This is really a travesty.
There is such blindness to these two problems: Pain and any sort of emotional disorder, or whatever you call it.
This doctor treated you with such disrespect that I'd be tempted to report him. It depends on where you live- if you are in a small town and have few options then you can't do that. But, he really needs a good old fashioned spanking and then to be sent to his room with no supper. And absolutely no dessert. That is how to treat doctors who treat us like children!
I believe/hope there will be a revolution in the field of pain management. The moralistic attitudes about
"addiction" have our doctors in fear for their licenses and their lives and unwilling to prescribe. There was a horrible article in the New York Times last year that had me in a rage. It was about
a doctor who aggressively treated pain sufferers so that they could have their lives back. He helped many people, but he also helped some addicts who faked their pain symptoms. He appealed to authorities when he got suspicious, but got no assistance. He was convicted of distributing controlled substances and sentenced to 30 years. The article has some amazing facts about
the use of opiates and the misconceptions most doctors have about
the dangers of using them. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/magazine/17pain-t.html?fta=y
My friend's mother was dying of cancer. She was in great pain. She had 2 or 3 months to live. Her doctor would not up her dosage. He said he didn't want her to get addicted. She was such an amazing woman that she managed to laugh about
it when she told me the story.
An elderly woman in my family has glaucoma. , as it is proven to reduce the eye pressure glaucoma causes (which leads to loss of eyesight). He said she shouldn't try that because she'd get addicted. As he said this, he was writing a prescript
ion for a drug she had to take every day for the rest of her life, to treat the glaucoma. He didn't even notice the hypocrisy.
The next visit to the doctor, she was careful not to mention the . He measured her eye pressure to see how much worse it had gotten. He was so shocked to see that it had actually gotten BETTER that he yelled for his nurse to come in and check herself. "I have NEVER seen this happen." he said, and measured a 3rd and 4th time to be sure.
Are diabetics addicted to insulin? Or people with all the various ailments which mean they have to take a drug every day? No. But if you are in severe or chronic pain, you are denied the medicine you need.
I won't even start on how I feel about
the blame heaped on the heads of those of us with anxiety or depression, or other difficulties. Why we don't just all go cheer up is a mystery to the world, it seems!
In my experience, ERs are now even worse than regular doctors these days, in terms of pain management. In my state, at least, there is a big crackdown on doctors to stop them from "over-prescribing" pain meds. So a doctor who does not know you will be especially cautious to prescribe. I ha d a bad, very painful shoulder injury. The doc kept looking at my tattoo and finally asked me if I used "Street" drugs. She gave me tylenol and said if I wanted anything else she'd have to see all my medical records to see if I was an addict scamming her.
I was so offended!
Anyway, sorry to rant in your rant, but that was a really disappointing story to read. I hope you can find better medical care.
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Post Edited By Moderator (Howlyncat) : 7/13/2008 7:10:46 AM (GMT-6)