Love you lots,
Janet
>----- Original Message -----
From: To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS
Sent: 8/7/01 1:17:11 PM
Subject: Re: I'M BACK ON FOR NOW
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.
--- Janet Karam