This newspaper article says a lot. Doctors need to be trained about chronic pain in medical school. This article involves you, since you have chronic pain. CLICK HERE.
You’re welcome Anna. Doctors really need better pain control education so people don’t choose suicide when the areas doctors decide not to use pain meds anymore, for fear of abuse or addiction. Most doctors have not even been taught the difference between addiction and dependence, or that people in severe pain don’t get high from these meds. The meds just neutralize the pain. They need to learn the statistics of how few patiemts with real pain ever abuse their meds and how rarely they even ask for a higher dose or more pills during the month. A good pain specialist is willing to keep trying different combinations of treatments and meds, but other doctors don’t do that, and when a Dr. gives up on a TN patient, they often give up on themselves, especially if their family is not supportive. I think it has the repuationof being the suicide disease not only for the pain, but that people often lose their job, spouse, home, children, and are too sick to even care for themselves…THEN they see no other option.
YES@!! This hits the nail on the head of the problem!!!!!! AMEN! Thank you, Sheila.
This is a MAJOR problem, and one I feel passionate about, because on a personal note, the fact that doctor's are too scared to write out REAL PAIN MEDICATIONS for REAL PAIN has personally effected not only me, at one time, but so many others out there.
People are losing their jobs, the marriages, not being able to raise their children effectively. Worst case scenario, I believe firmly that we lose lives due to this problem, and needlessly.
Careless people can abuse anything with lethal consequences from food to alcohol, but they sell it. But, they have made physicans scared to scripts that help chronic intractable pain patients, sometimes, return to their lives, effectively raise their children, maintain their employment, in other words, be productive members of society.
I won't even get started on my disdain for the recreational user of much needed medication. It's irksome.
Great piece.
Recently here in Kansas a doctor and his nurse wife were jailed and convicted of manslaughter because they ran a pain management clinic and some of their patients died from over dose. Doctors are terrified of this kind of senario. It has made cronic pain almost impossible to manage here in Kansas.