When Pain is a Pain -- Editorial

Anyone out there who suffers with chronic pain surely understands how hard it is to find effective treatment. In order to get relief, pain sufferers have to jump through an outrageous number of fiery rings and it's ridiculous.
When years of back pain became overwhelming I finally went to see a doctor. First he tried prescribing a whole host of muscle relaxers, and NSAIDS, most of which made me itch like crazy. Pain killers work for me but as soon as you ask your doctor for them you're immediately dumped into a category with people like Courtney Love and Rush Limbaugh. The pills are made to stop pain but don't ask for them. Go figure.

Finally I was sent for an MRI that showed arthritis, curvature of the spine, a herniated disk, bone degeneration, osteoporosis and anything else you can think of that comes from years on the planet. Take some Tylenol and have a nice day.
Next I went to physical therapy which in my case hurt more than it helped. At this point my doctor suggested a pain clinic and gave me the name of a butcher posing as an anesthesiologist. His office should have had a revolving door because he had patients in and out in a heartbeat all day. This must be a big money industry. I was given an appointment for a cortisone shot and when I got there, I had no prep what so over. I lied on a table and he jammed several needles in my back that hurt like hell. He sent me out the door and said if I had any problems I should go to the ER because he wouldn't be prescribing any narcotics. Well I did have problems. My back, hips and even my legs hurt so badly for the rest of the day that I could barely walk. When I called him he yelled at me and directed me to go to the ER (where I could catch a host of other illnesses).
I found another pain clinic where things are very different, thankfully. The doctors I see now prescribe pain meds that make a huge difference in my daily life. I also receive shots that are effective. I have learned however that all pain clinics do regular urine tests before prescribing narcotic pain relievers. So anyone who dabbles in Marijuana, a plant that should be legalized anyway, won’t get any pain relief. The doctor there recently told me that at a pain management conference he recently learned that the medical community is finally starting to realize that pot can help with a variety of issues and combined with a narcotic can prove very effective.
What a world. Should pain sufferers all be viewed as addicts? Why invent a medication and then ration it like it was roast beef during the depression? It’s time this country lighten up a little.

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• Herniated Disc