Man who lost leg in Royal Navy accident died after decade of painkillers
A FORMER Royal Navy man who lost part of his leg in a field gun accident died after taking powerful painkillers for a decade, an inquest has heard.
Anthony 'Rob' McLoughlin died aged 46 on Sunday July 13, 2008 at his home in Underwood Road, Plympton, having earlier been released from Derriford Hospital.
The inquest heard medical staff "converted" him to methadone after a decade of him taking increasing amounts of the painkiller dihydracodeine.
His painkiller addiction followed an accident in 1985 when his leg was crushed during training with Devonport field gun crew. He had previously been a steward aboard frigate HMS Ardent.
Due to complications and gangrene, his leg was amputated below the knee. In the following years he trialled as a sprinter and shot-putter for the Paralympics, and retrained as a hospital operating theatre technician.
However, after contracting MRSA he was forced to give up his medical career. He then began to suffer 'phantom' pain in his missing leg, requiring increasing doses of painkillers.
In late June 2008 he was admitted to hospital with pneumonia and dihydracodeine withdrawal.
Deputy coroner Andrew Cox heard how hospital staff convinced him to convert to methadone, which was regarded by medics as safer. But following his discharge, a misunderstanding resulted in Rob being unable to get medication over the following weekend and he again suffered withdrawal symptoms. He eventually received a daily prescription to be taken at home. His GP, Dr Martin Rankin, noted Rob had previously refused to go onto methadone due to its social stigma, missing numerous appointments with Harbour and pain specialists. Dr Rankin said Rob was not the "stereotypical Daily Mail drug user" but had "become addicted to medicines to control his pain".
He said: "He was a fine man who loved his family. All the staff [at the surgery] miss him. He was a lovely guy. He was very capable, very intelligent. People warmed to him. He could really have made something of his life."
His wife Katherine McLoughlin, an occupational therapist, said Rob appeared "really out of it" when he took methadone.
He was again taken to Derriford Hospital in July 2008 after she found him unconscious on the bathroom floor. He remained there – at one stage on a ventilator – until he was discharged on a Friday, but this time with a weekend's supply of methadone.
She said he seemed "bright and cheery" on the Saturday morning, but after he went on a visit to Plymouth he came back "acting weird", fluctuating between "being loud and making no sense".
During the inquest it was suggested Mr McLoughlin acquired extra methadone from "illicit sources", although Mr Cox said there was no evidence to support this.
Mrs McLoughlin said the next morning Rob was found asleep at the kitchen table. He later collapsed to the floor and, despite the efforts of paramedics, he passed away.
A post mortem found a high concentration of methadone in his blood, exceeding his daily medication.
Recording an open verdict, deputy coroner Mr Cox said the decision to change the painkiller drug was "sound and medically appropriate".
He noted the former Navy man was "mortified" at the prospect of taking methadone in public alongside drug addicts and that doctors instead allowed Mr McLoughlin to take his dose at home for fear of him disengaging with health specialists.
After the inquest, Mrs McLoughlin said she felt there was inadequate provision for pain addiction treatment for former servicemen, which could be an increasing problem with multiple-amputees from current conflicts.
She said: "It's not just about coming off drugs, it's about managing pain. Rob couldn't handle the stigma of taking medication in front of people. He felt he would be treated as a second or third class citizen.
"I don't think the services provided met his needs. They could have tried to engage him through sport. He was very fit and had started weight-lifting before he died saying he wanted to do weight-lifting for 2012. Sport could have got him motivated again."
She said that more information should be given to families about medicines such as methadone, adding: "Rob was an addict and addicts lie. The medical staff need to talk to families to get the full picture.
"The assumption is that families should just deal with it, without the additional support of experts and no-one to contact over weekends."
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by David Mcloughlin, Faslane
Saturday, March 13 2010, 8:01PM
“have a bit of respect, this report was not open for debate so get a grip. R.I.P DAD, il be running field gun every year for you bigman, miss you so much its horrible and starting to sink in. you werent a addict at all you where ill and should of had help years ago. we will gtet justice for you
sleep tight DAD xxxx”
by Christopher MCLOUGHLIN, SUNDERLAND (robs home town)
Friday, February 12 2010, 12:28PM
“My brother was such a lovley man who would never hurt anyone. He was MY BIG brother, friend and shipmate !~
Our love for him will live forever and i think about him daily ! Robert youll never be forgotten ! LOVE ya LOADS lil BRO x”
by Jay, Plymouth
Thursday, February 11 2010, 12:49PM
“Katz and Mick - go and read up on your neuroscience. It is a real physical pain, taken up and felt by alternative brain receptors.”
by R O Tate, Plymuff
Thursday, February 11 2010, 8:48AM
“Kat Oz ABNLP, UK - Go stand in a field or hug a tree or whatever suits you best but don't come on here sprouting off about this case and claim this man could have been cured of his pain in one hour when fully trained medical professionals spent years trying to help him. Without his full medical records and a consultation what you say is pure speculation and is typical of the unsubstantiated claims you and your kind come out with.
As for research you will always find evidence for and against in whatever subject you care to look at, and what we choose or not to choose to believe in is very subjective.
Your post sounds very much like a sales pitch to me and has no place here.”
by Not a scientologist, but
Thursday, February 11 2010, 12:43AM
“You should really read Dianetics Mick. It's written by L Ron Hubbard, and is the entry-level book for the cult of Scientology, They prey on ignorant people like yourself. After all, you are stupid enough to be a BNP member, why not go all the way and become a cultie?”
by Mr Clean, Plympton
Wednesday, February 10 2010, 11:13PM
“Mick,you are a big t**t,why don't you go and do something usefull like jump off a cliff you knob.”
by Kat Oz ABNLP, UK
Wednesday, February 10 2010, 10:42PM
“Mick, Your right. When a limb is missing there 'can be no pain' only in the subconscious mind and in what is called the 'pain body.' So he can have his SCM understand that the limb is not there or even tell the mind that it no longer hurts. It has been proven again and again that the body renews itself around every 7 years, bones being the last, so the only reason any pain would still exist is because the body and the subconscious mind has the memory of the pain in the cells.
Obviously peope who are telling you have no idea of what your talking about have no idea of what THEY are talking about.... For if they did a little research they would find that what you have said is 100% fact and has also been proven by science. I have just become an NLP practitioner and that has cured me of pain that was 20 years or more old. All because the body has memory as to where pain belongs. Yes these people should have this help, one day we will learn that our bodies can heal themselves, just like it does with a cut... yet that starts as a baby when we scratch ourselves, it heals, we do not have a mind that steps in the way and say no, we connot heal that cut.. by the time we are aware that cuts do heal it is second nature... when we understand the healing body we can work wonders.
You only have to look at Quantum healing or the living matrix to see the truth and the proven way in which we are able to do this!!
This type of 'painkiller' is deadly.. anything given to you by a doctor is not ever going to be good for you, for every tablet you take there is a huge list of side effects, or addiction or another tablet to counteract the one your meant to be taking..
Let everyone have their own opinion, but maybe, just maybe before you call this man a fool... check what he is saying, for it can, does and will continue to happen and work!!
All that had to be done was for this man to have NLP or some other subconscious work done and the shocking thing is... it all would have been over in less than an hour and it would have lasted a life time!!”
by Fed up with Mick, Plymouth
Wednesday, February 10 2010, 9:13PM
“Mick you are a dick!”
by itshorrible, plymouth
Wednesday, February 10 2010, 6:24PM
“I really feel for this guy and his family because i too have been on methadone for ten years now,to experience withdrawal is to experience what feels like close to death with pain being immense to the point of crying with panic along with terrible nightmares when u do fall in to a dased sleep,severe sweating and u cannot lift yourself to do anything except cry and cry some more,i also understand this guys initial embarrassment about taking this because it is linked to being used as a heroin subtitute,i also have had to sign a form at the chemist that if iam not in to collect it a half an hour before the chemist shuts then i dont get it so i know for a fact that people and some pharmacist included do dicriminate against you for being on methadone,they assume that your a ex druggie,i once was late to pick my weekends worth and was refused it by the spanish pharmacist who made me sign to agree on not being late,i told him that i was a father and a grandad and that there was no way that i could funtion without it but was given the tough luck attitude and sent on my way spending unbearable time in bed from sat teatime onwards,your are discriminated while on this drug so it was probably this embarrasing senario that this poor guy found himself in,i wish his family well and say rest in peace to you rob.from a fellow user of that evil synthetic drug.”
by JOB DONE, PLYMOUTH
Wednesday, February 10 2010, 5:48PM
“Mick i do think it is you who are missing some thing a brain. you dip s-it”