The cover story for todays NY Times Magazine is on the treatment of pain. It is very thorough and excellent.
For those in chronic pain here, I also highly recommend the book "The Truth About Chronic Pain".
Some knowledge that the article imparts is that chronic pain is very, very hard on one's body - it can impair the immune system, damage the heart, damage the brain, and other effects. It is very, very important to treat chronic pain effectively - not just bring it down to a dull roar. And, contrary to the bad reputation of opiods, they are very effective at relieving pain - and are actually much safer than taking daily doses of Advil, Tylenol, etc. There is a difference between dependence and addiction.
DON'T LIVE WITH YOUR PAIN!! See a smart pain specialist.
Posted by Anneke (Member # 7939) on :
Thanks for posting this. I second your recommendation of the Truth About Chronic Pain. It taught me that it is ok to do anything necessary to treat my pain.
-Aniek
Posted by jaime1978 (Member # 11786) on :
thank you for the post.... I get so upset with people who look at my like I'm crazy for taking pain meds.
Honestly, the narcotics are much safer that nsaids....when taken properly, and your body CAN NOT heal when it's in pain....
and until you've walked in my shoes for a month, you have no idea of what it's like.... the stigma surrounding pain meds is unreal.
Dont judge me just because you can't see what's going on inside.... it really does someting to a mother, when you can't hold your crying child because the pain is so bad.
I push myself to be "normal" as much as I can... and I really do pay for it, but I don't want my kids to see mommy hurting all the time, it's not fair.
it's very sad how pain is so under treated
Posted by lou (Member # 81) on :
Aside from the point that pain is almost always undertreated, this story also demonstrates how unjust some trials are. This doctor did not deserve to go to jail at all. Since when is a messy office a criminal offense?
The DEA appears to be just as lacking in sense as the Homeland Security people are.
Posted by Greatcod (Member # 7002) on :
The DEA began to get really bad under Ashcroft, something about suffering being a spiritual thing, and not to mess with it. Terminal cancer patients got undertreated in some cases, for God's sake. The Dutch and I think the English give addicts the drugs they need, which eliminates one aspect of the problem, and treat people in pain with sufficient medication to make their lives tolerable, which solves things on other side. Its still perfectly OK to drink yourself to death. so the craziness about pain meds makes no sense at all.
Posted by Aniek (Member # 5374) on :
The DEA started their war on paid doctors before Ashcroft. Although I generally preferred her as an Attorney General, Reno was no friend of pain doctors.
I do believe that the DEA has been working with members of the pain patient community to rework how they investigate doctors for alleged drug violations. But this doesn't mean it is going to stop.
People sometimes ask why their LLMD won't prescribe pain medication. This article tells you why. Doctors are scared of prescribing opiods.
Many doctors are as misinformed about pain as they are about Lyme. I have heard LLMDs say they would never give a Lyme patient an opiod because it suppresses the immune system. But pain suppresses the immune system!
If I didn't treat my pain, I'd be in much worse shape than I am today. I would never have been able to do yoga. I would never have been able to go to law school. All of these have been vital to me fighting the Lyme.