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       There is a major problem going on out there that not many are aware of.  There are also many like myself that are aware of it.  I'd like to share with everyone the point of view and life of someone with chronic pain has to live with.  I can guarantee some of the readers will be able to relate to this story and the ones that cant will see things differently.  
        It all started with a work related back injury in 2005.  I was brought from work to the hospital where I was put on a Morphine drip for 5 days.  While in the hospital I was diagnosed with the common L5 S1 disc herniation. A Surgery was recommended to correct. The surgery that was going to be performed was called a micro discectomy. Thats where they go in and trim off the part of the disc that popped out and is hitting the nerve.  While awaiting the surgery the physicians had me on Percocet for the pain.  Had the surgery and was told to keep taking the Percocet for the pain. Went back to work a month later feeling ok.  The same thing happened again. Herniated the same disc.  A fusion was recommended to correct due to excessive movement in my vertebrae.  I opted to have the discectomy again due to the speed in which I could return to work.  This operation took longer for me to feel good enough to go back to work full duty.  I was fired due to that.  I was still in pain and had to follow recommendations of getting the fusion.  
       Here we are in 2010 when I have the spinal fusion done. Mind you I've been on painkillers for 5 years now on and off.  Post fusion I'm in excruciating pain.  Since they had me on painkillers for so long my body got used to them and they had to up them in order to have me in comfort.  Months go by still having pain down my leg. From walking differently for so long I developed arthritis in both hips as well.  That hurts worse than the back at times.  Months turn onto years of dealing with this.  Ive had epidurals, physical therapy, injections of all kinds, probably every different nerve medication under the sun, alternate state thinking methods, cognitive behavioral therapy, and massage therapy. After being tossed from doctor to doctor I decided to just give up and deal with the pain as much as possible on painkillers.  They are the only things that seem to mask the pain enough to live a somewhat ordinary life.  All I want is to be a good husband, father, and employee.  I was settled with a doctor that had me on a regiment that seemed to be working to my satisfaction.  I was able to work, maintain the household to some degree, and not be in agony all the time.
       This is where the problem begins.  I get a phone call one day saying that my doctor can no longer prescribe controlled substances and I'd have to go elsewhere. To add icing on the cake, they aren't allowed to release my medical records until some sort of audit takes place.  Apparently there was a paperwork problem at the office and the DEA pulled his license to prescribe those medications. If you've ever had to switch doctors, you know they need your past medical records or they won't even talk to you. The secretary gave me the names of two physicians in the area.  I called both physicians and they are no longer taking new patients.  I then took it upon myself to find a pain specialist within 25 miles or so from where I live.  After calling 10 different offices, the responses I got were either "we aren't taking new patients", "our first appointment is a month away", or I would leave messages and never get calls back.  Reluctantly, I called on a physician I was seeing in the past but stopped due to her high prices and I didn't like the way I was being treated. I called her on a Monday morning and asked the secretary to have her please call me.  Monday came and went with no call back.  Tuesday afternoon I called again and informed the secretary I never got the call and I need to speak with her.  Again I was told I would be receiving the call at the end of the day.  This continued all the way to Thursday when I called and told the secretary this was URGENT and I needed to speak with the DR.  I was told the doctor would call me on or around lunch.  Guess what, never got the call.  I called yet again Friday furious at this point and finally got the doctor on the phone.  I was giving a very fake apology and was told that she didn't want to see me because "she loves what she does and doesn't want to lose it by prescribing too much medication". 
       So, I get to suffer for a week because she doesn't care about me or the pain I'm in.  Even better, her office charges a decent amount to release medical records and they said it will take 2 weeks to release them to another doctor.  Again, what about me?  They don't care one bit about people or their medical issues. Does it sound right that I have to wait 2 weeks for them to send my records then wait a month to get an appointment? What kind of system is this? I have now been on painkillers for 8 years and all of a sudden have no doctor willing to see me.  What do I do? Apparently the DEA is cracking down on "pill pushing" doctors who seem to be over prescribing medications.  This has all of the doctors either scared to or ignoring people that need help with their pain.  I get it, there are people out there that are doing bad things with pain medication.  What about us people that need it to get through a day in less pain than usual? Or even just need some sort of solution to pain without narcotic assistance.  Every doctors office I called I didn't once mention pain medication and still no calls back.  I feel helpless and a lot of doctors make people like me feel like garbage or junkies for wanting to mask pain!  We have to live with people looking at us cross eyed when they hear or see we take pain medication.  Even at the pharmacy I see the looks on their faces.  It's not fair.  We are all criminals or junkies in peoples eyes that don't understand what chronic pain feels like.  People like myself in chronic pain didn't ask for this.  Doctors put me in this position and now doctors are turning their backs.  It's not right ethically or professionally.  I've lost count on how much I've had to spend on doctor appointments over the years.  They won't talk over the phone cause they aren't making any money doing that. 'You have to come in for me to talk to you" I get.  Yeah, that way you get your $200 to spend 5 minutes with me and make me feel like trash.  I know there are good doctors out there, I'm not saying there isn't.  The problem is finding them. I honestly don't know what to do at this point.  I guess suffering from extreme lower back pain and very painful arthritic hips is going to be my life.
         Since I couldn't get into any pain management doctors, I was forced to find a physician that can prescribe Suboxone.  Suboxone if you are unfamiliar, is a medication that will prevent a person from going into full blown opiate withdrawls.  So again you are made to feel like you are some junkie off the street.  There really is no "win win" outcome when dealing with chronic pain.  You either take a narcotic medication to relieve the pain and get treated like a junkie, or you deal with the pain and spend a small fortune on all other weak attempts to cure it. At least in my case.  Remember, it is called "practicing" medicine.  Thats not a joke.  Thats exactly what it is.
          The moral of the story is, if you're in pain and need medication for it, get ready to be treated like a drug addict junkie that is only looking for pills.  I'd love to sign my name to this but I'd probably be put in some medical black book.



                                                                                        -Anonymous-