Patient angry that pain clinic wont prescribe opioids for GI problem: Pain Docs are bad!

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DrCommonSense

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Interesting "opinion" piece from a patient about a "pain doc" she had gone to.

http://nationalpainreport.com/my-story-pain-clinics-are-money-mills-8821277.html

What do you people think about this?

This person strikes me as the classic narcotic abuser that will attempt to confuse the issues with nasty language, complaining, etc. to basically get the narcotics they want.

This is the REASON why docs will often just hand out narcotics.

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Interesting "opinion" piece from a patient about a "pain doc" she had gone to.

http://nationalpainreport.com/my-story-pain-clinics-are-money-mills-8821277.html

What do you people think about this?

This person strikes me as the classic narcotic abuser that will attempt to confuse the issues with nasty language, complaining, etc. to basically get the narcotics they want.

This is the REASON why docs will often just hand out narcotics.


Wow this is so bad, shaming all pain doctors and our specialty. My favorite (not) part is:

"My pain, and its cause, is very different from that of fibromyalgia, RA or a back injury — it is called binary pain. It is rare, but not unheard of."
 
"I had a doctor friend tell me that when she was in medical school the loser students chose the field of pain."


Strong opening. I like it.
 
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Translation:

So I'm willing to submit to unnecessary - fraudulent- spine injections and regular UDS at my charlatan's office - 1 of 8 in MN & I live in Minneapolis- to feed my addiction.
 
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but opioids worsen sphincter of oddi dysfunction, even dilaudid....

fyi that opinion piece is from 2013. light years ago. as an update, she apparently didn't do that well and ended up having a pump placed. the pump failed/broke, and she had it taken out, I believe, this past September.
https://laborpain.wordpress.com/
These pumps are not what the Doctors advertise. They may be effective for a small number of patients, but there are many of us who have had little to no progress with our pain control and significant issues with the pump itself. The pump takes a lot of time, money and maintenance when they are working: monthly visits for refills and programming. They keep you tied to the Doctor who did the implant.

Pain pumps are not a healthy way out of narcotics that they seem, they are still pumping your body with the same medications that you are prescribed orally and they come with side-effects, dependance and withdrawal just like your oral medications. In the end, all of these medications are running the same pain cycle in our brains, leaving us high and dry. After more than 10 years of pain, I am the most disappointed to discover this.

Next Tuesday, almost 3 years to the day, my pump will be surgically removed and by the end of the month I will be through the end of my medication weening process.

I will never walk back into a traditional pain clinic. My GP and I are working on building a team of practitioners including a pain psychologist, chinese massage therapist, acupuncturist and nutritionist. She says if this works I have a How To book on my hands. I think, if it works, I have my life back in my hands.
while I might not agree with the specific providers that she has chosen (besides the pain psychologist), she might be finally heading in the right direction...
 
Translation:

So I'm willing to submit to unnecessary - fraudulent- spine injections and regular UDS at my charlatan's office - 1 of 8 in MN & I live in Minneapolis- to feed my addiction.

Yes but clearly she hasn't gotten that or she wouldn't be complaining about the lack of narcotics that the pain docs give out.
 
Wow this is so bad, shaming all pain doctors and our specialty. My favorite (not) part is:

"My pain, and its cause, is very different from that of fibromyalgia, RA or a back injury — it is called binary pain. It is rare, but not unheard of."

Yeah funny how my Anesthesiology board scores were in the 90th percentile in a specialty that is ranked above average in competitiveness for residency. I guess I'm an unusual case for a physician in pain.
 
Wow...a lot of hate in that editorial. What a jaded, spiteful witch. . She's obviously been hurt and is acting out. Sad case actually.
 
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I can smell her out the moment she walked into my clinic!
 
Yeah funny how my Anesthesiology board scores were in the 90th percentile in a specialty that is ranked above average in competitiveness for residency. I guess I'm an unusual case for a physician in pain.

Lol, agreed! Likely true for a lot of the newer pain docs on this thread as it has gotten so competitive to get a spot.
 
Binary pain... caused by prolonged exposure to ones and zeroes. I used to get it in math class.
 
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Interesting "opinion" piece from a patient about a "pain doc" she had gone to.

My Story: Pain Clinics are Money Mills

What do you people think about this?

This person strikes me as the classic narcotic abuser that will attempt to confuse the issues with nasty language, complaining, etc. to basically get the narcotics they want.

This is the REASON why docs will often just hand out narcotics.

I read this completely different then most of you.

From what I hear - she is right. Lots of pain docs do steroid injections or another type of injection for ANYTHING.

Pain physicians brag about being able to see 40 patients in a single day (that is 5 minutes per patient!)

These are problems - and ones she addresses. Her perception may be true and we did it to ourselves.
 
Her pain is due to Sphincter of oddi dysfunction and it's constant pain? Apparently someone didn't do their homework prior to trying to con people into her diagnosis. Chronic pancreatitis? That I will buy as a constant pain but there is no reason that sphincter of oddi dysfunction should cause constant pain. It's episodic by nature. Why not go for a whipple? I have seen several patients who have gone for whipples for this condition and for chronic pancreatitis. It works out very well for the chronic narcotic seeker because now they have a surgical insult to back up their chronic abdominal pain diagnosis.

Who in their right mind would put a pump in this woman? It's asking for disaster every month when she comes for a refill, has nothing but complaints and then wants an increase in her hourly rate of dilaudid.

Several red flags appeared in her story about her intrathecal pump failing. First off, someone put a pump into her and she was having what sounds like HPA/thyroid dysfunction. That should have led to them stop or adjust therapy significantly. She was gaining weight and losing hair....sounds like endocrine dysfunction due to high dose opioids. Second, she was still on oral meds. Why put a pump into someone and then keep them on oral meds. Also she was given a PTM bolus program? Plus oral meds? Wtf. She was a ticking timebomb for an overdose.

Now for all those who think I am a heartless b@stard, I would treat this patient if she agreed to follow my treatment plan. No narcotics or benzos, no soma, start a TCA and SSNRI, consider a splanchnic vs celiac plexus block, biofeedback, psychological counseling and a dietician. No narcs, none, ever. Any divergence from the treatment plan results in discharge from the practice.
 
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I read this completely different then most of you.

From what I hear - she is right. Lots of pain docs do steroid injections or another type of injection for ANYTHING.

Pain physicians brag about being able to see 40 patients in a single day (that is 5 minutes per patient!)

These are problems - and ones she addresses. Her perception may be true and we did it to ourselves.

That problem is easily solved by the patient not going back to that physician anymore if they are not getting benefit.

Ergo, they won't have 40 patients in a single day since they will run out of patients pretty fast.

This woman won't stick around unless she obtains narcotics very long.
 
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