Rich, had I not been able to handle the VA doctor, my next step was the Advocates' office. I still contacted them the next day when I had cooled off. I wasn't about to do it while that hot under the collar. They were very supportive and thanked me for the call as they had received other complaints on that doctor and they were monitoring him. They requested a follow up letter from me to go into his file. He was reassigned to another doctor that they said I would be pleased with. He saw Dad annually for the next 18 years and they actually became chums. Have a good day.

Hey spine95, I wasn't meaning to imply you weren't taking good care of your Dad, nor that you were unaware of the right things to do. I am really glad, your Dad got properly taken care of thanks to a caring and loving son.

I really was trying to offer support and helpful info. I do have a working knowledge of the VA Hosp, and for a long time had a negitive feeling toward them. Now I really feel they are trying to clean up their act, but when I hear of a Vet such as your Dad being mistreated I also get hot under the collar.

Thanks for being a good Son
God Bless You!

EEEEK!!! I never thought you were being critical. Sorry if I gave that impression. I have been a major pain flair from a fall for a couple of weeks and tend to have poor communication skills in that state. So very sorry. Have a great day.

Why giving chronic pain patients a chance to have a few hours a day not in twisted,life stopping pain, is a big deal. something is making the issue of the fact that americans take 80% of the worlds pain meds, like maybe the figures are wrong. Countries like Afghanistan have been producing their pain meds for centuries, because they NEED THEM. I'll bet if all countries had reasonable medically sanctioned use of pain killers they would consume vastly more drugs, for those who NEED them. I am sane, it's the chronic pain that has a chockehold on my wanting to end it.

I find it difficult to believe that the US consumes 80% of the world's pain medication. Regardless of what the percentage is, I look for it to go up not down. I don't care how much belly aching various groups and govt agencies do, it is getting harder and harder for chronic painies to get approved for various treatments and therapies due to cut backs. Comfort and quality of life mean little. They have really raised the bar on what is considered improved level of function if you are a senior chronic painie. In short, we are a poor investment. If attitudes don't change (quickly), we are only going to get authorized to get the least expensive pain meds. ie Methadone.

I live by myself and am very dependant on my home health aid as my kids live several hundred miles away and lead very busy lives. I see them about twice a year. The homebound program is being eliminated in my state and that is the program that pays for my home health. I look to be dropped after the first of the year. There are plenty of private pay agencies that do minimal light housekeeping, simple errand running and socialization but they cost a small fortune when your income is 50% below the poverty level. This county has two community based programs which offer similar assistance but the waiting list is huge. I have a friend who has been on a wating list for two years and looks like she will end up in a Medicaid subsidized nursing home in a month or two.

For those of you that are not aware of it, most states received secton 8 voucher money on July 1. If you are are in need of a voucher do a web search for section 8. The location to sign up differs from state to state. In KY the location is kyhousing.org. This is a pre-application form that must be filled out and then they send you that application package and an appt. date to see somebody. I have waited four years just to get on the waiting list. I was on the computer at midnight July 1, filled out the little form and sent it in at 12:02. Several minutes later I got an email saying it was received and filled out properly. Since this info. did not hit the news and most of the property owners knew nothing about this until yesterday, I feel pretty certain that I am way up on my county's list. If you need this sort of assistance and qualify, move quickly as there are always far more applicants than there are vouchers in many cities. As I said, I have been waiting and been paying full value on a handicapped section 8 apt. for four years. Best wishes and a happy holiday weekend to all.

I wonder if that 80% takes into consideration that many other contries do not require prescriptions for the lower level narcotic painmeds, like vicodin?

I have lost 2 good docs to the feds war on drugs, one packed up and went to a friendlier state, the other just stopped prescribing pain meds at all, only gave a referral to a pain clinic. I have a great GP now. I am on lots of meds and prefer they all be prescribed by one doc so as to monitor interactions.

I am hoping that the climate eases for our pain docs.

Free Kittens

I have had 3 surgery's for neck injury and have chronic pain all treatments have been tried and I just went to even try for the SCS unit and was told that due to the scar tissue it isn't recommended now I have have tired for 6 months to live without pain meds have ended up back at hospital 5 times now no doctors will treat for pain everyone says do to new regulations their hands are tied.I have to go to the hospital and they treat it to get my blood pressure down and put in their report need to be treated for chronic pain but the doctors say go to my PCP and he says go to pain management I don't know what to do I am very tired of hurting and being this way.If they read their own reports they pay millions of dollars for it shows most problems are with street drugs and also only around 5% of people being treated by doctors have problems 5% of all Americans I really think they need to go back to school.The worst thing is now since the government has tried to take care of our medical business it is one of the other things that is failing in this country.
I know I am are my wits end.

Sorry that you are having a hard time finding help for your pain. I've been reading your other posts.

You say that since you stopped taking your pain meds for 6 months that now PM Drs. can't help treat your pain that their hands are tried. Could you please explain sorry I missed something and trying to understand.

Life is hard enough without these added problems. Hang in there it can only get better from here.

Once we tried every procedure they continued to prescribed Dilaudid and Valium for about 3 monts then decided that they nolonger wanted to treat me they tried to pawn it off to my PCP doctor that said he could not treat for chronic pain.And due to my wife having words with my PCP,s boss I was let go from his services.Long story to that.But she was in the right.
At one visit the doctor said I was using to much cause I had been on them for two years so when I was dropped by the one treating me I stopped all meds then my b/p went up and back to the hospitals it was , I can not even sit up very long due to the pain so after 6 + months I haven't taken anything and started trying to find a new treatment but till I saw this doctor for the SCS all others have said due to the DEA and government regulations they no longer prescribe opioid s and we tried Suboxone and it failed so now out of all research I have done it was for nothing , I cant get any help I have kidney stones , kidney infection , b/p is up and the pain is gone above what I can control I really don't know how much more I can take.

I am one of hundreds of veterans in Grand Junction being forced off my pain meds. *edit* I will not live in that kind of pain again. I have TOS, RSD, Stenosis (sp), DDD and other things. I simply can not face a life time of pain and becoming more of a burden to my husband. I was still in pain on the meds but I could live with that amount of pain.

My new VA doctor keeps telling me that the pain won't be that bad and the pain meds are what are causing my increased pains. This BS of forcing Vets who don't have cancer off the pain meds is coming from the top of the VAMC system. *edit*.

I hate the people that are doing this,. I feel so betrayed by my government. we need an icon with a screw in the back.