Brooke Shields suffered a broken femur and a staph infection after a tragic event in January, leaving her in excruciating pain.
Despite the anguish, the actress declined to take prescription pain medicine instead of over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol.
Shields’ motive for avoiding heavier medicines was her fear of becoming addicted to opiates such as OxyContin and Vicodin. By taking a pharmaceutical drug, the actress hoped to understand her discomfort better and avoid aggravating her disease.
Shields’ femur shattering in January necessitated multiple surgeries to correct the damage, leaving her with a long and challenging recovery.
The development of a staph infection later made the actress’ crippling agony even worse, leaving her in agonizing pain.
Shields chose to avoid pharmaceutical medicines despite being in such a terrible situation and watching others around her appear to gain from them.
Shields’ deep concern about the possibility of prescription pharmaceutical addiction drove this conscientious action. Fearing that she may unwittingly cause herself more harm by mistaking a new injury for mere discomfort, the actress was determined to comprehend the nature and degree of her anguish thoroughly.
In light of these worries, Shields turned to over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol, which she considered a safer and more controllable option.
During The Marie Claire Power Trip: Off the Grid event, actress Brooke Shields revealed that she would instead leave the hospital in pain than be pain-free and die at home.
Her motivation was to ensure that she could distinguish between her current pain and any new pain that might emerge during her healing process.
Shields added that she wanted to adapt to the pain and distinguish between pain and a new injury because feeling pain could cause people to feel harmed again, even if they were not as broken as they thought.
She noted that feeling miserable at home may be a terrible experience, and she wanted to know what kind of anguish she was dealing with. She went on to say that by acknowledging her pain, she would no longer feel like a victim.
Brooke Shields admitted that she struggled to persuade the medical professionals to let her suffer. She inquired whether there were any over-the-counter medications she could take in safe doses or if she could be prescribed medication other than the highly addictive narcotic OxyContin, which many doctors overprescribe.
During the nation’s opioid crisis, actress Brooke Shields has publicly stated her intention to refrain from using potent opioids, understanding the devastation they may bring.
Despite this, Shields emphasizes that her decision is about finding alternate ways to manage her pain, not being heroic.
Shields recommends ice, physical therapy, stretching, and over-the-counter drugs such as Advil and Tylenol for pain treatment.
In some circumstances, she additionally takes sleeping pills like Tylenol PM. She encourages people to consider non-opioid alternatives before turning to potentially dangerous medicines.
Shields has been working hard to manage her pain and regain strength following a personal loss. Despite the difficulties, she has made tremendous progress by focusing on activities that are gentle on her body, such as SoulCycle, Pilates, and weight training.
Shields’ trainer has focused on physical therapy exercises to assist in targeting the muscles surrounding her knees, which her injury has significantly damaged. Shields can protect her joints and ligaments from further harm by strengthening these muscles.
Shields has obtained excellent knowledge and insight into chronic pain management due to her experience. She encourages others to look for non-opioid alternatives and focus on their physical health and well-being when facing similar issues.
