Opiates do serve a purpose.

Everywhere you look, you see the crackdown on anything opiate.

I even read where the opiate, or pharmaceutical gods, had paid the programmers for diagnostic programs to fall back on opiates as a solution to everything entered so as to make more sales.

This of course in turn led many people down the black hole of opiate addiction, and then when the doctors cut them off, they end up finding heroin on the streets because it's cheaper than the pills on the streets.
Which then leaves them with a drug of uncertain content, let alone purity.
People die because they abuse it, aren't getting the real thing, or just can't handle the pain they might actually be in, and resort to ANYTHING to stop it.

I shattered a knee, had it horribly operated on, and eventually replaced.
I've also gone through massive pain as the head of my femur decided to dissipate, and the doctors thought I was just after pain meds.

I eventually got someone to take me seriously, have a good look, and realize I needed to have the hip replaced.

During the course of all that, I did lose control, and got upside down with the opiates. Fortunately, I didn't know anyone I could ask to find me heroin once I was no longer in pain, and was just seeking the high.

Many years ago, I knew a woman who broke her back, and was in traction for a very long time, like months.
At the time the thinking was, sure she'll get addicted, but we can deal with that shit later, right now, we need to stop the pain and keep her from moving.

After my botched knee surgery they gave me some oxycodone.
They prescribed a 10 mg pill every 4-6 hours.

Sorry, 10mgs is hardly even enough to dull the pain of a ripped hangnail.

I needed more like 50mgs every few hours to kill the pain and allow me to sleep.

So what's this all about you ask?

I have a friend in the hospital right now.
This guy has a pretty high threshold for pain, and would rather smoke his medical MJ than touch a pill.

He's been in a hell of a lot of pain for the last year or so with his back.
he went to a Chiropractor at one point, and the guy made things way worse.

So he finally got a diagnosis for back surgery.
I can't remember all the disc numbers or whatever, but it was a 3 hour surgery, they did all kinds of stuff, putting in screws and god only knows what else.

This dude is in real pain.
Of course he's complaining about it, but due to the new regulations and practices, they're only giving him 15mgs of oxy every 4-6 hours.

The guy most likely needs more like 50 mgs every hour or two.
Nope, that's all you get.
Suffer asshole!


You'd think with today's technology, they could easily tap into your skull, or read brain waves or something, to be able to determine how much pain a person truly is in and use that as a guide for how much medication to administer.
It would also weed out the people at the doctor's office who claim pain and need pills, when they're not in any pain at all.
But no, because the whole medical world is upside down, crosswise, and sideways, and because a bunch of folks not so decidedly got all screwed up on pain meds, those who actually are in pain and need them, are basically almost left to do without.

This world is so stupid sometimes, it almost makes me want to hit the floor and have a 3 year old temper tantrum.

It took a cocktail of Morphine and Fentynal to control the pain of having both of my kidneys blocked and unable to drain. I am a believer that, when used properly, pain meds, including opioids and others, are reasonable and responsible healthcare options.

When I was at the worst point with my hip, I had pretty much come to terms with the fact that I was probably going to have to kill myself to stop the pain.

I ended up driving 150 miles to Phx to a pain mgmt specialist.
I literally told them if they couldn't stop the pain, and get get me directed to someone who could fix my issue, I was going to the ER with a .44 and demand someone operate on me, and damn the consequences.

That's how I finally got someone to pay attention.

Fortunately for myself, and any others who may have had to get involved, the doctor listened, ordered MRI's and immediately came up with the proper diagnosis.

I was on hydromorphone/dilaudid during a hospital stay initially for pancreatitis.
Let me tell you, the sensation is heavenly, but I had the side effect of itchy skin and headaches when I would come down off the dose they were giving me in the drip.
After I was taken off it, after 10 days my body was craving it like mad.
Similar situation after my bad car crash in '94.
The doc prescribed Darvon, which was taken off the market about 10 years ago.
Same deal. I had major withdrawals.
Not a good place to be.

pirate_girl said:

Not a good place to be.

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Agreed.

But to have to lay in a bed suffering in pain after major surgery just because someone somewhere says we have it, but you can't have enough to make you comfortable is just wrong.

Oh I hear what you're saying.
Very much so.

After my accident I was on oxycontin 3 times a day for 13 months for pain. It did very little to ease the pain but left me feeling like a zombie all day. I hated it. Fast forward to February 2017 when I was hospitalized for my first hernia surgery. They took me off it and put me on pregabalin. It did absolutely nothing for my pain but as a lovely side effect caused me to gain 30lbs in a matter of months.

I got off that and onto medical marijuana. No, I don't sit around getting high all day smoking joints to ease the pain. I take one 2.5 mg slow release thc pill in the morning along with aleve and another nerve pill which has no side effects but works to calm my leg spasms and I'm way better. No buzz. But also way less pain.

What boggles my mind is that when I travel to the states, I'm perfectly fine to carry a whole pharmacy of opioids with me and the border guards don't bat an eye. If I even mention that I'm on medical marijuana, I would get treated the same as a freaking drug dealer. I mean, it's legal in Ontario. It's legal in Minnesota. But because I cross a federally regulated border to get from a province to a state, I'm now lumped in with every other drug dealer in the prison system. Makes a lot of sense to me. So when I travel, I have to leave my pain medication at home and get prescribed some opioid that turns me into a freaking zombie. And that's ok but God forbid I take something that works for pain with zero side effects because that makes me a criminal. A common thug. All because some stiffs in Washington can't get their shit together.

I took oxy after hip replacement 10 yrs ago and then again in 2016 with a nasty knee infection...both times could not wait to get off these hard toxic drugs...and talk about side effects....yikes yikes yikes....