If doctors know our fibro brains are sending out amplified pain messages… why don’t the doctors give us adequate pain meds to decrease our ability to feel pain? It seems straightforward enough. Could we as a community somehow take a stand? Maybe we could use social media to raise awareness?
Good question, good suggestion. Something on Youtube, perhaps. Too bad we couldn't do something in claymation or animated, as it might convince others to listen without making an instant, wrong judgment.
Hello Baltimore Baby
The doctors are not the ones who make stronger pain meds. That is the pharmaceutical companies. The doctors are only the ones who dispense the meds provided by the pharamaceutical companies.
Gentle hugs
Rachel
Baltimore, I think part of the problem is that doctors are afraid. There are so many problems with people abusing pain meds, there are docs getting in trouble for giving people pain meds (I'm sure it's docs who wrongly prescribe them, but it still makes other doctors nervous).
They seem to be really watching what docs are prescribing, and changes have been made in the way pain meds can be prescribed to make it easier for them to keep track. Some drugs that used to be able to be phoned in by the doctor to the pharmacy now have to be on special prescriptions and hand carried to the pharmacy by the patient. I've heard of people having to see their doctor every month in order to get a refill on their pain med(s). I also believe it's why many people are sent to pain management clinics... doctors don't want to be responsible for prescribing pain meds to people on a regular basis.
My doctor (who treats me for Lupus and Fibro) will try very hard to help me with pain, but he has never offered a narcotic (nor have I ever asked for one. Personally, I have to work and I have a 7 year old to take care of - I have to be fully alert and functional and able to drive).
I guess my opinion on this issue is that many doctors are afraid of getting in trouble, it's not so much that they don't care that people have pain. If someone gets addicted, the doctor is responsible. If someone misuses their pain meds, or sells them, the doctor is responsible (he gave that person the meds).
I've worked in the health care field for many years, and have seen people abuse pain meds. I've seen someone tamper with a prescription they were given... I think it was vicodin and the patient tried to change the quantity before taking it to the pharmacy. Luckily, the pharmacist caught it.
I've seen this issue from the doctor's perspective. I hate that people are in so much pain and the doctors are afraid to give the amount of narcotics that some people may need. But I absolutely see why doctors are so reluctant. They put in a lot of years and hard work for their medical license, and most docs will not do anything that could potentially put that at risk. As usual, we can thank the people who abuse the system for making this so difficult (just like with so many other things).
Just my two cents. ;)
Sharon
Hi Sharon, I also have worked in the Medical Field for many years. You are right about our doctors being afraid to prescribe pain meds. It is the doctor shoppers and addicts that make it difficult for people who really need them. In my opinion, Doctors have a responsibility to their pts. I think many of them don’t want to fill out all the paper work, do pill counts. They ship us off to pain Docs, Tell us to lose weight. They don’t get the fact that the weight gain is due to many of the meds they prescribe. We are not as active because we are in pain. To me this may as well equate to doctors not caring! They pass the buck on to someone else.
We are no different then Cancer pts. My back ground is Anesthesia so I understand how the this all works. My father who was 90 was diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Tumors in his small intestines. The first thing they asked him was if he was in pain, He told them he had no pain. They prescribed him Morphine anyway. They operated on my dad and removed the tumors and he was cancer free. He contracted an infection called C-diff and later died. The doctors ignored my pleas for help. When they did finally listen to me he tested positive for C-diff and later died because the doctors did not treat him in time. This is called “failure to diagnose”. I am not downing all docs as there are some good ones out there. So how is a CA pt with no pain prescribed morphine when they have no pain, and we have pain and are passed around like hot potatoes? The difference is " Blood Test". Please don’t think I am attacking your opinion, as this is not the case. I am just offering my opinion and expounding on yours. Hugs, Leanne L
I challenge us all to research fibromyalgia and write an article to your local newspaper. Doctors read newspapers!