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Good grief, it's true about the PM clinics. WHen did they come into existence, 10-20 yrs ago. I've never been to one as I've learned to work with my own management.
When I had some severe neck pain this Spring, I asked my Orthopedist for a script for some pain meds, if and when I might need them. I rarely use them and A Chiropractor gave me some exercises to relieve the pain, but I wanted a script anyway, just in case I had a bad day. Since 1/1, he told me, Ortho's can't prescribe pain meds anymore, you need to go to a Pain Management Clinic to be qualified.
I never did go to the clinic as I was moving to Tucson, and I just got back from Nogales, MX, 65 miles away, and I got what I wanted. Been a week and I haven't used any of it, it's for emergency use only.
Those of us who are fortunate enough to live close to the Mexican Border (those living in El Paso or San Diego are especially lucky) sympathasize with all of you who have to battle to get the pain relief you need, but do try alternative methods, it's worth a try!
Oh my heavens. Exercises for pain? Goshes no, we first world people just take drugs. Exercises are just insane. Effort? LOL. Not directed at anyone, I swear, IJS this is the first world mentality, which is a part of the problem.
I fell into it myself. Pop the magic pill and go on with life.
Mine are painful and I hate them but it's worth it not to be a drug addict. I put on music to distract from the pain of the exercises and the only issue with that is momentarily I forget I can't do moves I used to be able to do or the exercise will harm me rather than help. No more dance party routines for me! Which used to be how I stayed in shape before herniated discs changed everything.
Oh my heavens. Exercises for pain? Goshes no, we first world people just take drugs. Exercises are just insane. Effort? LOL. Not directed at anyone, I swear, IJS this is the first world mentality, which is a part of the problem.
I fell into it myself. Pop the magic pill and go on with life.
Mine are painful and I hate them but it's worth it not to be a drug addict. I put on music to distract from the pain of the exercises and the only issue with that is momentarily I forget I can't do moves I used to be able to do or the exercise will harm me rather than help. No more dance party routines for me! Which used to be how I stayed in shape before herniated discs changed everything.
I am an occupational therapist and I work with a room full of PT’s. Do you really think I didn’t exercise? I went through six months of PT before the pain got so bad. Even before that I exercised and dis a stretching and yoga routine every single night for years before this happened.
You have no idea you truly do not. Yet you feel qualified to judge all of us.
Nowhere have I judged anyone. Stating facts is not judging. But just conversationally, before what happened that required long term use of synthetic heroin??
Nowhere have I judged anyone. Stating facts is not judging. But just conversationally, before what happened that required long term use of synthetic heroin??
Before the day I woke up unable to move that eventually led to my surgery. As I stated in my earlier post about this, I do not think I would still be alive today if I was not given Percocet. Maybe I miss read your post, but it sounded like you felt people who need opiod pain medication simply choose not to exercise or do other conservative measures but just prefer drugs. And that long-term use of these drugs to manage pain equals drug addict.
The "words" are marketing ploys. The people who refuse to acknowledge the similarity to street drugs have bought the nice tied with a bow marketing package - the pretty package that allows them to NOT think of themselves as "drug addicts."
At 65 I have been prescribed opioids many times, after surgeries, after root canals, after wisdom teeth removal, for back pain, after a severe illness and I never became a drug addict.
And I don't care what name you want to give it......I would rather have it than not.
In my book there is nothing wrong with avoiding pain and there is nothing heroic about choosing to suffer pain needlessly.
And, if someone who is in chronic pain needs narcotic pain killers every day for the rest of their life I certainly don't think of them as drug addicts, to me they are no different than anyone else who has to take a drug every day for the rest of their lives.
It is well known that the stress of living with chronic pain can shorten one's lifespan. The death may not be a dramatic as dropping dead of an overdose but the result is lost years of life just the same.
Jencam - you do understand the differences in potency and how that impacts the extent of addiction, potentially, right? Hydrocodone is less than oxycodone which is less than hydromorphone, for example. Heroin did have a medicinal use back in the day before they discovered the other, safer, alternatives. The difference is like comparing a 4% wine cooler to grain alcohol. Will both get you drunk if you take too many? Sure, but the same amount of grain alcohol may kill you while that amount in the wine cooler will not.
Pharmaceutical companies did false advertise which they’re dealing with now but that doesn’t mean that everyone who takes the medication is an addict. Some may develop physical dependency which is different than addiction. Sort of like if you drink coffee every day and stop you’ll get a headache but that doesn’t mean you’re addicted to coffee. Addiction is an intense craving or the medication or substance.
Most pain patients have tried everything else and use the medication out of a sdesire to dull the pain...not get high. We want to dull the pain so we can cook dinner for our children, help with homework, work our jobs (and not be dependent on govt assistance), etc. We aren’t looking to escape but rather to engage in life. Without meds there are days I’d be at home in bed all day in severe pain. A low dose of hydrocodone lets me do the things described above. That’s where I think you fail to understand.
Most pain patients have tried everything else and use the medication out of a sdesire to dull the pain...not get high. We want to dull the pain so we can cook dinner for our children, help with homework, work our jobs (and not be dependent on govt assistance), etc. We aren’t looking to escape but rather to engage in life. Without meds there are days I’d be at home in bed all day in severe pain. A low dose of hydrocodone lets me do the things described above. That’s where I think you fail to understand.
You're right on with the above post.
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