I AM SO PROUD OF YOU FOR WHAT YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND ACCOMPLISHED YESTERDAY!! WHAT A WONDERFUL HUSBAND YOU HAVE -- TO GIVE YOU HIS LOVING SUPPORT WHEN YOU SO DESPERATELY NEEDED IT!!
Now hopefully your pain will again be somewhat under control.
Love, Helen D.
At Tue, 7 Aug 2001, Hchalm@aol.com wrote:
>
>Hi Everyone:
>
>Thanks to those that wished me luck and prayers. I went in crying and came
>out with a smile for now. My husband went with me for moral support and to
>drive as I couldn't drive since Friday. Everyone at the office kept trying
>to keep me from seeing Dr. S. and we kept insisting that we would wait all
>day as he was my doctor and prescribed the oxycontin for me, and was not the
>one that changed it. I knew that he would not let me suffer, and you only
>had to take one look at me to see that I was suffering badly, although I had
>taken the MS-Contin before getting there (I wanted them to see that it didn't
>work). We stood our ground, and said we would wait all day for Dr. S. to see
>me and sure enough he came in two minutes later, took one look at me, and
>said, "well, the ms-contin doesn't work for you, the oxycontin does, so you
>go back on it." I asked if this was done to me because they were afraid of
>the DEA and he said, that yes, they went through everyone's files that were
>on the oxycontin, decided to try them on another medication, some were able
>to make the adjustment to another drug, but I couldn't so that would be noted
>in my files, if and when the DEA came in. He spent over an hour with me.
>We discussed all the options, and there really aren't any right now, but to
>stay on medication. He understands this, that if there were any other
>alternative that could help me, I would gladly take it. He is a great big
>bear of a man and I gave him the biggest hug I could.
>
>After being on narcotic pain medication for over a year, my blood levels were
>read, and everything came back normal, so they aren't doing any damage to my
>body. I was given a patch to put on the right sided rib pain. He said now
>if the pain lessens there from the patch that would mean that it is skeletal,
>if the pain doesn't lessen then it means that this knife-stabbing pain in my
>right rib is adhesions and the patch will not work. On the MS-Contin, I felt
>every attachment of the adhesions. I hadn't felt this pain in so long, I had
>forgotten how horrible the pulling and ripping feeling felt like. The pelvic
>floor pressure was terrible and I could feel the pulling off the vaginal cuff
>and rectal area. Also, I could not put any pressure on my right leg as it
>produced a lot of pain of pulling and burning up to my rib cage area.
>
>I made a victory, but the war is not over. At any time the DEA can come in
>there and shut his doors. I feel so badly about this; he is such a
>compassionate man, and just doesn't want to see people like myself suffer.
>He is not dealing drugs, he is not doing anything criminal, yet he can lose
>his license at anytime for trying to help all the chronic pain patients that
>other doctors won't help.
>
>I wrote Skip the other night at ASAP. He said if all the DEA Agents were to
>get cancer and couldn't find the necessary drugs to take away their pain,
>then, and only then, would they understand what we the chronic pain patient
>are asking - only that we be kept comfortable and if the oxycontin is
>enabling us to live as comfortable a life as we can, why take it away from us
>because a few addicts have figured out a way to abuse it.
>
>We all need to write our senators about what the DEA is trying to do. I will
>forward the letter from Skip's site as a guideline to use. Please take the
>time to write. Just maybe we will make a difference.
>
>Love,
>
>Helen C.