Husband's employee has taken/stolen my pain medication

[6demandingchildren]

This is a message expanding what happened today, it's from me to a good friend as it saves me typing it all out again, sorry it's long and probably complicated.
This is the message
I'm so angry right now and I was going to chat tomorrow but in too much pain to sleep.
Obviously we only have 1 week until holiday so we need to try and make some extra money as we won't be able to earn anything while we are away and we need money while away so the pressure is on.
We decided to go into work today to list as much as we can to sell on eBay.
Dh then had to go to the building site as the tree surgeon was going to be their early as he needs to do his bit before we can get the electrics in, so I said I would go to the warehouse on my own.
I have run out of tramadol at home but knew I had 6 at work so decided to wait until I got there as I'm in so much pain and the co-codamol isn't touching the pain.
I get to work and do a few things before settling down to a cuppa and 2 pills.
I go to get my tablets and they are gone, I look round and can't find them so go to the car and as I knew nothing in there so I phone dh who said employee pinched 1 tablet and they are on her desk.
I look everywhere and can't find them so phone employee and she said she has them in her bag.
I have spent the day in agony and I was also angry at dh as I thought he had given them all to her.
Met dh at home and he is also angry with her as he said she could have one then a bit later saw the strip on her desk and questioned why she wanted one when she had a strip she said they were the ones he said she could have and he said no, he explained that he said she could have 1 not all of them and to put them back on my desk as I need them.
But instead of putting them on my desk she put them in her bag and took them home and I doubt she will return them as she will of taken them all.
I'm so angry as she has stolen from me.
Sorry that was so long but I need to vent.

For context she knows I have 3 prolapsed disks and a spinal fracture as well as other medical issues, but she is also a family friend.

I am in so much pain I can't sleep and it's worse as I have not kept up with the pain relief.

Aibu to be so angry or could it be a honest mistake? (But I honestly can't see how)

[vivariumvivariumsvivaria]

What on earth IS this business that the two if you run-do you hire yourselves out as human cannonballs for parties?!

I feel bad about chuckling at that, but am also curious.

I've worked in Occupational Health, would be happy to come and do a risk assessment for the cannonball landings.

Hope you are feeling better today, OP.

[BathshebaKnickerStickers]

So you are both seriously injured but he won’t take painkillers.

You are going on a holiday that you need to sell things to afford.

You can’t keep your medication in your handbag because of the constant threat of your grandchildren rifling through it.

You need to move on from this with far far better strategies for health and safety in your work and lives.

[6demandingchildren]

Well she is no longer employed (she has quit), and it doesn't matter where I am at home or in my caravan I'm in pain. I do have other long term medical problems and life does not stop for my family because of them.

[ClumpingBambooIsALie]

sooty — it really is!

For context, for those who aren't familiar with drug classes, OP's meds are in the same legal class as GHB and rohypnol, and until 2009 when it was moved to class B, cannabis.

[ClumpingBambooIsALie]

@6demandingchildren

Well she is no longer employed (she has quit), and it doesn't matter where I am at home or in my caravan I'm in pain. I do have other long term medical problems and life does not stop for my family because of them.

Hope this all blows over OP.

[lottiegarbanzo]

Ok, well if you're confident she stole them, report her to the police and suspend her from work pending internal investigation.

Do you think that will go smoothly and result in a disciplinary for her and continued operation of a successful business for you two? I don't. But then I don't think 'successful business' is going to be the outcome, however you play this.

[lottiegarbanzo]

She quit? That is very, very lucky for you.

Hope you're fully dosed up again soon OP.

[OhRene]

YA all BU.

DH shouldn't be giving out any prescription medications at all. Not at home, not at work, not in the street.

Your employee shouldn't be taking them, certainly shouldn't have taken them all.

You should be, knowing the severity of your condition, should be keeping on top of your medications and making sure that you have an adequate supply before you get down to just a few doses left.

[Thefirsttime]

@6demandingchildren

This is what I keep them in and other medication, I have 3 of these, 1 for work one at home and one at my caravan.
But she knows the code to get into it as she has to. But she could of taken the whole bag but she went in my drawer and took what she wanted and stole from me.
Dh will be speaking to her later.

Why does she “have to know the code”? You later go onto say she is trained to administer your injections when you need them, so I’m assuming (although you’re not very clear) that the injections are a separate medication which you keep in the same bag as the tramadol? Surely the obvious thing to do is to keep the tramadol and the injections in different locked boxes and not give her the code to the one with tramadol in?

The whole thing is so confusing because there are so many holes in the story and the story changes so many times.

[MsHedgehog]

@6demandingchildren

Well she is no longer employed (she has quit), and it doesn't matter where I am at home or in my caravan I'm in pain. I do have other long term medical problems and life does not stop for my family because of them.

After your DH’s alleged text to her, she could have a case for constructive dismissal...

[Nicknacky]

How long has she worked there?

[Mummyoflittledragon]

It’s a bloody good job she’s quit. If your 100% sure she wasn’t supplied the drugs by your dh, I would seriously consider reporting her to the police. It is very difficult to get tramadol prescribed. I have some at home. And morphine. Tramadol is sought by addicts, not morphine.

[pinkcircustop]

She’s quit? You should be careful after the text your DH sent her. You could be in a world of trouble.

You don’t seem to understand how unprofessional he’s been, OP.

[Anon9990]

The real story is…
Hubby has told friend to take the strip
Friend has taken them
OP went to work and had no pain relief and threw a Berky (although tramadol can be a v effective painkiller, addiction can take hold extremely quickly)
Hubby backtracked and now telling a mountain of lies… he gave her one… he didn’t give her any just saw them…
The whole thing stinks.

You need to put this behind you if you want your business to survive - if I was this friend I would take you both the full road. make sure you don’t store medication in easy access places and put this down to experience.
Hope you get your pain under control x

[OhNoNoNoNoNo]

It does sound a bit confused. I think it would be really really easy for your employee to accidentally put the rest of the pills in her handbag rather than put them back properly especially if she was in a lot of pain. It's the type of thing I could do.

The whole situations sounds a bit confusing.

How long has she been working for you?

[6demandingchildren]

The text he sent her is in context with their conversation as she openly said she put them in her bag as she "forgot"
Anyway medication is now sorted and I'm to top up my gabapentin prescription and see how that goes.
Once I have had a sleep and out of this account of pain I can explain fully but she did steal the tablets and it won't be the last she hears about this.

[CoronaPeroni]

When you spoke to her on the phone and she said they were in her handbag how did the conversation go? You must have given her some indication of how bad the situation was. Your dh's story is hard to unwind! Still lying I suspect. If she was the out and out thief he's claiming then why did she have them out on her desk and why didn't he just take them away himself? I mean if you catch someone leaving your house with your tv tucked under their arm you don't ask them to put it back then carry on with what you were doing.

[6demandingchildren]

OhNoNoNoNoNo she has been working in the role she was in for 6 months, we have employed her previously on about 3 occasions and those were for years, she has had access to large amounts of money and we trusted her, and this has proved she isn't trustworthy

[Datingandnoideahowto]

It can’t just be 100 transfix the op has had since the accident. She talks about ringing for the repeat prescription and having to talk to the doctor and she wouldn’t know that unless she’d already had a repeat so it must be at least 200.


Your story is very confused. I think your husband is lying and I think his text to her could amount to constructive dismissal.

The whole treatment of storing and using these drugs is very cavalier.

[Datingandnoideahowto]

*tramadol

[Howshouldibehave]

Your family friend who was so close she was coming on your holiday next week, has now quit?!

She has loads of time today to bring the tablets to you then.

[Datingandnoideahowto]

Also. No one who takes regular pain meds and has as much difficulty getting repeats as the op claims to would leave themselves with only 6 on Thursday and potentially none over the weekend. That is not responsible pain management.

[CovidDoesNotExistDuh]

This is batshit OP. It reads like your husband is a total liar - I'm not surprised she quit. Being told she could take meds, taking the meds and then all this madness over it - why the hell would she want to work for you?

Also be more fucking careful with your controlled substances.

[Insidelaurashead]

OP I have a chronic illness although a different one, I also have strong prescribed painkillers, I also have memory issues due to my illness. I, too, go on holiday sometimes. Because like you my pain is the same wherever I am. Should us people with chronic pain/disability have to stay in our bed for the rest of our lives? My medication is in a drawer in my house. It's also in my purse in my handbag. If I'm in the office and the fire alarm goes off, if I'm not at my desk I can't return to get my handbag. That doesn't make me a drug dealer if a colleague decides to steal my medication.

OP, I feel for you, you're getting so much undeserved stick here. Until you walk a mile in someone's shoes, people, don't bloody judge them

[ClumpingBambooIsALie]

Inside why do you think I know about the legal status of certain prescription drugs and am keen that the OP realise it's a bad idea to tell the world her husband gives them away to people? Clue: it's not because I have never had anything to do with controlled drugs and want to make OP's life worse.