After noticing the onset of symptoms, Shuler filled out a sick call form, which includes a $5.00 charge that supposedly is for a visit to the medical office. On his form, Shuler requested an antihistamine for allergy symptoms and ibuprofen for achiness. But he was never seen by a member of the nursing staff and wound up being given a "mystery pill" that he had not asked for.
"The nurse tried to give me two yellowish pills here in my unit and I did not recognize what they were," Shuler said. "She told me they were a decongestant called CPM. I told her a nurse had never seen me in the office and that I had not requested a decongestant, that I needed an antihistamine. I told her I was not going to take a pill that I didn't even know what it was and she shrugged her shoulders as if to say she didn't care one way or another.
"In my discussions here at the jail, it seems to be a common problem for inmates to be given pills that were not properly prescribed and often they do not even know what the pills are. In my case, my problem finally is resolving but I spent three or four days under the weather for a problem that should have been resolved in a few hours time. I can see instances where inmates take pills that are improperly prescribed and make their health issues worse.
Allergies are one of the most common medical problems in America and there are many simple, inexpensive over-the-counter medications for treating them. If the Shelby County Jail can't deal with a problem as simple as a mild allergy, I wonder if they should be housing humans here anyway. I feel like my health has been jeopardized by the lack of medical here and that's particularly alarming considering that I should not lawfully even be in here. Multiple experts told the New York Times my incarceration is unconstitutional without question and this is just one of the issues that happens when you allow people like Rob Riley to play political games with our justice system."
