"I JUST WANT THE PAIN TO GO AWAY!"
Dec 2006 -
I don't know if there are any people in the DEA who actually know someone in pain. I am 29 years old. My life has been taken from me. I worked in the health care industry on an ambulance for many years. I hurt my back almost 7 years ago, very severely leaving me 50% disabled by the state. Since my case is a Worker's Compensation case I have been suffering. First my doctors told me it was no big deal. Then the doctors realized something was wrong, but did not know what. So they gave me opiates. Recently, the Worker's Compensation insurance decided they wanted to deny me my medication. I was on the Fentynl patch and it seemed to work well. They said it was no longer covered. At the time I even had a great pain management doctor who wanted to do as much as he could for me. Ihad to be placed on other medication because they would no longer cover the patch, I started having allergic reactions. The only medication that worked for me was methadone. Then the insurance company arbitrarily decided I was taking too much medication and cut me off completely. I could not have any doctors appointments let alone medication. I had to suffer for a month. I could not eat, sleep, walk, let alone go to work. I did not want to exist. My family would stay up with my all night as I would pass out from the pain. Finally the insurance company decided I could have some Norco. The orthopedist is so afraid of giving me enough medication to be pain free, I have to take only half a pill at a time. I am in pain all the time. It is just getting worse as my legs just seem to collapse after while. I just want to be able to do normal things like sleep through the night. After all this the insurance company decided I need to go to detox. The worst part was the insurancecompany asking about all the things I could do, if I could run or play hockey, rollerblade, or anything. I just had to say I couldn't do any of it. I lost my life. I just want the pain to go away. So many people out there contemplate suicide because the pain is so great. I hope someone out there reads this and understands what they are doing to people who just want to be free of the pain. If there is anyone out there that can refer me to any doctor in California, that can help me it would be great. I don't know what else to do. I was thinking maybe medical marijuana, but even people in California where I live are being arrested.
Thank You,
Dani
California
"THIS IS A WAR ON PEOPLE IN PAIN"
Jan 2006 -
Which war are we going to fight? The war on drugs or the war on people? People ultimately pay the price for all wars. But this war on people -- (exactly what it is) -- is very costly in terms of human suffering. It's a war against people looking for pain relief! What is it about society that we can ignore suffering? I can most nearly guarantee that within your circle of influence is someone who has suffered, perhaps like me.
I am a chronic pain patient, hurt twenty years ago in an accident which was not my fault. I suffered for 18 of those years with very little help from the medical profession. I was told basically to "take an aspirin and don�t call back." Why the lack of compassion? Can we blame doctors? The practice of medicine no longer resides in the realm of art - but of business. Life and death decisions are made fast, black and white with little room for compassion. Doctors are mandated to treat pain, but the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is second-guessing doctors. In effect, they are practicing medicine.
What would we as a society do if we discovered a common plant that would relieve massive suffering? What if this plant could keep you or your child alive through cancer? What if it was remarkably safe, non-toxic and did not prove to be physiologically addictive? What if the only dangers of using it paled when comparing it to its usefulness, and for that matter, was far safer and more effective than currently available prescription medications? What if our own government had studied it and found it to be safely useful for many medical conditions, as a pain reliever, as a muscle relaxer, an anti-depressant , an anti-nausea drug, and could keep glaucoma patients from going blind? What if the most notable side-affect was that it caused the seriously ill to feel euphoric, distracted from their suffering? Would we rejoice, that we had found such a useful substance - or fear it?
What if this substance was no stranger to medicine but had been at one time the most prescribed medication in the USA, listed in the most ancient and modern pharmacopoeias, with recorded use by mankind for thousands of years and no recorded deaths? What if the DEA�s own judge, Francis Young, after studying the evidence concluded, �the evidence clearly shows that (this substance) is capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people...it would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for the DEA to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance.� Judge Young also said, �(this substance) in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man.�
We don't have to ask �what if�. This substance, this plant -- cannabis -- is well known by mankind for its usefulness. And yet it has been placed in the same category as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine, as having �no medical value�.
This is absurd -- on one hand the government is saying "no medical value" but yet supplying it -- and at the same time incarcerating those who in good faith thought they were following their state's medical marijuana laws! Talk about capricious!
What is it about our puritanical society that we would rather see suffering than risk a sick person could feel euphoric? Have we thought about tobacco and alcohol -- what medical value do they have? What are the social implications of these dangerous substances?
The DEA is not immune to pressure. In order to maintain a budget, they must produce tangible results. Follow the political and monetary strings and it will lead you to the huge power that pharmaceutical businesses wield. There are more lobbyists for the pharmaceutical industry on Capital Hill than there are representatives. What would it do to the bottom line if folks could actually grow their own medicine? It would be tantamount to growing a money tree! No wonder studies and reports get ignored!
We do not need to ask �what if?� We need to ask 'WHY?'
So the DEA is worried about sending the wrong message to our children. What message is sent when we would sooner let suffering go unabated?
What message do they receive when they realize the dangers of cannabis are grossly exaggerated? Do they then conclude that they have also done the same with other, truly deadly drugs? Talk about lack of credibility!
The DEA needs to get out of the doctors offices and pursue the criminal drug trade -- those who would sell to anyone with money. The DEA needs to go after the dangerous, deadly addictive drugs that unquestionably have no medical value.
Doctors and sick people are easy targets. We need to fight dangerous drugs as hard as we need to fight ignorance. A sick person would not be �supporting terrorists� if they were able to legally and without fear, get the medicine needed for them to lead a normal life, whether that medicine is opioid analgesics or cannibinoid analgesics. I'm not talking about people seeking a high. Merely relief. The decisions SHOULD belong to the individual, and to their doctor. Not to the Government.
Rain
"I CAN'T TAKE THIS SEVERE PAIN ANY LONGER!"
Jan 2006 -
I am 44 years old, Dr. Hurwitz was my Doctor and he treated me very well, not only with the pain, but gave me back dignity that I had lost - until now. It's gone again. I cannot find one doctor that will help me with my severe intractable pain. I am willing to drive to other states to go to the doctor, after all I live in Cincinnati (The tri-state area, including Kentucky and Indiana) and my husband drove me to Virginia to see Dr. Hurwitz.
I have been bed bound ever since he had to close his practice. I was unable to use the internet until a couple of weeks ago. I tried to remember the sites where I could find a physician within a five or six hour drive, but I cannot remember where to go or what to do.
Whomever reads this, I am very seriously in pain. There is no local doctors willing to try to understand intractable chronicpain, let alone provide medication for me so that I can even get out of bed. I have been bed bound since Dr. Hurwitz had to leave his practice. I can tell my muscles are wasting away because the pain of just moving is too great. Dr. Hurwitz had me on 4 � 40 mgs of OxyContin per day with 2-4 Oxy IR for breakthrough pain. He also gave me other medications and the combination of all of them - well wow, I could live my life again. I was able to actually cook dinner, ride my horse. That didn�t happen right away, but finally I was able to ride again. There is no better feeling in the world than to be able to ride your horse. (after he closed practice, within 3-4 months my horse was sold - I�ll never get over that).
Why are physicians so hell bent on telling anyone who has pain they�ll get over it and if the Darvocet doesn�t work, then you must be a drug addict. Just last month at my monthly visit I told him something must be done, that I'm in very severe pain - and he said to me �I think you are addicted to drugs� I get 4 percocet a day, that�s it. I do not drink alcohol, nor do I take illegal drugs or buy prescription drugs off the street...and he has the balls to sit in front of me, knowing he has checked everything in my bloodwork and tells me I'm a drug addict.
I can�t take this severe pain any longer. I am bed-bound and need help. Please anyone, someone, where can I go and be treated with the respect and dignity I should not even have to ask for. I am a good woman. I have things I want to do before I die. But unless I get my pain under control, there is no life for me. I don�t have the stamina to stand on my own two feet for longer than three to five minutes. I cannot play with my grandchildren. This disease has made me morbidly obese. I was thin until I became bed bound. Since that time I also developed Type II diabetes, very high blood pressure, cholesterol is 340 - I'm a heart attack waiting to happen and I cannot find one physician who gives a shit. Not one! Well I give a shit. I want help and I want help now. Please, please is there anything anyone out there in cyberspace can do to help me get some kind of a normal life back, anyone, please.
Thank you for your patience in reading my letter. Hopefully someone may know what to do.
Karen
Tri-State Area
"A DEAR FRIEND TOOK HER LIFE BECAUSE OF PAIN"
Dear Mr. Tierney,
I want to thank you for your recent articles debunking the myths associated with the government's "War on Drugs." As a person living with chronic pain due to many different diseases, including a rare genetic form of peripheral neuropathy called Charcot-Marie-Toothe Type-X, that is not only debilitatingly painful but is also caused me to lose all feeling in my arms below the elbows and in my legs below the knees. I also have another nervous system disease called RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) or CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome), and just these two diseases cause me to NEVER be out of pain even though I am on high doses of opioid pain medications.
This "War on Drugs" - or rather "War on Pain Patients and their Doctors", has made it almost impossible for many of us living with chronic pain that require opioid or opiate pain medications to control our pain. In my personal experience, it took me almost 20 of my 34 years to find a doctor that believed in me and my pain enough to take the chance to provide me with Pain Management so that I could, if not return to work, at least be able to enjoy my husband and my children that until then, I really had not.
A dear friend of mine lost her fight in this War in November of 2000 and I am now losing another friend to this fight. The friend that I lost was Judy Hall. She was one of the most caring and giving people that it has been my honor to know, I was so honored to be her friend that when I am able I hope to be able to finish our work in creating a Not-For-Profit organization in her name and memory to help those living with chronic pain get the help that they need. The friend that I am currently concerned about losing now is another wonderfully caring person named Erika Stewart. Erika has what is called a syrinx in her spine from about mid back to her cervical area (her neck and upper back) that requires surgery to repair. In the last year, I have watched her go from a young woman with many dreams and hopes of a future, to a shell of her former self that now only wants to be able to live some kind of life other than what she is having to endure now. This young lady is another that has always put herself after others and look at where it has gotten her, in so much pain that she is not able to sleep until she literally passes out from the pain and not able to do anything that she enjoys because she is not able to find a doctor that is willing to do the surgery that would give her the life back that she once had.
Mr. Tierney, if it is in anyway possible to get her story out, I am begging you to get it out so that we can get her surgery done so that she can go on with her life and gain her dreams. I couldn't handle losing another friend to this WAR! There have been too many lives lost already.
Respectfully yours,
Juanita Hoffman
Chronic Pain Patient - Patient Advocate
"STOP MESSING AROUND WITH PAIN DOCTORS, OR YOU WILL BE FIRED!"
July 2005 - As a user of opioids for extreme pain, I would venture into the realm of unheard of pain should these drugs be denied me.
I suffer from MS and my legs kill me, as does other parts of my body. I've tried everything and opioids are the only thing that works so far. The DEA has no business in doctoring and I'm sure they do so as this is such a small and concentrated group of people to watch. The DEA has failed in its war on drugs today, so they get the idea of trying something that might make them look good.
I am the voter in this country and I hire members of the DEA. Stop messing around with pain doctors or you will be fired. Stop now!
Jimmy
"LET'S STOP GOVERNMENT MADNESS NOW!"
July 2005 - THANK GOD FOR DOCTORS!
I am sick of DEA. They're killing people! They're
causing suicide among Pain Doctors and their
patients! It's time stop all the political wrangling,
and GO TO WAR while we still have doctors.
We are all supportive of our Doctors but before anything will
ever change, every physician MUST UNITE THEMSELVES. ONLY
THEN WILL THE NIGHTMARE END and THIS NATION WAKE-UP!!
I urge every medical doctors in this Country, to UNITE
and STAND TOGETHER. Walk out of your Offices, Clinics
and Hospitals. I don't mean just the doctors that
treat pain but ALL DOCTORS in every field of
medicine!!
DOCTORS HAVE POWER! If they would organize, they could
bring this country to her knees. They could divide
this nation in sections and walk-out, a different
section everyday. IF THEY WOULD VOW NOT TO TREAT A
SINGLE PERSON (not even Mr. Bush) FOR ONE DAY, THINGS
WOULD CHANGE! I CAN PROMISE EVERYONE, this nation would be reeling
within a week or two. Every man, woman and child old
enough to voice their opinion, would be shouting from
the roof-tops. Every drug company and pharmacy would
be screaming for mercy. These very government
officials who are destroying our doctors, would soon
be screaming for one. Every business across the nation
would suffer because of sick employees, no one would
go unscathed. DOCTORS DO HAVE POWER!!!!
Each day wasted means more government power.
More doctors and patients will commit suicide because
of persecution and lack of treatment. Every year there
will be fewer doctors to treat people, because
sooner or later, every doctor will become a DEA target.
History will be repeated and ONLY THE VERY ELITE WILL
BE ONLY THE VERY ELITE WILL
BE ABLE TO AFFORD A DOCTOR!
Hippocratic Oath? DEA and Government officials have
taken that away!! LET'S STOP GOVERNMENT MADNESS NOW!
I'M URGING ALL DOCTORS TO TAKE A STAND WITH US AND STOP THE DEA AND GOVERNMENT FROM PROSECUTING OUR
DOCTORS AND DESTROYING ANYMORE LIVES!!!
Thank You
Wanda
"I CAN'T DO THIS ANOTHER 5 YEARS"
July 2005 - I could go on and on about how its a shame that people with chronic
pain have to exist without proper medications. I was booted from my local
pain clinic about 3 weeks ago. A half a cup of urine wasn't good enough. I wish
now I'd thought of a catheter - then they could have had all the urine
they wanted. Oh and get this - I've been to two ortho and one neurologist and
they all send patients to this same clinic. I don't even have another pain
clinic to go to and tell my side to.
Whatever. I was on a crying jag the other night, talking to the wife - my
meds now are weaker than before I had the surgery that "went wrong" and left me in
more pain than I was in before - anyway, I was saying to
her "I can't do this for another 5 years. I WILL NOT do this for another 5
years". Then it hit me what I was saying - and I got really scared.
So I've decided two things. One is, if that day comes because I'm tired of the pain, I'm
going to put together a small list and remove incompetent doctors. Two is obviously "eat a round".
But I see no reason why they should go on living while I have to blow my brains out to just to get a bit of sleep or a
minutes peace. Screw 'em. If I have to go, they can all come along with me.
Sign me,
"nearly fed up"
roy
No one needs to see my email address.
"HATRED IS WHAT I FEEL TOWARDS THE GOVERNMENT"
6/2005 - Hatred causes damage to my mind and body. But, hatred is what I feel towards the government, dea and some medical people. All of the above have lost the respect of many Americans, leaving us in situations without answers, leaving us desperate and alone and poorer because we cannot work anymore. What dignity I had left was stripped by a pain specialist recently. This has made me ashamed to have a disease, know what I mean? I feel lower than the rest of the population because of my illness and the other illness's that off spring from the first one. I am in intense pain and under treated and that causes tissue damage and the stress from many things makes me even more sick as time goes by.
I read in another post, she is asking about this country being a christian one....not anymore it isn't and has not been for a long time. All we have to do is keep our eyes and ears wide open...this country is cruel to its own people and loving to non-members of it.
I feel blessed and cursed to live in USA. My question is this to the AMA, DEA: wouldn't you rather line us up and shoot us all execution style? This would be the true cure for all pain, rather than have to look at us suffer, right??
No Name
"
I'M JUST OUTRAGED OVER THIS GOVERNMENT AND THE DEA!"
5/2005 - The actions of the DEA are absolutely cold callased and barbaric! Talk about terrorism?? I live it! I'm more afraid of my pain meds being cut down more, then I am of Al Quada! Or being put on a non-narcotic pain med that will most likely kill me the first pill I take due to heart problems! I'm just outraged over this government and the DEA! They are causing more and more people to the streets to for illegal drugs, which causes more demand for them! They are the cause of more suicides now than in the history of suicide! They just cover up the statistics by calling it depression! YES it's "depression" - because of not getting any RELIEF in order to stay alive!
Chronic pain robbed my one and only child of 10 years growing up because I couldn't do the things mother's do with their children - from school to after school activities! There's only one kind of pain worse than chronic pain. That's the pain in a childs eyes when you can't do one small thing with her BECAUSE you're in too much pain! You think about all the precious times you could have had together - if you only had the proper pain treatment, our lives wouldn't have been so empty of activity! But when you can't even seem to finger paint with her - because your head hurts so bad, THAT is heartbreaking pain. Another special time, with your child, gone forever! Our pain effects our children more than non-chronic pain people know! They preach to spend quality time but living in pain day in and day out, there is no quality.
I sit here and read all of the "injustice" happening to Dr's who want to help the more than 50 million people suffering - so people in pain can have a halfway normal sort of life - and it terrifies me everyday! I can't stand to be in pain anymore than I am right now! My greatest fear is what if my own medications that I'm prescribed were taken away! I was too close to Suicide before - way too close! I didn't even know who I was, I was in so much pain! I gave the ER nurses the wrong name and age! I can't bear the thought of being that way again! There are no more surgeries and my disease is slowly progressing! Lord only knows my limit!
Maybe patients should start suing the DEA? Since that's the only thing this country understands anymore! The only thing that gets their attention! Or will it take another "open-fire on ER's doctors", like it did in LA a few yrs ago? People in pain can only be pushed so far. But some just go insane with the pain! So many suicides are preventable, and DEA doesn't care! How cold - just like Bin Laddan and Saddam, they simply don't care about anything but money and power!
Sherry
"THAT'S AN OPTION?! LIVE IN PAIN OR KILL YOURSELF???"
5/2005 - The war on drugs has turned to a war on chronic pain patients. Billions of people are under-medicated in this country because their doctors are under siege by a government that has been losing the true "War on Drugs" for years. Chronic pain is no picnic for anyone. Driving chronic pain patients underground, to find medication illegally, to drink themselves into oblivion or to kill themselves because the pain is too much - this is the result of the new "War on Drugs."
I have lost friends from a chronic pain group to suicide because their doctors felt their hands were tied by the DEA and could only prescribe the minimum of pain medication. That is an option, live in pain or kill yourself? A doctor who is trained to heal or at least help someone with pain has to make the choice between actually giving pain management and facing the possibility of prosecution (or is it persecution) by a government agency run amok. These are not choices, this is the government once again sticking their noses where they don't belong. My pain, intense as it is, is between my doctor and myself. The DEA has no business even being involved in it. Yes, check the borders for illegal cocaine and heroin being brought into this country, I have no problem paying for that. BUT DO NOT USE MY TAX MONEY to arrest doctors trying to do what is best for their chronic pain patients, this practice is insane. How many more people will have to die at their own hands because the government has decided that it is their job to decide who is in pain and who is not? How many good, compassionate doctors will lose their licenses, or worse, go to prison, because an overzealous government agency is on a witch hunt?
We get warnings every day about how dangerous it is to buy medications from overseas. Yet, when a doctor is not allowed to do his job and a chronic pain patient cannot find the relief they need in the offices of well trained pain physicians, what is the alternative? Suicide, live with the sometimes unbearable pain or buy illegal drugs from questionable sources on the internet--some choices, huh?
Deborah
4/2005 - I would like to say "Thank You" for the above article regarding allowing patients to us marajuana for health related reasons.
Unfortunately for chronic pain patients, we find the DEA is following the same pattern and going after Dr.'s who prescribe narcotic medications for chronic/intractable pain patients. They have destroyed some excellent physicians lives by looking at prescription lists and simply picking out those doctor's who prescribe narcotic medications. Sad but true, some doctor's are bad men/women and do divert drugs. But I would bet that the percentage is very, very small and nothing like the DEA would like the public to believe.
Chronic pain groups continue to fight for the right to be treated in a humane way and allowed to live as full a life as possible, while the very government that is suppossed to protect and enhance our lives - has made it a living hell for so many.
Again, thank you for your article and we hope to see more like this in the media. No one knows how brutal the current laws are, until they go through an accident or develop a disease. Being a chronic pain patient, unable to receive pain treatment, is absolute hell in this country.
Thank you.
Dianna
Ore
"I THOUGHT AMERICA WAS
A CHRISTIAN COUNTRY"
4/2005 - I am disabled. I have had two back surgeries and a broken pelvis, torn ACL. Now my pain clinic says I need to pick up my schedule 2 meds every month on the day I need it. That means I have to get out of bed without my schedule 2 meds. Try to physically get there without my meds, from Gadsden Alabama to Birmingham, Al.
The DEA is calling us all criminals. We are adults and I never give my meds to anyone because I need them myself. This isn't America anymore - this is Stalinism. Tell the DEA if they want to find drug addicts go down the street and ask the first homeless person - they will guide you to crack dealers, crystalmeth, and LSD users. The DEA needs to leave me alone.
What is the matter? I use to be a cop. I have always heard them say doctors don't carry guns like real criminals do. We will fight because this is not the America my grandfather died for. This is evil! I understand the views you don't believe in chronic pain - that it wasn't a problem 50 years ago. Now I'm going to tell you about my grandfather Arthur Cox, a decorated veteran of the 101st Airborne Division in WW2. (Taken after the same unit portrayed in the mini series "Band of Brothers") During this nations' fight against the worst tyranny in history, he was wounded in the head. The doctors were able to save his life, but weren't able to remove the bullet and fragments of helmet that had penetrated his scull.
Although Arthur Cox was able to fight bravely against the Nazis for the freedom and country he loved, his bravery eventually failed him in his 41 year fight against the constant assault of pain caused by his wartime wounds. He was never able to get medication to relieve his pain because at that time most doctors and people like you and Sen. Sessions didn't believe that his pain was a problem. In 1985 Arthur Ralls Cox brave American soldier who believed in this country, took his gun and shot himself in the heart because after 41 years he could no longer endure the pain and the thought of what type of person he had become. Do you feel proud of this? There are chronic patients who fought like my grandfather and came back in his same situation. Instead of thanks - they get a slap in the face every day. They have to live with their pain.
My grandfather and all of the brave American soldiers past and present, fought - were wounded and in many cases died for our freedom. Perhaps you would do well to remember freedom not tyranny is what has made this nation the greatest ever to emerge on this earth. Laws and deeds such as those now proposed by yourself and Sen. Sessions dangerously mirror those of felled regimes of history; remember the USSR?
I thought this was the Bible belt and a Christian nation. They have been bragging about how great our Christian values are. Next time you read you bible, please look for the verse where Jesus told you it was ok to take medications away from real sick people for political reasons. You say you are pro life; why doesn't my life and the lives of other chronic pain patients count? We want to live - we don't want to die! We don't want to be driven to suicide because we have to endure lives of torture just to satisfy some empty political action.
I am not (Life unworthy of life, I may be slightly damaged but am worthwhile because God decided to give me life.) I am not brain damaged. I am an American citizen and I vote and my friends and family vote too. There are millions of voters afflicted with chronic pain. We do not intend to just lay down and die so you can score political brownie points with some falsely inflated non-problem. Get ready for a political fight from millions of free Americans for their right to privacy, freedom and most importantly a right to live. This won't be an easy fight. We are tired of the constitution being used as toilet paper on your butt. Your butt is not that special. Please help! You people hid behind the Bible. Since this is the Bible belt, you might want to blow the dust off of your bible and read for once. Senators don't have to go without pain - why should I? Just get ready for a political fight. We are all over the USA we are in every political party even yours! Stop the DEA interfering with our meds and records. They are out of control intimidating the doctors and pharmacies! The pharmacies are scared to fill our prescriptions or sometimes even carry our meds! This is an outrage!
Sen. Sessions is spearheading this and he needs to understand that we will not sell our medications because we need them. There are more pot heads and crack dealers that are worse - than a couple of pills being stolen. The doctors are not responsible for idiotic actions from drug addicts stealing our meds! It's the dope addicts fault, not the doctors. We are serious pain patients who need our meds. If an addict steals them, hold the addict responsible!
Doctor shopping is another one you your excuses. If a patient can't get their medications from their doctor, it's probably because the DEA has terrorized the doctor. These people labeled doctor shoppers are mostly patients just looking to get help. People are committing suicide over this and the blood is on your hands. You can stop it. Please have some sympathy for people who can't get out of bed and are in chronic pain. Please I am asking for your help and there are millions of us out there and we are voters. We have a group now and we want this harassment stopped on the senate floor!
American Citizen
Jason
"IF I DON'T GET HELP SOON, I FEAR THIS WILL WIND UP KILLING ME"
4/2005 - I have had fibromyalgia since the early '80's and here in upstate NY, Drs. frown on adequate pain meds. And others disbelieve it can be this bad - then others don't believe fibro is real.
It leaves me very frustrated. Aside from the fibro,
I have had maybe a dozen operations. I need help as I feel what happens to me might wind up killing me. I don't know where else to turn.
I believe I have exhausted all other avenues that I can think of. I believe getting my story out into the public might be my only way of getting the help I need. So here goes:
Several years ago (1993)I had a lapraoscopic choleycystectomy - and I have been
suffering and very ill ever since. My story is slighty complicated,but I
feel if I don't get help soon, I fear this will wind up killing me,
or cause irreversable damage and/or possibly shortening my life; the quality
of which, in my opinion, has gone from being vibrant - right into the trash.
Seems drs here in NY do not want to get involved - ones that might change their attitude after speaking with the surgeon that did the lapraoscopic choleycystectomy.
What I suffer through is unbearable - and it seems to have aged me drastically. (the pain and being so sick) My pain is endless - most times there is no getting comfortable. I have all but given up ongoing to Emergency Room,and my own MD wants nothing to do with this at all. I have wound up in what seems like a one gal fight for my life and no one seems to care.
Metal endoclips were lost inside me and the surgeon decided to
leave them and simply close me up. He lied to me a long time about this, saying he didn't even use any
metal clips. He had agreed pre-op not to. Plus I wore double allergy
bracelets (one on each wrist) about metals allergy, and thorough discussions
with surgeon about not using clips - he promised not to.
He kept lying to me as I got sicker and sicker.(with excruciating pain.)
Finally, many months later, he told me he used metal clips and had lost
many inside me, choosing to leave them in me, and close me up,
and - lie to me.
Finally he agreed to re-operate to attempt retreival of the clips. Not once,
but twice. The second re-operation showed a clip
had penetrated my liver. After which, he dischared me from being his patient,telling me he would do no more for me.(writing in my chart I didn't keep follow up appointments - yet another lie) I am still very sick and suffering horribly.
Over these past several years, I have been to countless Doctors and emergency rooms, even driving myself to Sayre Pennsylvania, hoping for help. Sayre explained I did need further surgery; but because no surgeon wants to go where another surgeon has been, good luck! Every Dr I have seen or have been referred to by ER, have stated to me
they do not want to get involved. That another surgery could be much too complicated. I've had a few tell me they fear a lawsuit might come from "discovery" should
they take me on as a patient, and would not wish to testify against another
in the field. Leaving me alone to suffer with no help insight.
I have been told I experience classic symptoms of biliary dysfunction,
liver dysfunction and may very well be having attatcks of pancreatitis,
plus possible intestinal blockage. I could have clips inside me as well
that may be encapsulated, break through or travel, causing all kinds of
problems which could be quite serious.(endoclip migration search through GOOGLE
could help you further understand this) These may/may not show up on CT scan,
though KUB abdominal xray shows "mulitple radiodensities that could indicate gallstones" - could be from the endoclips as well...
This all aggravates another (unrelated) medical condition I have had since my early 20's. I suffer with constant pain that feels like my upper right side has been impaled by a fence post and someone is tugging, twisting and pulling it. I have alot of greasy/yellow diarrhea, along with vomiting yellow greasy stuff or greenish frothy stuff. I get burps at times that smell fecal. I run alot of low grade fevers. I get rashes that are like pin pricks of blood just under skin. I get super itchy. Sometimes I get jaundiced looking. To be quite honest, I feel very close to death sometimes.
I have condensed this nightmare as best I can.
My name is Cindy
I am now 46 years old.
I need your help.
"ANIMALS SUFFER LESS THAN WE DO"
4/2005 - I have been fighting chronic kidney stones for the past 10 years. My problem is I am an unusual and severe case that every urologist I have been to has been unable to figure out. I pass kidney stones daily. Both kidneys are full constantly. I am forced to pass stones as large as 9mm naturally. I have surgery or lithotripsy one day and began passing another stone sometimes the same day or the next so it is impossible for them to take my to surgery that often thus i have to pass them.
After a year of any urologist treating me they become concerned by the amount of pain meds they have prescribed me and I can tell when they are getting ready to fire me as a patient. Why? Cause they are worried that they ar going to bring the DEA's attention on them. Even though I have the medical records and x-rays that show these large stones stuck and blocking the ureter they are more afraid of being noticed! I lived in my current state 6 years ago and then moved to another but returned recently, I have the same urologist I had 6 years ago as well now. He use to treat me with oxycontin or mepergan now he gives me vicodin 5mg. He is AFRAID, why else would he have changed his prescribing habits for something that is supposed to be one of the most painful things to have. I spend 2 to 3 nights a week at the emergency room which costs approx $2600 billed to medicare in order to be hooked up to an IV and giving the protocol dilaudid and toradol thru an IV. Why am I being forced to drive 17 miles to the nearest emergency room . screaming in pain, when there are adequate oral pain meds out there that would prevent the abuse of medicare funds and my needless suffering? They are AFRAID!! Again this is the same doctor who used to treat my pain adequately but now do to the action of the DEA and the way doctors offices are being raided allows me to suffer!
We need to all gather at the capitol and demand a change. Demand that our physcians are left alone to treat us with the appropriate pain medications for the conditions we suffer from! I recentyl was turned down for parathyroid surgery which was believed to maybe be the cause of my stones and I was looking forward to getting well. That is not going to happen as i thought. The first thimg i did was fall apart upon the news not becuase I would still make stones but because I would be forced to suffer the horrible pain over and over again without pain medication! I have thought of suicide as an option to stop the pain as I can't even imagination leaving like this another 10 years!
Animals don't suffer as much as I as a human being am forced to! Please everyone support this cause, get to Washington!
A Pain Patient
"DAYS FROM HELL"
4/2005 - Hello, and I'm sorry I haven't written more than just the once, but this
story and the others like it have me frightened "nearly to death!" Why
"nearly to death"? As a person with Adhesive Arachnoiditis, having "Days
From Hell" even with the Oxycontin I take for the pain, I am truly fearful
that with all this negative press, and the DEA doing what they are, the day
is coming when I will have nothing for pain relief. When that day comes I
will gaurentee people that my life will end. Until any person could
experience the pain associated with Adhesive Arachnoiditis, even for one
day, NO ONE could possibly understand what it is that I (and others) have to
deal with on a daily basis.
I wish each and every DEA agent and their superiors could, only for ONE day,
go through what I am burdened with for the rest of my life. I have chosen
NOT to sit around whineing and complaining about it. I have made a decision
to attempt to go on with my life despite the pain, finding JOY and BEAUTY in
every day that GOD grants me. Because of that, I at times may appear to be
somewhat normal, but must I be crawling along the ground screaming in pain
to be experiencing that pain? I cetainly hope not.
When I was diagnosised with Adhesive Arachnoiditis I was very depressed for
the first month and a half. I had people telling me all those "wonderful
phrases" like, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade". Well, after a lot
of thinking, soul searching, and praying to the God I believe in, I chose to
to do just that. But even more importantly I added something to the lemonade
phrase. That being. "If God gives you lemons, the test isn't whether or not
you'll make lemonade. Gods true test in that situation is, when the lemonade
is made, are you and it going to go through life bitter or sweet?"
Just because I've chosen NOT to be bitter. To strive to find happiness in
spite of the pain. Does that mean that I must now worry about the
"authorities" taking away the ONLY relief that I have? The ONLY pain
medcation that has allowed me to even have a choice as to how I'll deal with
the pain I MUST deal with for the rest of my life?
Without Oxycontin I will most certainly NOT have a life. I never want to
experience pain at the levels I have in the past, prior to finding the
appropriate dose of medication. And I never want the DEA, FBI, Lawyers, and
others who haven't the slightest clue as to what pain levels I deal with
taking it or my doctor away.
This is pure madness when our government would inflict this type of mental
and physical torture on it's doctors and patients. Now the doctors and the
patients are being forced in to the rolls of fighting amongst themselves.
STOP THIS MADNESS..........PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Most Sincerely
Richard
"IT'S A WAR ON
EFFECTIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT"
4/2005 - Dear Rev. Myers, M.D.,
I am a 49 yr old woman, I enjoyed a career in Nursing for 24 years before becoming to ill in 1997. I have Systemic Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Sarcoidosis and Severe Gastroparesis. Only you and other individuals who have given themselves to the cause would understand what I have been thru.
Dr. Myers, It was so hard to accept that I could not work any longer, that my dreams, that my calling in life, was not possible any longer. I never dreamed I would be denied the pain meds that I need, and certainly never dreamed I would be treated so poorly by so called MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS. I could write a book of the many experiences I have gone thru because I am a Chronic Pain Patient.
I have been undertreated for pain, mistreated by personnel in Hospital Emergency Rooms and talked down to because I have Chronic Pain. I didn't work in the Hospital for the majority of my career, however I recall way back in the late 70's and early 80's how patients in pain were "talked about" by some Nurses. I was saddened to see that this attitude was so contagious - if one Nurse said that a patient wasn't truly in pain, it seemed to go right thru the shifts until all hospital staff began treating pain patients as though they were not truly in pain. I wonder how these people would have wanted their love ones treated.
Dr. Myers, there is a War on Drugs. Unfortuantely the war is not where it should be. The War should be to get Pain treated effectively - to protect those Doctors who are compassionate and who risk their license to treat those suffering with Chronic Pain. It's time to stop Doctors from living in fear of the DEA and have Pain Patients treated with dignity and equally, irregardless of color or creed.
Please let me know what I can do for the Cause. I am on Disability and I can't support your work financially, however
I can write letters. When I am feeling well enough to be at the computer, I will work for the cause of seeing that justice is done.
Thank God I have a Great Pain Management Doctor. I must tell you Dr. Myers, I have a lump in my throat when I think about the possiblity of him stopping the practice of Pain Managment for any reason. I lost one Pain Mgmt. doctor who moved out of State suddenly. I had been under his care for seven years. His patients were suddenly left to find another Doctor on their own, no referral.
I know my letter is long and my concentration isnt the best because of my illnesses.
I know that God is my strength and I need to apply Faith where there is Fear. I admire you and Pray that God undergirds you with Strength to continue your battle, with spiritual wickedness in High Places.
God Bless and Keep You and Yours,
Sincerely,
Bev
"WE DONT CARE ABOUT DIVERSION!"
May 2005 - Well, That makes me feel a hell of alot better about
getting my pain treated. Just quit writing meds.
What we as pain patients need to get across to the
government is the fact that we don't care about
diversion - it will happen. If someone shoots up
Oxycontin and dies, then that's one less abuser. We as
a society cannot police every idiot on our own, they
will eventually die from something stupid. But pain
patients outweigh idiots. Not I, my doctor or the
government is responsible for dumb redneck idiots. I
think we should let them kill themselves quietly, and then
pain patients can go on living a normal life.
Until all of these sissy doctors stand up for
your rights, you are going to keep getting pushed
around. Dr. Myers is the only doctor who has stood up.
I am a white person but I have to say that the black
race has more backbone than white people. Remember I
am white and I'm one out of a few who will voice my
opinion. This sucks! We don't have time to stand up
and tell Congress "this is it!" President Bush has gotten
his way a hundred amendments ago.
I'm sorry I am not
going along like a sheep. I am going to buck the system
the right way. And if any of you care ask yourself if
you have written a letter to you Senators and
Congressman? If you haven't, you're not doing anything
because I did. Write those letters and express your
feeling about the situation and tell them that Bush
doesn't always have to have his way.
Jason
"THE DEA IS OUT OF CONTROL"
May 2005 -
Dear Members of the Minority of the House Judiciary Committee:
I am writing this letter for all people in our Country who suffer intractable chronic pain. It is very difficult to obtain help from physician's, most pharmacists because of their fear of the DEA and in some cases their respective state medical boards. The DEA is totally out of control harassing Dr.'s who prescribe strong pain medications. They tell you that those of us who get them divert them to the street. This is a total untruth. I know hundreds of chronic pain patients such as myself and I do not know a single one who sells their medication's. I, personally, fought tooth and nail from late 1988 until I finally obtained meaningful help in June of 1997. I almost lost my mind and have very little memory of those years because of severe pain. I had to go on disability to survive because I can't work due to pain and severe depression/anxiety disorder. Dr's are scared to death of the DEA. It is time for Congressional Hearings on the Pain Crisis in our Country. Please use your influence in the House to have hearings on this subject. Please let those of us who are effected tell you our story/stories. Please do not listen to what the DEA beaucrats tell you as they will tell untruth's to get more money from you to fight the war on drugs, meaning to keep legitimate pain patients from getting their needed medications. Many people are taking thier own lives because they can't stand the pain any longer.
Please help us.
Sincerely, Ray
"I'M A US CITIZEN TRYING TO
COPE WITH EVERYDAY LIVING"
Dear Whom Ever Will Listen,
May 2005 - I am a pain management patient facing a threat to my health and well being. I have been evaluated by many doctors, and for no valid reason they aren't using the advanced medication created by our pharmaceutical companies. Doctors whom come right out and say their afraid to use these medications for fear of being investigated by the state, or worse yet prosecuted and jailed. These doctors took a hypocritical oath to treat patients to the best of their abilities, which includes opioid medications for the treatment of intractable pain, AND THAT'S NOT BEING DONE. And sirs we are not talking about pain after surgeries, and in a couple weeks everything's fine. I have tried, and exhausted conventional medicine. This is a last and final resort for me.
If you read the negative press about opioid treatments, due partly to famous people who have used these and many illegal drugs for recreation proposes, it sheds a dim light on those of us suffering from intractable pain. It's sad the people that don't get medical attention and end up taking their lives, seeing that as the only way to stop the pain and suffering.
I finally found a doctor, which I thank God for everyday. Unfortunately back in January 2004, I was informed that he was being investigated. This doctor slowly introduced opioid medications as part of my protocol, and has brought me to a level that I can function in society. Now I'm able to be a spouse again, a parent to my children, and now run a pain advocacy organization. My concerns are what's going to happen to me if this doctor no longer is able to practice? Is the Board of Medical Examiner's going to treat me? Are they going to pay my emergency room charges? Worse yet are they going to support my family if I have a fatal heart attack stopping these medications abruptly?
Yes it's been over a year since they contacted him, and he continues to see pain management patients. But his practice has suffered greatly; he has lost many patients and is afraid to take on new pain management patients. Physicians go to college many years to be able to support their own family's lifestyle. And that can be threatened with false allegations? In this day and age aren't we innocent before PROVEN guilty. How can we sit back and allow this to happen? Why, so others can justify their jobs?
Like I said I have since became part of a organization joining other states to get legislation changed to protect knowledgeable and caring physicians, as well as the patients suffering from intractable pain.
I am tired of being grouped in with the street junkies. I am a citizen trying to cope with everyday living. Instead of the media selling their horror stories because that's what people seem to want to hear, why don't they see the positive side of what these medications given by a professional doctor can do? Intractable pain is a real and serious condition, which can be kept under control with the proper medication. How many suicides must there be before this issue is addressed?
Laurie B from NJ
"PLEASE STOP THESE CRIME STOPPERS FROM
HARMING
INNOCENT CITIZENS!"
THE DEA IS OUT OF CONTROL SPENDING FINITE REVENUES TO HARASS CARING
PHYSICIANS THAT SHOULD BE SPENT GOING AFTER REAL CRIMINALS. I SUFFER
FROM CENTRAL PAIN SYDROME CAUSED BY AN ISCHEMIC STROKE 6 YEARS AGO.
THERE IS NO CURE AND FOR MANY IT GETS WORSE. I AM FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO
HAVE FOUND AN ONLINE SUPPORT GROUP TO HELP ME DEAL WITH IT. BUT MANY OF
OUR MEMBERS HAVE NOT FOUND AFTER YEARS OF TRYING ANY WAY TO EVEN DULL
THIS AWFUL PAIN EXCEPT THE "BIG GUNS" OF NARCOTICS SUCH AS OXYCONTIN.
DURING MY YEARS HERE WE HAVE HAD 3 KNOWN SUICIDES BY YOUNG PEOPLE WHO
COULD NOT FACE A LIFETIME OF PAIN WITH NO HOPE OF RELIEF. MANY OTHERS
MIGHT HAVE DONE THE SAME---THEY SIMPLY FADED AWAY.
PLEASE STOP THE DEA FROM TAKING DOCTORS LICENSES AWAY. MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR PHARMACIES TO EVEN STOCK PAIN RELIEVING DRUGS. THESE LAWS ARE AIMED AT THE WRONG
PEOPLE. I TAKE VICODIN, SAID TO BE A HIGHLY ADDICTIVE DRUG, I AM NOT
ADDICTED BUT I NEED IT TO REDUCE THE PAIN I LIVE WITH. MANY RECENT
STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT PEOPLE IN REAL PAIN DI NOT RISK ADDICTION
BECAUSE THEY NEVER GET THE HIGH THAT RECREATIONAL DRUG USERS GET. I
TAKE 10 MG 4 X /DAY, HAVE FOR 10 YRS. NEVER DOCTOR SHOPPED NOR
INCREASED MY DOSE. BESIDES THE CPS I HAVE AVASCULAR NECROSIS IN MY LEFT
SHOULDER. WHICH IS EXTREMELY PAINFUL, ALSO OSTEOARTHRITIS OF MY SPINE. I
HAVE ONLY USED THE DURAGESIC PAIN PATCH WHEN I BROKE MY ARM LAST YEAR.
ON TOP OF ALL MY OTHER PROBLEMS THE PAIN WAS UNBEARABLE. IT IS TERRIBLE
THAT MY DOCTOR HAS TO FILL OUT THE TRIPLICATE SCRIPTS AND THE PHARMACY
HAS TO KEEP ALL THESE SEPARATE RECORDS TO KEEP THE DEA OFF ITS BACK.
AND WHAT IF MY DOCTOR HAD A FEW MORE PATIENTS LIKE ME? THEY ARE TRACKING
HIS PRESCRIBING RECORDS. PLEASE STOP THESE CRIME STOPPERS FROM HARMING
INNOCENT CITIZENS.
JAYME & BENNYE
"DOCTOR ADMITS FEAR OF FEDS AND
PRESCRIBES MORE DAMAGING DRUG"
April 2005 -
When my Dr. was treating me for Neurological and Pain conditions, I told him the only time my pain level was at a comfortable level for any length of time was when I was taking Narcotics during extensive dental work. I was
told that even though a combination of Ibubrofen and Vicodin was helpful
for me, he could not precribe that for me on a long term basis
because of government "red-tape". He said that personally, he had no
problem with me taking that particular drug combination - but because of
some over-regulation, he could not continue the prescription after the
supply given for my dental work ran out. In place of what I did find
helpful, I was given a prescription for an anti-convulsant drug, which has the
potential of causing some serious problems to both my liver and my bone
marrow. I did discuss the potential cost of treating either liver or
bone marrow failure vs the cost of any narcotic addiction. He did agree
with me that from a cost basis, treating narcotic usage problems is less
expensive than treating problems resulting from usage of anti-convulsant medication for pain. He also refered me to a bio-feedback program which has provided minimal and inconsistent relief.
I have had more depression using the only modalities my Dr feels comfortable providing. He says he
understands this and has apologized for the necessity to include
Government regulation into my treatment, but if he didn't, his
license would be at risk and if he lost that, he wouldn't be able to
treat anyone. He stated it's usually his practice to use whichever
drugs work best for a particular patient but when narcotics are
involved, the government doesn't seem to trust his ability to monitor
and manage drug usage to balance risks and benefits.
Katherine
"BOTH POLITICAL PARTYS WOULD BE CHARGED WITH CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY!"
May 2005 -
I have endured chronic pain for over forty (40) years. Doctors have told me to "tough it out", because there was nothing they could to cure the problem. Usually the doctor would give me 20 1/2 grain codeine pills and as many N.S.A.I.D.S. as I wanted. In my early forties I felt I could not fight the pain any more! Thanks to a doctor in a Pain Clinic, I was sent to a doctor who treated me with Opiates and several other medications that blocked the Hellish pain I was going thru! I still had pain, but it was minimal! I began to enjoy life!
About four years later, my pain doctor was arrested for the crimes of compassion, and adherence to the Oath! Today, he is in a Federal Prison!
I found another doctor who kept me on the same regiment of drugs, because I was titrated to the formula worked up by my first pain doctor.
Two weeks ago, my pain doctor stopped treating all chronic pain patients. He had a family to look after. Now I am trying to find a new doctor, and it isn't easy!
What makes people in the Government so cold to human suffering?
DAYRL
"WRONGFUL PROSECUTION AGAINST PAIN MANAGEMENT DOCTORS"
April 2005 - As a person who has suffered CHRONIC PAIN for over half of my adult life and continues to suffer from severe levels of intractable Chronic Pain, it disturbs me each and every single day when I pickup a magazine; turn on the news; or read online articles seeing this perceived war on doctors who treat people who suffer from intractable Chronic Pain, or subjectively demonizing doctors who prescribe opioids; or pain patients who require narcotics to manage pain, an in some cases, what may be considered large dosages of narcotics to manage pain. What is a large dose? What is a small dose? Dosage is irrelevant in the under treatment of pain. Dosage is relevant, when it takes a certain measurement or quantity of medication to relieve the symptoms so pain can be managed.
To the Chronic Pain patient who requires large doses of opioids to manage pain, it can become very expensive to treat this disease. Chronic Pain kills. To those who are unable to get any relief from pain, suicide often looks like a viable way to escape the misery and bondage caused by pain. Ask any long term sufferer of CHRONIC PAIN, and off the record, they will usually confide that if they had no relief for their pain, they would not go on living and would likely consider taking drastic action, such as considering �suicide� to bring an end to their suffering. How do I qualify that statement? As a leader and participant in Chronic Pain Support Groups, I have heard on many occasions where a person has often considered or thought about �suicide�, rather than running into dead ends in trying to get adequate relief of their pain. There is a hidden truth though. Chronic Pain can be treated and it can be managed. It often will require the use of strong medications called Opioids, which in layman terms is often called Morphine like drugs.
To those people who are fortunate to never have suffered �Chronic Pain�, there is really nothing to compare it to. People that have acute episodes of pain, such as toothaches, kidneystones, appendicitis, sprains, charley-horse type muscle spasms to just name a few, always have a bright future, as most times, these types of pain are temporary and will resolve itself in a matter of hours, days and in some rare instances, weeks. Now, imagine having those above mentioned types of pain,every waking hour, of every single day in your life. Would you feel like screaming in agony? Perhaps. Would you expect that as civilized human beings, someone our there would be willing to help you? Categorically, that would be a definitive YES! To those who have watched the movie, �The Passion of the Christ�, and based on box office statistics, it would indicate very many people; one of the most prominent replies that I have heard, that the people who tortured Christ were brutal and despicable. What is the heart breaking aspect of seeing someone being tortured? Pain and suffering would be two of the top things that would come to mind. Imagine, human beings inflicting torturous pain on others to that kind of degree!
Here we are two thousand years later, and sadly, torturous levels of pain are still suffered by many people. Severe Chronic Pain is a torturous type of pain. It erodes the passions in the human soul. It robs a person�s self worth. Pain and suffering, supersedes most other thought processes in the mind. When in pain, most other stimuli to the five senses seem to take a back seat in prominence to the conscious mind. The unrelenting pain seems to take up every thought and takes away the quality of life a person could have. These are the very words of Chronic Pain patients, some of which may include my very own.
Yes, when we hear news stories, read articles about narcotics in the newspapers and magazines, too often, there is a tragic story reported, where a person has died, due to overdosing on a drug, often these drugs reported are narcotics. Often, there are also legal drugs in the toxicology reports, such as alcohol being present and often, many other non-narcotic drugs present too. Sadly, the opponents to doctors who treat Chronic Pain, will often build there stories and cases around some drug addict who died as the result of a possible drug overdose, especially where traces of a prescription pain drug is found to be one of the drugs that have led to the cause of death. Moreover, the person who died was often not even prescribed the drug in the first place. Or if the person, who died, was prescribed the drug, they likely were not taking the drug as prescribed by their doctor. Why does the doctor get the blame? They must be the target of least resistance by some of these agencies that are quick to prosecute and imprison these medical professionals. What are often not mentioned is the hundreds of CHRONIC PAIN patients, who are taking their medications exactly as prescribed, and are lawabiding citizens of society, who are actually living a meaningful life to some degree, as a result of having their pain managed. Sadly, there are too few doctors in the first place, who are in the pain management field. With the prosecutions taking place, it will certainly mean, that there will be far fewer pain management doctors in the future, and even yet fewer doctors in training, who would be willing to even consider pain management as their profession of choice. The trickle down effect of this, will mean fewer and fewer patients who suffer from chronic pain will ever get legitimate treatment for their pain.
Do government agencies prosecute the manager of a liquor store who sells a bottle of booze that could ends up in the wrong hands causing a drunk driver to take many lives away from the abuse of alcohol? They are likely protected by a law that as long as the product was sold legally from the retail outlet. Do gun retail managers get prosecuted for selling firearms that are involved in shootings and murders? As long as the firearm is sold lawfully, the retail outlet would escape any prosecution. It does not mean though the person who purchased the firearm, or the person who purchased the booze will consume or use the product lawfully. If the person who uses the product or item illegally, than the illegal act would fall on the person using the product when prosecution happens.
It is disturbing to see how prosecution agencies will build a case on demonizing doctors who are compassionate enough and caring enough to see patients who suffer intractable Chronic Pain. These doctors are rare in numbers who even choose pain management as their specialty of choice. In some countries, the waiting list is over three years in length for a patient to get to see the pain specialist in the first place!
Some patients require very large doses of opioids to manage their pain. It is not because a doctor is prescribing some great number picked out of a hat. It is because the pain patient needs a large dosage of this medication to treat their pain. Some patients can get the same relief on a very lower dosage. It would be the same for many other illnesses. Some diabetics can manage their disease with diet, while others need a low dosage of insulin, while others need much higher dosages. Same with eye sight. Some patients have good eyesight, while others need very strong lenses to manage their eye sight deficiency.
In my opinion, I would say for the opponents who do not like seeing pain treated with narcotics, or to the enforcement agencies that are willing to go take these compassionate and caring doctors to task, because of a person who had died as a result of taking a medication inappropriately, it is not the fault of the doctors. The responsibility for taking medications appropriately rests with the patient. The same would apply to people who drink alcohol, or use firearms; the usage of such things lawfully, rests with the person using the item, as long as they acquired the item lawfully, and obtained the item lawfully.
Why doctors are expected to be responsible for patient�s actions or be responsible for a patient�s misconduct, seems barbaric to me.
For some person that uses a gun to commit criminal acts, it would be their breaking of the law, not the manufacturer of the gun or the retailer of the gun, as long as it was sold to the person lawfully in the first place.
As adults, we are responsible for our own actions. For people that do irresponsible things and especially in the case of plea bargains, point the blame on doctors who prescribe pain medications, it just seems illogical and barbaric. It is as bad as the Middle Ages, when people were considered �witches� and burned at the stake. Innocent people were brutally executed because of a difference in religious philosophy or opinion.
In closing to the subjective aspect of quantifying pain, and proving how severe it is; I will leave the reader with one thought. When someone thinks a Chronic Pain patient does not suffer a high level of pain or not, what criteria are they quantifying the opinion on?
When a parent loves a child, or a spouse loves their spouse, it is obvious that love is a very strong and prominent force or emotion. How can it be quantified? How can one prove it, or measure the degree of how much love exists? Much of the perception is subjective. It is between the people that love each other that know it truly exists and how strong or weak that link could be.
Before prosecuting doctors who care enough to treat people who have severe intractable Chronic Pain, think a minute of how uncaring it would be for them to not bother treating a person who is suffering severe levels of Chronic Pain. Just as those law enforcement people try to inflict brutal policies on prosecuting Pain Management Doctors, take a look at how brutal suffering is on the human psyche. A movie depiction of torture, pain and suffering as illustrated in the movie, �The Passion of the Christ�, it would be a good example of comparison of showing how brutal biased enforcement of unfair laws are; and especially unfair when it comes to prosecuting law abiding Pain Management Doctors who are compassionate enough and care enough to try and help a patient who suffers severe levels of intractable Chronic Pain, lessen the suffering, cruelty and bondage that Chronic Pain can cause.
Yours truly
Paul
"FROM THE BEGINNING, IT'S BEEN A FIGHT FOR RELIEF"
April 2005 -
I have been forced to deal with chronic pain for the past 8 years due to a c-section gone bad, 9 failed hernia repairs, degenerative disk/joint disease, sciatica, 4 ruptured disk and scoliosis.
From the beginning, it's been a
fight for adequate pain control. I've had doctors tell me so many out and out lies. (the pain was all in my head, over the counter meds would help, didn't want to make me an addict and that their practice would be at risk if they treated me with narcotics) These doctors are afraid of our government. They are afraid that if they do what they know is right for the patient, it will draw too much attention to their practice. I have to say that I don't feel bad for these doctors - they took an oath to take care of patients health concerns.
I have a disease called 'chronic pain'. I would gladly trade shoes with anyone who thinks the pain is all in my head. I guarantee you would be begging for help to stop the pain.
Doctors should stand up for their patients and help us make the DEA understand we live in pain. We're not drug abusers, drug dealers or anything like that! The DEA needs to open their eyes and see that the true chronic pain patient requires narcotic medicine to live. Why should I be responsible for the drug abuser? They know these medications don't belong to them. I say let them kill themselves. The FDA approved these drugs for people who suffer around the clock from chronic pain - not addicts.
The DEA is putting up roadblocks so pain patients can't get their medicines. They might as well be murderers.
Louise
"OUR DOCTORS ARE SLOWLY BEING CONVICTED FOR PRESCRIBING NARCOTICS FOR PAIN"
4/9/05
Dear Senator Cornyn,
The purpose of my writing this letter is to find out what and how to handle the crisis with in the medical field today. Our physicians are slowly being convicted and sentenced for prescribing narcotics for pain. Now I happen to agree that any physician who knowingly and willfully sells or provide the means for a person to sell these specific drugs are presenting them as no better than the junkie or dealer who is buying them. But as it is known, this is rarely the case. These doctors today are being charged and convicted simply by prescribing these drugs to patients without knowledge of the patients who are actually selling these drugs. A prime example of this is Dr. Hurwitz. He was convicted in just such manner. Now it only remains to be seen as to what the judge over this trial actually sees this case for.
Sir now we, and I speak for thousands of constituents around the state of Texas and even adjoining states, are wanting to know what the government is going to do to fix this growing and already this small giant of a problem. The biggest problem that�s growing at an ever increasing and alarming rate is the power that the Drug Enforcement Administration has and is continuing to gain over our very own physicians ability to practice medicine. They are now running for cover from fear of prosecution, due to just one of there patients that may have them blindsided by the manipulation of a drug addict playing on his compassion for a person to live a relative pain free life, in which that person may not be able to otherwise.
Well the states medical board was the overseer of how a doctor treated and prescribed medication, but not anymore. The DEA has, now all but, removed the State Board of Medical Examiners from practicing policing their own doctors. I am appalled at how the United States of America has proceeded into this area of medical practice and probably not one DEA agent has a medical degree nor has become an M.D. How would you feel if you went to your own family physician with a broken arm or leg and the doctor repaired the problem and only then said, Sir, you will have to drive over to the DEA office on the loop in Tyler, TX. Just to get a prescription for a medication for pain. That�s 35-40 miles away if you live in Longview, TX. Well, by all rights, that�s where it�s heading because if, the government is going to lock up doctors for what a drug addict did or may do, then you aren�t going to see many doctors who are willing to trash his whole life over whether or not he can prescribe opiates for pain. Especially while he has to do the job of the justice system and the DEA, by sorting out who is and who isn�t a con or scammer. Now sir, I know the drug problem is serious but might ought the DEA go back after the heroin and after illegal substances, in which it was supposed to be doing instead of criminalizing our physicians and pharmacists with there barbaric destruction sequence that they run on.
Anyways Sir, there must be something that we as a society can do to stop this nonsense that the DEA is doing. Are you willing to help us stand and repair this corrupt and tainted system. Please respond as what your position is on this situation.
Thank You,
Tim/TX
