said:

friend2001 said:

Selena4641 said:

Forgot to add some info about Suboxone. It comes in strips that you use sublingual, you place it under your tongue and it dissolves into your bloodstream quickly. My first visit with a Suboxone Doctor was like this, she kept putting the drug under my tongue, until I started to feel better. It took about an hour to go from withdrawal to just feeling like a normal type flu. Also when you're in withdrawal it will fuck with the dopamine levels in your brain. You get very depressed and think odd thoughts. Anyway the doc will drug test you on every visit. They give you a script for at first once a week, then every two weeks etc, until they give you a monthly supply. My insurance didn't cover it but an initial visit was like $375. After that it was $175 a monthly visit. My insurance did cover the Suboxone it's self, but not the doctor visits. Also some people that take Percocet feel kind of high, which is a pleasant side effect, unfortunately. Percocet knocked out my pain and made me feel like I had energy, not high so to speak. Also some people won't eat a lot of food so the effect of the pills last longer. I was guilty of this myself. Another thing is that if you're on Pills for a long time, you build up a tolerance, and wind up taking more than you're prescribed I was guilty of that too. I don't know if Prince was taking more than prescribed. I know I got tired of it all. Taking the pills, buying them, keeping a secret from my family. Maybe Prince felt the same way. There is no shame in becoming addicted when you have pain. It's different if you don't have any pain and just take shit to get high. I hope Prince is remembered for all he did in his life. I hope he is not labeled as a "Junkie". [Edited 5/4/16 1:35am]

Thankfully I have never gone through any of that because if I take percs more than two days in a row I feel nauseated. My last bad pain episode was in January and I was careful to take only one a day for two days. I have an ice pack, a TENS unit, Tiger Balm, you name it. I did physical therapy for seven weeks, chiropractic, accupuncture and anything else I could think of to minimize the need for meds.

Also in my case I can lie down whenever I need to.

I use a walker occasionally and have adjustable bed too. My heart goes out to anybody dealing with chronic pain.

One perc a day makes me feel pleasantly floaty only for a couple of days but any more than that and I don't want any more. Withdrawal sounds like hell.

It never occurred to me that morticians could develop back problems though. We never really know what another human is dealing with do we?

Selena4641 said:

babynoz said:

Thanks for sharing. The article explains the suboxone question. The name of the program is Recovery Without Walls, which doesn't suggest a full blown rehab facility. I think it was also mentioned elsewhere that he sought outpatient treatment.

"Howard Kornfeld also is known as an advocate for the expanded use of Suboxone, which contains buprenorphine and curbs opioid cravings. The drug has been underutilized, in part, because many doctors haven’t completed the federal training that is necessary to prescribe it."

I don't think anybody's judging Prince or others needing pain meds I'm sure we all agree it doesn't diminish his accomplishments at all. Like I said, my pain is probably less than what he suffered and I am extremely careful because I am terrified of overmedicating. I am vigilant about seeking alternatives to lessen the need for meds and thankfully accupuncture has been a big help.


I am thankful that you are in a better place now. Take good care.

Thank you for your kind words. I'm worried the Tabloids and judgemental Jerks on the Internet (not on the org) will label him a Junkie, and that burns my ass up!

I wish we could stop the tabloid and internet madness because it's already getting pretty sickening.

if this all turns out to be true at least it'll put all the other nutty rumors to rest. I still don't understand how he could be so productive on all this shit. I've known some pill poppers/heroine addicts and they are just a mess. I don't understand this. How did he hide it? Also, if the rumours are true that he sent someone in to get his pills, i'll bet they are wishing they could take a boat to siberia right now because they have alot to answer for. I don't really understand addiction, i'd rather die than take the shit to begin with. I hate taking whatever medicine i do take and in fact, after Prince I'm just sitting through a horrible migraine at this minute rather than take the pain pills i have. I should just throw them away, i don't use them much anyway. this is all so confusing, Prince was always so in control, I guess it's ironic, Little Richard decided to go cold turkey when he was on heroin and cocaine, he did it overnight. High achievers like them can do those kinds of things, so I don't see why prince couldn't, just ironic. Sam Cooke died by drinking too much and getting involved with a hooker who tried to run off with his clothes, by most accounts, Sam was always in control and rational, the entire reason he even hired hookers was to avoid the headaches of possessive groupies. Thinks have a way of just turning out fucked up sometimes. I think most of us can say that we love Prince inspite of it all and wish he would have understood that it wouldn't have been the end of the world if we all found out about his problem.

babynoz said:

This news is just too sad. I'm angry with so many of his people right now. They knew about his problems they must have done, this is tragic beyond belief

just to give you and idea of how potent these opiods are, i'll tell you about a navy seal I knew. He was a meat cutter at the store I worked in. fascinating guy. he had so many interesting stories and you could see that he had a good heart and character but the drugs distorted it all. In his case, I don't see how he had a choice, his wounds were very serious and so he was always on something. He had a penchant for grandiosity, for lying, for just all around not thinking straight most of the time. I just have to think it was the drugs. You know, as was said by elvis' bodyguards "it was the drugs talking". Or like the song "it was the whiskey talking, anyway, this guy would nod off all the time, one time he nodded off while he was cutting meat and cut one of his fingers off. How this relates to Prince? Well, prince never nodded off that I've heard of, he never sounded that different than he did when he was young, although, admittedly, he always did have kooky beliefs. Just no comparison between what I have seen of Prince and this other guy ( or some other people i've known). Something just doesn't add up for me.