Helping Those Who Truly Need It

There has been so much in the news lately about people abusing prescription drugs.  We all mourned the death of Whitney Houston, and wished that it had never happened.  We watched Dr. Conrad Murray be convicted in the death of Michael Jackson.  And last night, I heard a story about a doctor who is being tried for murder due to several deaths resulting directly from medication she prescribed.  Rehab centers are full of people who are addicted to legal, prescription medications.  All of these things are horrible, of course.  But the people who are suffering the most are those of us suffering from chronic pain.

Right now, I have a wonderful pain management doctor who is doing a fantastic job helping to control my pain.  But, like the fairy tale, I had to kiss a lot of frogs prior to finding this doctor.  Before being approved for my disability, I had no health insurance.  Luckily, my town has a wonderful free clinic which is staffed with volunteer doctor's, nurses, and office personnel.  I provided them with my medical records, including copies of xrays and mri's documenting my back problems.  I was very fortunate that they were actually willing to treat my pain.  One of the problems, however was that you saw a different doctor everytime you went to the clinic.

Once I started receiving medicare, I was able to find a doctor in private practice.  I started seeing a doctor, and I really liked him the first couple of visits.  Once my last prescription for pain medication from the free clinic ran out, I told my new doctor that I needed refills.  He then informed me that he had run a report on me, and could see that I was a drug addict, based on the number of doctor's I had seen in town.  I tried to explain that every time I went to the clinic, I saw a different doctor, but he would not listen.  He continued to berate me, telling me that people like me really made him angry, and that he was not a drug pusher!  I left the office sobbing!  I don't think I had ever been so humiliated, and needless to say, I never went back.

The sad thing is that my story isn't all that unusual.  People who truly suffer with chronic pain are being made to pay the price for those who are abusing the medication.  Doctor's have gotten afraid of prescribing opiates of any kind because they are afraid of the consequences.  Something has to be done to protect the patients who truly need the help, and the doctor's who treat them.  In addition, we have to find away to make taking prescription drugs less appealing to the addicts.

Unfortunately, I don't have the answers to any of these problems.  One thing that I do know is that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.  If a doctor feels that a patient truly is a drug addict, of course, they should not prescribe any medication to them.  However, even the addict deserves to be treated with respect, and the doctor has a responsibility to offer solutions to the patient with the drug problem.  We must all work together to try and come up with solutions to this issue.  And we have to teach our medical professionals that not every person seeking pain control is looking for that high.  We just want to feel like normal people and be able to function in our daily lives.