Comments on: Self Control

By: DTM

DTM — Sat, 15 May 2010 16:43:50 +0000

you sure do like that shirt :)

By: piercednpainted

piercednpainted — Sat, 15 May 2010 14:36:27 +0000

pain i live with pain 24/7 in my legs sensory neuropathy. the doc gives me a prescription of cymbalta that puts it down to about a 5 but living day in and day out at 5 is still painful. the doctors here dont believe in pain meds i use to self medicate with pot which would bring it down to a 3 but cant anymore due to hunting for a job so its back up to 5 5s suck

By: JonnyButts

JonnyButts — Sat, 15 May 2010 13:33:48 +0000

Shannon: I cruised back looking for references of side effects when you were using pot. Couldn’t find any posts (could be the lack of my interweb skills) Would you mind explaining what side effects you are referencing? It is very sad to see someone who is really sick go thru this b.s. to get medicated but with the long line ups at the methadone clinics and the rage in street use of opiates I can see why the gov’t is attempting to do what they are (ofcourse in the wrong way but it is the gov’t) Which also leads me to ask why put up with the pain when the drugs you need are readily availble on the street?

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Sat, 15 May 2010 12:59:00 +0000

I was wondering about that, if you couldnt say your pain is pegged at 10 or higher, although higher isnt possible.

By: Dave Smith

Dave Smith — Sat, 15 May 2010 04:47:30 +0000

Shannon, here is a better pain scale that CrimsonMane found:
https://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/02/boyfriend-doesnt-have-ebola-probably.html

By: Daniel Reeves

Daniel Reeves — Fri, 14 May 2010 21:59:44 +0000

What about “lying”? Or rather, apply your own personal translation to their pain scale. When you feel a “3″, call it a “7″. Call a “5″ a “9″, etc. If it’s all based on your description of the pain then in theory you can figure out what they need to hear to prescribe correctly.

This of course would lead to pain-scale inflation where eventually you have to pretend to moan and writhe in agony to get even mild pain-killers.

Any flaw in that theory? I’m certainly not speaking from experience. In fact, I’ve always been prescribed far more pain-killers than I’ve felt the need for. So I feel your pain, but only metaphorically!

By: R.

R. — Fri, 14 May 2010 20:44:03 +0000

Have you thought of keeping a detailed daily journal of your pain and your interventions? conventional or otherwise (shows you’re actively seeking help and trying all kinds of remedies.)
You would include how the pain affects your activities each day, starting with the physical aspect; your mobility, ADL’s etc. You would also share the impact it has on your psyche, as mentioned in a previous comment.
I believe a reasonable, educated physician would find no reason or objection to prescribing the appropriate drugs/dosages were they presented with that sort of evidence.
Here in the US there are pain management specialists, it obviously is an important aspect of wellness. Unfortunately, those who con the system know all the tricks. Doctors don’t trust, true pain sufferers don’t ever find relief.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Fri, 14 May 2010 19:00:11 +0000

Zandelion, I thought that at first that was the main issue. However, enough time has passed now, and I have enough test results back to show the doctor it’s all “real”, so I am quite certain that my doctor appreciates that there’s accuracy in the experiential picture that I’ve painted for them. At this point I’m 99% sure that their reluctance to prescribe an appropriate amount is due to fear of the government, not due to worries about me gaming them.

By: Cid

Cid — Fri, 14 May 2010 13:06:31 +0000

I was diagnoised with Fibromyalgia 3 years ago. Lost my Medicaid a year and a half ago and have never been able to get pain meds for it. Even though I have a clear diagnosis, because of the way I look and where I live, every single doctor I’ve been to has denied me.

So I’ve dealt with pain for a very long time. It’s difficult for me to understand why I get treated the way I do, and I have offered on several occasions to let these “medicaid” doctors drug test me to prove just because I look the way I do, dosn’t mean I’m a “Drug Dealer” or “Convict”.

I’ve just accepted the pain and do a lot of meditation. I mentally accept the pain and allow my body to feel it, and then absorb it. Sometimes it works and I can get through it on a daily basis, sometimes it does not.

By: Zandelion

Zandelion — Fri, 14 May 2010 03:44:35 +0000

The obvious problem here is that there is currently no way to directly communicate phenomenal experience to a third person, hence the doctor’s likely disbelief that you really need additional medication (and I presume, their recommendation of the dispensing device. I wouldn’t be surprised if they told you that you had ‘an addictive personality’). It is something I think about a lot, as phenomenal content is one of the areas of philosophy I study. Pain is the defacto example case, whether it be Wittgenstein or more contemporary philosophers of mind.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Fri, 14 May 2010 01:20:14 +0000

Jonny, pot is an option, but if I were to take it, it would have to be night time only because I don’t like the mental effects and find the side effects a little debilitating.

By: Pademelon

Pademelon — Thu, 13 May 2010 23:36:01 +0000

It’s awful that, even with all the documentation, you can’t get properly medicated. I could understand if they would medicate you as you need it but not do refillable or long-lasting scrips. For instance, requiring you to go in every 2 weeks for a new scrip so you could be monitored for drug abuse. It’d be annoying but at least you wouldn’t have to play the trade-off game, choosing between being in constant pain now or being in constant pain when your meds run out. You just can’t win with that. It’s a really good way to turn a genuine patient into someone who buys black market drugs, which is supposedly what they’re trying to prevent. Anyway, you posting that pain chart reminded me of this revision I saw a while ago. It’s slightly more accurate!

https://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/02/boyfriend-doesnt-have-ebola-probably.html

By: JonnyButts

JonnyButts — Thu, 13 May 2010 22:45:01 +0000

Would pot not be an option for the pain and possibly help along with the opiates?

By: MissJanet

MissJanet — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:27:42 +0000

Shannon and Chris,
that sounds so awful. I once had back/shoulder pain due to a dislocated disk. I was in constant moderate pain for 4 months before the 3rd doctor found the reason and corrected it in seconds. Not that my body realized that the pain was gone for another 48 hours, I had become simply used to it. During the 4 months I turned into a depressive mess, it was like you say Shannon, that level of pain for an hour would have been no problem, but all the time without a foreseable ending was unbearable. I needed weeks to recover from that on an emotional level.

You have my deepest sympathy and respect for going on and on in the way you do it.

By: chris

chris — Thu, 13 May 2010 16:36:46 +0000

I fully know where you are coming from. I have SMD and it has caused my back to degenerate to something that resembles a Jenga game. Along with the joint and muscle pain. I haven’t been pain free in 5 years. My pain clinic says if my pain level is between 3 and six I’m doing good. I have the same tormenting choice each day. Do I take an extra pill or two and go through a few days of hell or do I take them as prescribed and try and deal with the constant burning, throbbing and mind numbing pain? I usually send my pills with my wife because, like you said it’s to great a temptation. People who don’t live each minute of their life will never fully understand what it’s like and how much of a mental strain it is every day. I have never seen one of those machines but am going to look them up right now.