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Micke, as frustrating as it is we need to continue to stand up and shout. This past 4 months I have received 4 calls (3 in the past 2 weeks) from people in pain in WA state who need help finding resources. They find me through the Seattle times article…they write to Elin and then she refers to me. we are now banding together to approach the Seattle times to see if they will do a follow up to the pain rules 4 years later to see where we are. Some state officials are proud of the fact that prescriptions are decreasing and also they are denying more applications for prescriptive authority saying they are concerned for the safety of the general public. Just saw they refused to grant an extension and broadening of prescriptive authority to Naturopaths. reason: we can not increase the providers who are prescribing controlled medications if we want to stem the prescribing of opioids in WA state. WHAT??? Same old BS.
It is frustrating when I read the reports of MD’s and Nurses who are abusing drugs and losing their licenses in WA state. Every month I get the report…and it sickens me to see the numbers. How do we fight this? Education…REAL education!! get some pain patients on a panel and do a dog and pony show.
The Moms of kids who have died of overdoses get to do it…why can’t we??? Put a REAL face on it.
Frustrating for me as right now I am dealing with my own pain as well. Thought I really understood chronic pain until Sept 2013 when my life went upside down and sideways. Post viral seronegative arthritis.Received the official diagnosis today. My hands and wrists are the worst so typing is now a real chore. No rheumatologist in this part of the state so I will have to go to Seattle. I am finding that resources for people in pain are scarcer than ever. Pain clinics are so overwhelmed it takes an act of congress to get an appointment in less than 6 months if they will see you at all.
There are some very compassionate physician out there but they are far and few inbetween. I am lucky I have a team that is very patient centered and concerned about how the pain is affecting my life. They listen, They give me just about anything I ask for. The meds are carefully prescribed each month with careful follow up. I even got a flare up plan written in my chart. they all know me from my days as the pain management nurse at the hospital. In those days they dreaded seeing me…they’d say oh no here she comes…how are our patient’s doing? or they’d call me and ask me to come do that thing that I do. (i.e. help their patients get relief from the pain using multimodal techniques) I am still know affectionately as the Pain Lady by many.

Noki4, thank you. Glad you thought it was worth reading. I can not tell you how upset I was as I tried to advocate for this guy and I felt like I was doing what I do when I encounter biased people who think anyone in pain is lazy and not worthy of pain relief.
I want to be around when (God forbid) they are smitten with chronic pain…or even acute pain that is not relieved. I want to say…see what did I tell you…can you understand NOW!! but actually when I WAS faced with that very situation I could not not do what I do for anyone in pain…I worked diligently for several hours to get the pain under control without judgement, without an attitude, without poking fingers. I just did my job as compassionately as I could. The next day I had the conversation as he (an ortho Doc who just had major – very painful surgery) sat in bed and said to me “I was never so glad to see you in all my life” I told him to NEVER forget this. of course he did some time down the road AND I, true to my nature reminded him of his ordeal in the recovery room when he was ashen colored, white knuckling it, and asking- no begging for relief.
He who thought that 2 tylenol after a hip or knee replacement what sufficient for “most” people. “I fixed the problem so they should have less pain” ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Let me take a saw and saw off your joint…then take a hammer and chisel to implant the new hip or knee joint. Let me see if this hurts???

Nickopedia, the situation that you mention is not unique to West Virginia. That was a decision that came from the FDA and it is a national law/rule now for ALL states. Is it fair? NO. Did it make getting your medications harder if not down right difficult to impossible? YES.
So what are we to do? Whining helps no one. Taking action does! Write to your legislators both state and federal. Tell them your story. encourage others to tell their stories. Help someone else tell their story. Keep telling the story until someone listens. Flood their offices with weekly letters, phone calls, emails actually work the best as Snail mail scares them and we sure do not want to scare them.
keep track of times that you are told untruths about prescriptions. dates, times, who. Keep track of conversations you have had with others in similar situations…again dates and names and contact info. It will come in handy to back up your story.
Where one person in pain is discriminated against there are more than a 1000 more who have not spoken up, who remain silent; who may be scared to speak up for fear of retaliation even greater than their present situation. But I ask what could be worse than being in pain and then being singled out for discrimination, care that is less than quality or effective.
team with others in your town…do a meetup… talk to others; spread the word. write a letter to the editor.
make comments on all negative media…let them know the truth.

Nick – see blog https://paincommunity.org/old-pain-medications-new-rules/
It explains what happened.