Another "pain clinic" death.. here we go.

I just got home from seeing my PM dr and for those of you who do not know me I live in Tampa, Fl. I have 2 herniated discs in my upper spine/neck area along with a heck of a lot going on in my lower spine. I am having the typical cortisone shots/fleruoscopy and radiofrequency (i know those are all spelled wrong) between the next few days. So I call my mother to let her know the results and here comes the lecture. Apparently there was a pain clinic sting in Jacksonville, Fl due to an overdose death up there. You could go in and pay $100- $140 and get "whatever you wanted". I love my mother unconditionally- but lets start my day. I woke up at 4 am with pain, by 5 am I vomiting due to the pain, getting ready for the dr at 7:30... my dr. wasn't there so I had a 5 minute long conversation with a dr. I quite frankly think has the personality of my Electrolux. I decide that I am going to take off of work today because I really couldn't keep the nausia down. I call my mother and this is what I hear... "I don't want to bury you" "can't you see a regular dr?" "i'm scared you are addicted" "you are going to lose your job because of your abscenses" So now I am crying my eyes out, because there is nothing like hearing your mother pretty much sum me up to a loser. How do you make someone understand the pain that you deal with on a daily basis? I have been to holistic, chiropractors, masseues, acupuncturists, ER, PCPs and so on and so forth. There are just some areas where modern medication has to come in, and this is one of them. I understand her worry, but she should know me better than that.  And, I work for a Fortune 100 company, and I am under FMLA. So my job is fine. And now knowing this, that means things are going to get tougher down here for Pain Management drs. I tried to explain to her it is because of things like that happening that a regular PCP will not prescribe medications for people. I'm just having a bad day and just needed to talk to people I know can relate.

Kttn,  I'm in Florida too so I am sure I will be hearing about it.  I'm sorry about your mom.  My mom is a CPer also so we commiserate together but it's from other family that we get the "concern".  My husbands family really hates the fact that I am on meds.  I've had many a day when I was in tears.  I had my husband send them the "Letter to Normals" although I they haven't said anything about that.

I hope you are having a better evening.

Melissa

Hi Kttn,
I am usually on the fibromyalgia forum and I think that I have talked to you there, is that possible? I can understand what you are dealing with, it is no fun especially when you are in pain. Oh and I do have an old electrolux so I can kind of picture what this guy is like. ha ha
I believe with chronic pain that I probably by now have an addiction to pain killers. So what, I will have to take them for the rest of my life any way. This is CHRONIC, long term, and most likely forever.
I know it hurts you when your mom talks to you the way she did. You don't need the added stress, it will just make your pain worse, don't you think? Maybe for your benefit you should not talk to her about it or not comment much when she brings it up. I know that she cares about you but I don't think she understands what you are going through.
It is too bad that the addicted people who abuse drugs have to make it so much harder for people like us who need the medications.
So try to over look her comments and relax and avoid stress as much as you can until you can see your doctor that you were supposed to see. Once you are in a pain management system by one doctor, if you have to change to another, they usually pick up the same protocol that you were using.
Maybe you can download some information for her to read that will change her additude. Some people get something set in thier heads and are stubborn and wont see things your way. Or she could be in denial over it. But it sounds like you have some bad back problems that need pain management.
I hope I understood what you were saying and didn't just make a fool out of myself, it wouldn't be the first time.
I hope you have a painfree night with plenty of rest. Try to relax, you don't have to prove anything to anybody. Just do what you have to.
Hugs,
getting by

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fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, clinically depressed and allergies

Post Edited (getting by) : 11/8/2007 10:22:45 PM (GMT-7)

your mother simply isn't equipped to understand what you are going through. Nobody but other chronic pain/illness sufferers really can.

Almost all of us experience this ignorance, discrimination, rude and cruel treatment, and all the rest that comes from massive public ignorance about chronic pain and opiates/"drugs" in general.

Virtually nobody, including addicts themselves, really understands the science and psychopharmacology that goes into these issues of tolerance, physical dependency and psychological addiction. We have to educate ourselves, our friends/families and then the public at large if we ever expect these issues to get better.

There is such a bizarre stigma attached to chronic pain and long term opiate treatment; we need to create advocacy groups and make chronic pain a "sexy cause" on par with Cancer (Breast in particular -- everyone likes to Save the Boobies!), AIDS, MS, et al.

I have many friends with those conditions, and they deserve relief -- but so do we!

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Conditions: Chronic Pelvic Pain, Severe Lesioning of the Spermatic Cord, Reiter Syndrome (Reactive Arthritis and Myalgias along with a slew of other symptoms), Sacroiliitis, Costochondritis, widespread Tendonitis, and on and on. Typical daily pain levels exceed 8.5.

Medications: Oxycodone, Dilaudid, Lidoderm (lidocaine) Patches, Flexeril, Soma, Testred (testosterone capsules); many herbs & supplements.

Previous medications: Opana ER (12 hour time releasd Oxymorphone, Endo Pharm.), Fentanyl patches (two 100mcg/hr patches worn simultaneously, changed every two days; Mylan generic solid polymer patches), Cymbalta, Lyrica, Neurontin, Amitryptyline, every NSAID known to man, Prednisone, and many more.

Hi Everyone, I normally post on the hepatitis forum, but I came across this post and thought I should reply. My husband suffers from cirrhosis. He also has degeneritive disc disease among other problems with his neck and back. He has been taking pain medication for a few years now. I just wanted to let you know that I have been guilty of not being understanding when it came to my husbands pain. We were unaware of the cirrhosis and at times when he took the pain meds he would become very out of it. I thought he was taking to much. Since then I have learned a lot about cirrhosis and how the medication can build up in the body if the liver is not working properly. He is now on medication that helps his body expel the toxins that build up in his body. Most of the time he is fine now although due to the cirrhosis and hep C his mental ability will never be as it once was. I just wanted to thank you all for posting here and educating those of us that don't know what CP suffers go through. Even though my husband has said some of the exact same things that you have posted here it really helped me to hear it from others in the same boat. Thank you again.

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Butterflythree

Thank you everyone for the replies.... Gramps, I never had the procedures done because I ended up in the hospital that night and have only recently been released. Nothing too serious, I don't think. I can't spell what I have, but it has been narrowed down to colotis or darvoticulits? can't spell. {Another thing to add to my ever list of issues.} This might be too much info but I have to have a coloscopy. Which, hopefully everything will be fine. It was so nice to come home and read everyone's replies. Although this makes my medicine cabinet even larger! Well, I hope this comes to you all on a pain-free day. And thanks again all for the support. :)

I don't know that everyone would agree, but addiction is certainly true in my case. I've been taking pain pills for years and and am most certainly physically addicted. I don't try to pretend otherwise. My family knows it as I am pretty forthcoming and they worry about me. I reassure them that I can be weaned off the meds and don't have any psychological benefit that would hamper the weaning process. In the meantime, this is a part of my story with chronic pain. Maybe this isn't reassuring, but it is certainly part of the issue.

And, FWIW, I go to a highly respected pain clinic and they take good ans proper care of me. I'm not getting pain meds for their financial (or other) benefit. There are reputable, non-homicidal pain docs around. As is typical of an overgrown government, the FDA puts a microscope on opiate-prescribing docs and persecutes them over-zealously. This leads to an unfair general perception of this medical specialty. It's quite a shame for those of us who need specialized care.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

Regards.
Stephanie

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Stephanie

Dx: FMS/CMP/DDD - 2 ACFs with more to follow, scoliosis, mis-aligned pelvis
Rx: Cymbalta, Flexeril, EC Naprosyn, Ambien CR, Vicodin 5/500, Kadian 60, Buspar, Xanax, Seravent, Albuterol, herbal supplements and vitamins, Lidocaine injections, and Botox injections