Americans don’t care about pain patients

Almost 200,000 People Have Signed Petitions Asking Obama to Pardon the ‘Making a Murderer’ Subject

https://www.vice.com/read/almost-200000-people-have-signed-petitions-asking-obama-to-pardon-the-making-a-murderer-subject-vgtrn

As of this moment, there are 1,793 comments on the CDC’s website regarding the new regulations:

http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=CDC-2015-0112

A search for the word “suicide” brought back 239 results in the comment section:

http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketBrowser;rpp=25;po=0;s=suicide;dct=PS;D=CDC-2015-0112

The same search has 3 results in the CDC’s supporting documents:

http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketBrowser;rpp=25;po=0;s=suicide;dct=SR;D=CDC-2015-0112

First Do No Harm: The DEA targets Physicians who treat their patients pain.

8,829 People Have Sent 21,065 Letters and Emails

http://www.petition2congress.com/5202/first-do-no-harm-dea-targets-physicians-who-treat-their-patients/view/

(1 day ago) Kristin K. from Central Point, OR writes:

It’s a relief to see that people are starting to recognize the demoralizing, and downright appalling scrutiny so many are dealing with. And most are guilty of nothing more than suffering with chronic pain. Depressing, devastating, and most often debilitating, chronic pain.

For twenty years I’ve watched my dad suffer in pain. For the first ten years he was prescribed oxycontin, a very strong, long-acting narcotic, for a spinal cord injury. He hated the way it made him numb emotionally. So he decided, on his own to discontinue the pain meds, and sought out a new doctor, hoping to fond an alternative. After a horrible withdrawal period, that caused mini strokes, he continued pain med free for several weeks. He came to realize he needed the relief the pain meds provided more than once thought.

However, his previous attempt to go drug free had caused his new doctor to red flag him, making it near impossible to get help in the way of narcotic pain medication, despite numerous MRI’s, and x-rays of his extensive injuries. It took going to the local Methadone Clinic, and asking who was known to have the worst reputation when it came to prescribing painpills too easily. They gave me a name and i had dad in to see him the next week. I needed to be sure we were going to a doctor that hadn’t become so fearful of DEA scrutinizing, that he would compromise morhis oath as a doctor, or his morals as a human being. It’s been a battle to say the least. Dad is now on a pain pump, and making slow progress. But, there should have never been a day go by that he had to suffer like he did.

(4 days ago) Someone from Superior, WI writes:

In my area it’s next to impossible to receive opiods for pain relief, chronic and acute. Just in my circle of loved ones, I have seen the following:

A 45 year old woman who cannot get pain medication after major abdominal surgery because her primary care physician wasn’t the prescriber. It was the surgeon who prescribed it, so insurance won’t cover it, and the pharmacy refuses to let her pay in cash.

A 74 year old accused of being a drug seeker when she was brought to the ER with back pain. Turned out she had kidney stones and a UTI.

A 44 year old veteran denied pain meds for a severe, permanent knee injury that forced him into early retirement from the military.

A 21 year old male accused of faking groin and back pain to access narcotics, even though he turned down hydromorphone and asked for Toradol. He ended up needing surgery to remove several 10 mm size kidney stones.

A 42 year old female denied pain medication for multiple foot fractures after an accident.

A 43 year old woman told to increase her doses of naproxen after calling her dr to report renal and stomach side effects. She’s currently in the hospital after developing a GI bleed.

A 55 year old veteran accused of drug seeking when he was brought to the ER with head trauma after being robbed and beaten. Funny how the addict who did this to him is treated more compassionately than the guy he brutalized.

A 38 year old female denied pain meds while having shingles.

And these are just acute pain patients. This doesn’t mention those of us with chronic pain diseases that are denied pain relief. Those of us with chronic pancreatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, numerous back problems, severe osteoarthritis, stress fractures in the spine, neuropathy from diabetes and blood clots, fibromyalgia, CRPS..,,the list goes on. Not one of us can get help from our doctors. Every single one of us in my group have side effects from this lack of treatment. Many of us have uncontrolled high blood pressure from stress and pain, most of us have varying levels of PTSD and depression because of these accusations. One patient has started getting panic attacks every time they enter a medical facility.

Despite opiods being next to impossible to get here, heroin use has risen dramatically…

(2 days ago) Maureen S. from Clifton Park, NY writes:

Very well written! I am tired of being treated like a criminal by my doctor, I am tired of the friggin’ cashier at the pharmacy giving me the stink eye.

I am weary of thinking about suicide almost every day.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is hosting a public conference call on its controversial Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain Thursday, January 7, 2016, at 9:00 am ET.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is hosting a public conference call on its controversial Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain Thursday, January 7, 2016, at 9:00 am ET.

7 thoughts on “Americans don’t care about pain patients

  1. I was treated like a criminal when my shunt was leaking CSF fluid uncontrollably for almost all of 2014. They couldn’t do another surgery before they found out which parts of the shunt I’m allergic to. Every doctor I visited could tell I was in pain because when I either sat up or stood, my shoulders and head would bunch together and tears would come out of my eyes, because losing CSF fluid feels like you’re being beaten over the head with a tire iron (because the brain comes to rest on the cranial bones rather than float within the fluid). I was told to take Tylenol, then try acupuncture. When I finally found a doctor that would prescribe me opioids, I was drug tested for every visit, and halfway through my treatment I was told I needed to go off the pills – not because the source of my pain was fixed, and not because I was doing anything wrong, but simply because I was “on them for too long” (at the lowest doses possible). It is frightening to be told that your pain control is going to be taken away and there isn’t going to be anything else offered in its place that is actually going to work.

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      • Right now I have a couple of Lidocaine patches slapped on my left hip; I’m supposed to get this cyst removed tomorrow. I take the highest dose of Gabapentin – which I think is completely useless – cyclobenzaprine and amitriptyline. I have to stay in bed because of the CSF problems, but my body is really pissed at me and my fibromyalgia is going nuts. I may be able to switch my meds in two weeks.

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