NeuroTalk Support Groups - View Single Post

DanP · 11-18-2006, 02:15 AM

Well, it's now over 20 years for me and I ain't no where near throwing in the towel! I'll be damned if I will let this PN crud ever make me throw in the towel. And part of this time was when I was having to be a caregiver to my first wife who was dying from lung cancer. Watching her die slowly inch by inch didn't make life any easier with my agnozing PN pain which none of those blankety blank ignoramous doctors recognized either. At the end of the day they just got in their Caddy's and went home to their million $$$ homes not giving a flip whether I (or her) made it thru the nite or not. There are a couple of those SOBs that I hope burn in hades for eternity. And there was a period of time there that I had to work too if the bills were to be paid. After she died I was able to fully retire using her life insurance to pay off the mortage

But give up? No, I hung in there and about 4 years ago my Internist PCP agreed to work with me and I did get control of my pain with the Duragesic Patch which I've talked about here before so will not go into all that again. Suffice it to say there is always hope and we must hang in there and keep fighting. More and more docs are recognizing that chronic pain is a legitimate medical condition deserving all the medical profession has to offer. This means hope for all of us...keep looking for that doctor who is willing to work with you and don't waste your time on the idiots that still have M.D. after their names....for them it doesn't mean Medical Doctor....it means More Dollars.

In addition to not ever giving up hope please pray that stem cell research will be allowed to continue. I can't help but notice how some of those people change their minds when they are struck with a horrible disease/condition...I'm referring to a Senator who developed cancer and his whole attitude changed on stem cell research. Perhaps if a certain radio personality developed Parkinson's Disease his attitude might change too...but in this case I doubt it - the man is probably too ignorant to make the connection.

Naw, don't ever throw in the towel but when the situation demands it by all means apply for disability....there is no disgrace in that. Do all that's necessary to make life as pleasant as possible. Work toward pain control by finding a physician that will work with you - as hard as it may sometimes seem, they really are out there. Become an advocate...join and support some of the pain groups - like the American Pain Foundation at http://www.painfoundation.org/PainAi...=page_home.htm Learn all you can about YOUR condition as YOU are your own best advocate. As the old Nike commercial use to say: Just Do It.