When I was finally seen by one of the doctors, he turned out to be someone who didn't believe in prescribing morphine. In the end I ended up spending eight hours in an emergency room so I could get enough pills to carry me through to my appointment next week in the pain clinic. Hopefully my doctor there will be willing to take over prescribing my medications. It should not be his responsibility, but I seem to have no other choice.
When pain is allowed to escalate past a certain point it takes a substantial amount of medication to bring the level back down to manageable again. It once took two days of intravenous injections every three hours to restore the balance. Thankfully, I hadn't gone too far this time, and just a little extra dosing managed to restore the balance.
It's a horrible thing when your well being is dependant on the whims and prejudices of other people. Why is it there are doctors who refuse to treat a patient with the same medication they have been taking for three years? Hospitals have no problem using morphine as pain medication, or sending a patient home with a prescription for morphine after they are released, so why are there doctors still allowed to practice who refuse to recognise its benefits?
The whole addiction myth has long since been disproved. If you are in pain morphine is not addictive. I have been easily able to stop taking it on many occasions by properly weaning myself down to zero. There have been none of the symptoms commonly associated with withdrawal.
Having been down the road of stopping various addictive behaviours I was anticipating all sorts of problems; sweats, chills, cramps, and the rest. But because my body no longer needed the drug for relief of pain, it was easy to rid myself of the need to take it.
As far as I was concerned I was put through living hell for two days by the bigotry and antiquated ideas of an incompetent doctor. It makes me wonder how many people are now needlessly suffering from pain that is eminently manageable. As a nurse in emergency said to me last night: "It's amazing how people who have never experienced pain can "know" so much about treating it"
Article comments
1 - alpha
I am sorry to hear of your pain, Gypsyman. Although sometimes it is an old friend that reminds you of your mortality, it is the job of physicians to alleviate it. In the U.S. that job has been hindered to a ridiculous extent by bureaucrat-cops under the powers of the D.E.A. and by the meek fear of the medical profession. They do not suffer. Patients suffer needlessly.
Luckily my pain is mostly chest pain alleviated by nitrates which are still legal and oxygen which actually needs a Rx in the U.S. if not here. Who would guess that you need to get a prescription to breathe?
Visit my early post, "Painful Medicine" here on Blogriticsfor my visit to the same subject -- personal as it is.
2 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Gypsyman,
A friend of mine had a boyfriend who suffered from chronic bsack pain. Being of American Indian descent, he was very stoic about it - stiff upper lip doesn't even come close. But he needed therapy.
He was taught visualization. I do not knopw all of the details of the treatment, but it is not too far over the border in Minnesota (I think),
Being in somewhat bad straits myself (living on the streets), I tried this visualization thing. I visualized being successful, living in a brick house with a wife and kids and cancelled every thought that went against the vision. Ten years later(1993), I had the the whole ball of wax - except that the house was made of cinder, not brick.
3 - Shelly
I can certainly relate to your pain and the experience you went through finding a new doctor. I took a new job that meant a promotion and moved from a location where I had been treated at a pain clinic for over 5 years, with Staydol patches, for my chronic pain, and break-through pain medication.
Prior to a doctor finally realizing I was not crazy, I was ready to medically retire from work (I was only working 24 hrs a week due to the chronic pain). Then I found a physician who believed I should not have to suffer and put me on pain medication. From thrtr, I finally started living life. I received 2 promotions and began working in Research Administration. I went back to school and received my MBA with a 3.97 GPA. That is what led to another huge promotion--and a move.
I was more afraid of the move due to being able to still control my pain than anything else. My fear proved to be justified. Since my move I have learned that not all parts of the US have nice pain clinics like the area I came from. I have not been able to find one here. The most I can get for pain is vicodin. Anyone who has been on morophine or Staydol knows that once you are on those medications to control your pain--and then are lowered to vicodin, it's like taking plain tylenol for a gunshot wound to the gut--and two crushed legs.
I am now barely able to get up in the morning due to the pain. I wonder how much longer I am going to be able to continue without adequate pain management. I honestly don't know what to do. I just started seeing a new pain doctor, and he too, prescribed me vicodin, and I can't even take it daily.
The people who have abused drugs just haven't hurt themselves and their families--they have made it totally miserable for those of us who really need pain medications and who follow the rules.
Shelly
4 - Jamie
I was told by an MD that getting off the timed release morophine would be easy. Unfortuantely, my body chemistry must be different. I had omitted one pill per 24 hr. period (one 30mg of 2 pills per day) and found within hours that the withdrawl symptoms were unmanageable particularily with my high pace professional career. Some of us need to wean off of it at a slower pace than others... what a fright for me and my husband.