You're getting morphine and Fentanyl plus the anti-seizure meds? I'm very surprised they're allowing you to use them all. I got to use them as stand alone treatments.
Those meds work for some of us but I'm one who tried them all and just got more pain and side effects. My Fentanyl doesn't work as well as my morphine but it did allow me to have some quality of life. As they "wean me off" my meds I'm in constant pain and I'm NOT going to live like this. I'm glad the meds worked for you but sadly they don't work for everyone.

I know they do their best at our VAMC but I had to go to the ER on Monday because I couldn't get in to see my doctor. I waited for 6 hours before I was seen. WHY because they only had 1 doctor and nurse on duty. Before there were always 2 or 3 doctors on duty. Yet our legislators still get gold standard medical. On top of this all veterans who don't have cancer are being forced off their pain meds. What a great thank you from our country. I feel totally betrayed by my government.

They say there is an increased chance of us dying early. Like who wants to live 40 years in pain??? I'd rather have 10 good years then 60 crappy ones. I think this is all coming from the DEA who want to keep their jobs even if all of us die of pain. They also say that the pain meds are causing increased pain in us not the progression of the diseases or injuries we have. My new doctor tried telling me that the opiods are causing me to develop more pain receptors and that is what is causing my increased pain not the injuries. I hate when people **** on my head and then tell me it's raining.

According to one lady I saw at the VA ER, they are now running death panels to decide if they should treat your cancer or let you die. She was outraged when her husband was dx'd and was told that the panel would decide if he would get treatment.

How many veterans are going to die at the hands of their government? And are any of the doctors going to stand up for the vets?

What was once a good medical system is being destroyed by our legislators who act like 2 year olds and the bean counters.

I'm glad you found a solution. I have no other options other then the VA. I too am an expert on my condition but the doctors could care less. My VAMC doctor keeps telling me that she's not taking my meds away to hurt me but rather to help me. All this help is going to kill me.

And I have no reason to be careful. Anything I say here I've already said to the VA.

They really don't need antsy excuses to do what they are doing. Even if there was no doctor shopping going on they'd simply find another reason to do this. The DEA must persecute us in order to keep their jobs. the drug war is a failure that has cost us too much money and needs to be dropped. How many good doctors are now in jail because they actually gave a crap @ their patients????? Wouldn't it be nice if doctors made medial decisions without having to worry about losing their licenses?

Great question and post.

I had one doctor tell me that the Bible says we should suffer our pain and that's why he doesn't support pain management or euthanasia. I wonder if he'd feel the same if he suffered the amount of pain we do.

As long as there is a DEA and a government that doesn't give a crap about the people (they think we will all just allow them to do what they want because we haven't done anything in the past) this kind of stuff will continue. We need to band together and start demanding that this cease. That they give up this stupid war on drug and allow us adult to make our own decisions. Anything between consenting adult or done by adults should be legal as long as it doesn't harm anyone ELSE!!

This push to get all veteran off pain meds is about saving money and hoping that we all die so they don't have to use money to treat us.

I think it's time we got the ACLU to do something that might actually get them good press. I've written both out local papers without any luck.

I been given so many different stories by the VA I can hardly keep them straight. First I was told that new studies show that we can die from the meds (like you can't die from pain) and that because a few vet sell their meds they just can't afford to allow us to take them. Then I was told that the orders came from the top. Then I was told that they looked at the amount of pain meds being given at the VA and decided they were excessive. I don't guess that it occurred to them that maybe when you send soldiers to war that alot of painful injuries are the result. You know that if it was a congressman or senator who was in pain he/she would get what ever they needed no questions asked.

I'd like to hear what other vets have to say about this issue. Is this happening in other VAMC's and if so what are you being told?

We are indeed sabotaged by our government. I will not go through the kind of pain I experienced before eithor. I have had enough. I understand how you feel. My father had throat cancer, he seized in my arms on the floor more than once. His pain was so great all I could do is sit and rock him in my arms. Nobody should ever go through that ever! We are humans not animals, infact animals are treated better. I face a throat cancer right now just as my dad did. They are going to try to "hold" it off,....nice huh. Well I am not doing the prescribed treatment. NO WAY in hell will I have my throat and esophogus burned out to see what will happen. NO WAY...I have been off line for awhile because my mood is so bad. I joined final exit. If I face that kind of pain my father had to endure, there will be one less human on earth. I do understand and have made that choice to seek council. This site may not agree, and that is their right. However, pain can only be tolerated to a certain degree without going out of ones mind. After watching both my parents suffer through normal medical traditions, I have picked something else. God bless all of us. ginnie

The God I know, does not want us to suffer. That is why he put these drugs on earth and gave us brains to use them. I do not believe our God wants us to suffer just so we can go to heaven. No, not for one minute do I believe that. We have tools these days to help. doctors are becoming more and more afraid, and less and less compassonate. I do belive compassion was one of the things stressed in the bible. I believe in the compassionate care, more in end life senerios than normal medical attention allows. Even though my father had hospice, it was not enough to control his pain. That will not happen to me. I always pray for those on this site.