A recovering WA ice addict who nearly died this year continues to be plagued by health issues despite being clean for three months - and his despairing mum wants people to understand how meth still has a hold on your health, even once you've stopped using.
In the past week, Taylor Pugh, 25, has been diagnosed with gout as his kidneys are unable to process uric acid, causing his joints to swell painfully, as well as low haemoglobin levels requiring treatment in hospital.
He nearly died in February after contracting septicaemia and pneumonia, linked to three years of methamphetamine use.
Mr Pugh has been clean for three months, has weekly blood tests, exercises and eats well, but is still facing serious health issues from his addiction.
Taylor Pugh nearly died in February as a result of his meth problem.
His mother, Lina Pugh, who runs Doors Wide Open in Bunbury, a support and education centre for people wanting to recover from ice addiction, and has also launched a Facebook page "Ice in Bunbury. A Mother's Nightmare."
She said doctors hadn't predicted Mr Pugh's recent diagnoses as the long-term effects of meth use were not yet known.
"We're not going to know the consequences for another five to 10 years until we start to see the fallout from it," she said.
"It's an ongoing thing with his body and we're working out how to manage that."
Ms Pugh is raising money to open a crisis care clinic and shared her horrific story on the Facebook page.
"[Taylor's] internal organs had been so compromised from using large amount office over three years that a simple lung infection nearly killed him," she wrote.
"The doctors and nurses worked on him for hours in the ED, the look of concern on their faces had me so incredibly worried. When the head doctor came over and said to me "he's a very sick young man, we will do everything we can", I was devastated. No words, just tears.
"Five hours and a full team of doctors and nurses working non stop they finally stabilised him and got ready to sent him to the intensive care unit. He was still in gravely ill and I can't remember a time being more scared. For the next six days we prayed he would be OK.
Finally on day eight he was allowed home, it was a day I'll never forget, my once strong and healthy son reduced to nothing but skin covering a skeleton, but he was coming home
"He couldn't move, his body had given in, he couldn't breathe for himself, he was struggling to even talk or keep his eyes open, a tiny figure under the sheets and blankets. I just kept thinking....what if he dies!? I can't lose him.
"On day six he was moved to the ward, he was moving very slowly and finally eating small amounts, he still had tubes and needed oxygen but nothing compared to ICU. Finally on day eight he was allowed home, it was a day I'll never forget, my once strong and healthy son reduced to nothing but skin covering a skeleton, but he was coming home."
But Ms Pugh said the battle wasn't over when her son returned home.
"Five months on, Taylor lapsed eight times after leaving hospital - each time I died a little inside but also knew it was part of his recovery and journey," she wrote.
"Now almost nine weeks clean he has gained 12 kilos and feels great. He sleeps a lot and eats more than a gorilla and never wants to be that person again. He has gained the respect of his peers who never thought they'd see him clean.
"He's mentoring other people with a few of his friends and learning as much as he can about recovery.
"I'm so very proud of him and where he is today, I still worry that he might get on again but I try not to let it define me."
Ms Pugh's quest comes as another community-based program, Shalom House, a residential rehab centre for men in the Swan Valley, is involved in a court battle to remain open based on planning grounds.
The City of Swan is taking the State Administrative Tribunal to the Supreme Court of WA over its decision to allow Shalom House to operate.
The hearing will be in 2017.
- AAP, with Simon White