Geoff's Story.

Please be aware that this story contains references to suicide and self-harm.

Living independently in his council flat you would have no idea that just three years ago, Geoff* was hospitalised for ten weeks with an infection in his spine. On antibiotics and strong medication, Geoff was discharged – with nowhere to go.

With no support network, Geoff managed to secure a flat under the duty of care act. Spending three weeks completely isolated, he eventually had contact when hospital staff came round to do an assessment.

Eventually introduced to P3, Geoff was connected with a link worker who supported him on his journey in occupational therapy. With this support, he was able to appeal the decision of not receiving home help – someone to help with day to day living tasks.

While that took some of the pressure off, Geoff still needed support with managing his pain relief and accessing medication.

At the beginning of his medical journey, Geoff trapped his leg in his ex-girlfriend’s car while being high on drugs – the skin split and became infected with cellulitis, causing his leg to flare up. He believes this is the pivotal incident at the root of his health problems.

He recalls how in constant pain, he kept going to A&E to ask for help but kept getting turned away. Eventually seen, it turns out that the infection had travelled around his system to his spine. Now, Geoff lives with no synovial fluid between his eleventh and twelfth vertebrae – each bone rubbing against each other so much, that now there is a gap in his spine.

As a former drug user, Geoff felt abandoned by medical professionals due to his addiction. He remembers that at times it felt like ‘having to fight hammer and tong to get seen … Nothing was happening, it was almost like they were trying to get me angry so then they had a reason to just kick me out! You know what I mean? He’s a drug addict, on and off drugs … and stuff like that.’

Geoff is resolute that he was always polite to medical staff, on or off drugs – the only reason his concerns were rejected was because of his history. He is passionate when says:

Going into his history of drug use, Geoff said as a child he lived between the care system, foster homes and boarding schools – ‘battered, battered, battered’ he recalls. The impact of this made him paranoid and aggressive, leading to drug use and custodial sentences.

He is sure that not having a settled home is at the root of his pain – remembering his trouble with suicidal thoughts, Geoff said he also used to self-harm; one time an attempted suicide via slitting his throat.

This was fuelled by the loss of his brother, ‘my best friend – and my only friend in care,’ who died at a rave due to an overdose. He can only describe the event as ‘horrific’ and provides no further details, though this was clearly a monumental moment for Geoff.

At this stage, Geoff was introduced to P3 but confesses ‘I wasn’t being serious with appointments or counselling – my head wasn’t good at the time.’

Next, he recalls waking up in the middle of a house fire – his settee ablaze, starting from an overheating phone. Terrified, Geoff didn’t think he would survive – he couldn’t reach the front door, bolting out of a little bathroom window. Freshly out of hospital, he can still remember the pain that went through his body.

“I’ve survived a lot of horrific things – it’s not easy turning your life around when there’s so much negativity. But, I think my brother’s watching over me.”

This was the turning point that led him to attend his appointments and start engaging more with P3 services. Geoff is so grateful for the support he’s received, saying that ‘it’s helped me help myself.’

For now, Geoff is looking towards rebuilding his future one step at a time. Attending counselling but also avoiding the company of people that live the sort of lifestyle he used to lead. While he has a long way to go, he can take comfort in the fact that he has made the first step of progress – accepting that a life with drugs is ‘not where I want to be.’