Tell your story of living with chronic pain, by leaving a reply at the bottom of the page. Do not mention specific medications or dosages. Stories do not appear right away.
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Tell your story of living with chronic pain, by leaving a reply at the bottom of the page. Do not mention specific medications or dosages. Stories do not appear right away.
I’m a retired aerospace worker who has had two knee replacements and a major foot fusion and I need shoulder replacement and hips going bad do to osteoarthritis. I am 61 yrs old with stenosis in my neck and lower lumbar for years. I don’t smoke , drink or due illicit drugs. I have been on pain medication for the latter part of my adult life . My pain management doctors attitude towards me has changed drastically. He refused to adjust my meds to deal with my increasing pain level. Now I spend more time in bed and can’t function because of my increased pain level. It’s not fair!!!
After over TEN years of stable and effective Pain Management my Dr. retired and the APRN’s who took over his patients until a new Doc is hired have REFUSED to prescribe ANY pain medications because they think it’s now illegal to do so!
Chronic Pain due to nerve damage. Left kidney removed due to Renal Cancer
CUT OFF ALL PAIN MEDS WITHOUT EVEN A PROPER TAPERING.
The CDC should be held LIABLE for their reckless non-evidence based recommendations.
Relief from Suffering is a HUMAN RIGHT.
SHAME ON THE CDC
I am responsible adult. I have managed my pain in the past needing pain killers for bouts of back pain. Then 4 years ago I requested pain meds from a Dr. that had given them before …and he looked at me like I was an addict. . I knew nothing of the change that took place….he explained….now 3 years I am in horrible pain, near surgery and fighting a battle of pain, fear, and am scared for my future. My government will not allow me the relief I and millions of others need because of an epidemic…an epidemic us responsible users of medication did not cause. So the statistics will go down and the goverment will get credit for less abuse of medications, while us in pain suffer and our Doctors feel bad that they can’t help us. The laws need to be changed…I am still baffled and furious everyday that there is no middle ground!
I suffer from chronic acute peripheral neuropathy. There is no cure and it causes continual extreme pain. The only management alternative I have is pain medication which I have been taking for 15 years. Since the new restrictions were enacted my pain medication has been cut in half leaving me in extreme pain 24 hours a day. Basically, I have been restricted from performing day-to-day activities to the point that I only get dressed once a month and that is when I have to go to the pain doctor. The rest of the time I just sit in my robe in pain. These new regulations are barbaric and senseless. I can find no medical research to substantiate the levels of medication reduction so I have to imagine someone just picked a number out of thin air. The reduction levels also do not take into account those persons that have been taking this medication for years and may have developed tolerances. This whole situation it Is ridiculous and sadistic.
I am a Chronic Pain Paitient and have been for close to 3 decades. I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, Degenerative Disc Disease, Osteoarthritis and Chronic Kidney Disease. My initial Fibromyalgia diagnosis occurred within the same year as my back injury. For over 10 years I was told my back pain was a muscle spasm and received muscle relaxers, high dose Ibuprofen and Physical Therapy (PT). During the next decade I suffered from bi-lateral ankle tendon tears, shoulder tendon tear and subsequent surgeries (3) and increasing back pain, neck pain with numbness and pain radiating to my extremities. I was give prescriptions of anti-inflammatory medications as soon as they were new to market to curb the pain (Orudis, Voltaren, Indocin, Daypro, Vioxx, Celebrex) these meds and 6-8 eight weeks of PT almost every other month filled much of the 1990’s. I started to suffer from depression as the pain increased, my activity level declined and many of my favorite activities had to be given up.
I finally reached my total breaking point in 2006 due to pain and depression and left my job and filed for disability. I visited a Neuro-Surgeon who confirmed my neck and back were in bad shape. Even though my low back pain felt worse than my neck, the neck was in worse shape in that my spinal cord was being flattened by bulging discs. The surgeon performed an Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF is a type of neck surgery that involves removing a damaged disc to relieve spinal cord or nerve root pressure and alleviate corresponding pain, weakness, numbness, and tingling) from C3-5. Three weeks later I had laminectomy with disc dissection. My pain level was greatly decreased for a period of time but returned about three months later.
Without the use of opioid pain relievers I am unable to function at any level. Writhing in pain, and only able to lie in bed all day and night is no way to live. I can no longer take NSAIDS due to the past long-term use and high dose which has now destroyed my kidneys as I am Stage 3 of Chronic Kidney Disease. I have contemplated suicide numerous times prior to finding suitable drug regimen which keeps my pain tolerable. If I were to lose my medications, I’m not sure how long I would be able to tolerate the pain without making a life or death decision. Please don’t put street addicts and those seeking a “high” in the same category as those of us who actually suffer chronic pain. Pain patients don’t get a high, we get relief which allows us to live like the rest of the world.
The recent changes to opioid prescriptions has only made it more difficult for me since I must now travel every month to get a new script versus having a 90 day script and driving to the pharmacy every month instead of every three months. I don’t like to drive since I recognize the meds slow my response which could lead to an accident. I am subjected to a urine drug screen at every appointment to confirm I have opioids in my system. My doctor has to remind me at each appointment that I am taking a higher dose than what Medicare states I should take, which is 90 mg per day. My 120 mg dosage is extended, time release and I have been on this dose for over ten years and have never abused my medication at any time.
Now the goal is complete removal from opioids and undergo procedures to fix/treat my problems. Many of my current painful body parts are non-operable and/or risk of making the problem worse. I just had eight steroid injections in my lower spine and look forward to about the same in my neck, then my feet, knees, shoulder. Steroids are no the answer, but the only choice my Pain Doctor has given me.
I have cronic sevier pain from multiple rare disorders.at the start of opioid war i lost 3 family Dr. Who just dropped my pain meds. For no reason other than we will not write rx pain meds. This has left me to exist with pain level of 9 to 10. I fall under palative care but still can not get pain control. I now spend 90% of my life in bed crying in unbearable pain. I can’t even shop for food. Clean my home, or walk my dog. I have no connection to friends or family due to pain, I am fully disabled and have no quality of life. This force stop has imprisoned me to my home. Please help stop this injustice.
Hello
Thank you all for working so hard to help us ,, this website the rallys the posters etc THANK YOU 😂
I am not going tell you all my problems
But what gets me is The Lies the Doctors tell us as why they lower our meds .They do treat us as juveniles and or like we are completely ignorant
They can in some cases help us but refuse because of our being on State Insurance .. no injections, no implants
This really hurts ,,Give me steroids
No .. because it cause brittle bones etc
Oh but causeing me more pain by taking away my much needed meds help!
How about nerve blocks! No..
Your insuance wont pay ..
They offer yoga or counseling how to deal with pain nothing else LMAO
Amazing they went to schooling and training for what ? Not to Heal or to help
Greedy money hungry Ego driven
Power driven, makes me sick
Please everyone show up at the Rallys i am going in Az
I am on a tight budget I’llsleep in my car
and save gas money make a brown bag lunch/ dinner I need to go not only for me but for you ..
We also need to look for a Lawyers to help us, We need to fight back in the courts
I hear all these stories and It does help
I knew i wasnt alone but felt very alone
Now someone finally has the means to pull this together for us
THANK YOU for Returning some power back to us
Thank you for your hard work getting this Website up
THANK YOU for helping us
Sincerely 😉
Rose
Peace 😚
Went to a new Pain Management Doctor the other day. I am in extreme pain. I asked/begged for better medication for my pain other than Advil…3x a day at highest dose. He gave me oxycontin.. When i got the prescription I got a box I did not recognize. It was Narcon…which is used to resesitate a person when they are overdosing. I am so po’d. I do not want anything on my record showing I received this. I am a 67 yr old woman who have rarely used these medications in the past. What gripes me most is that the Doctor conveniently didn’t mention he was giving this to me. Not sure if this is a new regulation, but I feel embarrased and humiliated.
I’ve been living with chronic pain for six years now. Was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease and cervical spondylosis. I’ve seen two neurosurgeons one 6 years ago and one last year which both gave a 60% success in surgery my attempt to ease my pain. Why would I have something that extensive done with such a low of success, no way. I began seeing a pain management Dr. 4 years ago, and last year my medication has been reduced twice. Now it’s so low I have no quality of life. Many days in tears not because of depression but from inability to function. This reduction by people who have no idea what it’s like living with chronic severe pain is outrageous and my Drs hands are tied. The sad part is that Drs take an oath that requires them to put patients first. I’m not blaming my Dr. in fact from what I’ve read from other people I’m fortunate to have my Dr. prescribe me medication period. If more Drs would advocate for us I think this situation would change. I try to stay proactive in my care and am greatful for PNN in keeping me updated and today I was fortunate enough to have been sent this outlet. Kudos to you and PNN for the ability to have us heard. Thank you.
I’ve been diagnosed with this crippling disease for over 20 years. When first diagnosed I was given any and all pain medications to cope with the pain. Then like turning off a faucet, it stopped. Without warning. I’ve had doctors go from giving me any pain killer I would ask for to telling me I shouldn’t be in pain, overnight. I still (rarely) will find a doctor with sympathy in my plight regarding the pain. Most doctors are too afraid for their jobs and will prescribe a measly 3 pills a day of a small dosage of something. It has caused me to hate living, breathing, eating, everything. There isnt joy to be found when everything you do causes pain. There is no logical reason for this opiate witch hunt on those of us that NEED the medication to live out our miserable remaining lives. Leave us alone! We go through enough crap from being always broke paying medical bills, to traveling to and from doctors offices, to having yet another painful test done, to trying yet another new procedure or medication that insurance company INSIST we try first before they approve narcotics, to night sweats, to diarrhea, to constipation, to missing social activities, to social anxieties because you’re afraid you’ll be a total b*tch because of the pain, to yet another failed marriage or relationship, to having a hospital become your second home, to wishing you could lose weight but cant move, to dreading taking a shower or using the toilet because it hurts so darn bad, so please, PLEASE LEAVE US ALONE!!!