Human Rights -- Opioids, Social Media

[Nicomorphinist]

United Nations: For the Fourth Time At Least, Access To Pain Treatment Is A Human RIght

Editor's Memo October 2017: United Nations Says Untreated Pain Is “Inhumane and Cruel”

UN calls untreated pain cruel and inhumane, yet in the US chronic pain patients are losing access to needed opioid therapy to manage severe, intractable pain conditions.

www.practicalpainmanagement.com

US: Fears of Prescribing Hurt Chronic Pain Patients

US: Fears of Prescribing Hurt Chronic Pain Patients

Federal and state government efforts to reduce prescription opioids are inadvertently harming chronic pain patients in the United States.

www.hrw.org

Acknowledging the Plight of Pain Patients in the US

Acknowledging the Plight of Pain Patients in the US

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) took an important step last week toward acknowledging the suffering of chronic pain patients in the United States who face unnecessary barriers to accessing opioid medications.

www.hrw.org

Human Rights Watch Is Investigating US Pain Treatment

Human Rights Watch is Investigating Pain Treatment in the U.S. and Wants to Hear From You.

The Human Rights Watch is investigating pain treatment in the U.S. and they want to hear from you. If you are suffering from pain and lack access to alternative treatments, please tell me your story here

www.paintreatmentdirectory.com

Amnesty International: Facebook and Google are a threat to human rights

Amnesty International: Facebook and Google are a threat to human rights

Amnesty International, the premiere human rights organization, says Facebook and Google pose an unprecedented systematic threat to human rights. Specifically, Amnesty is concerned with the companies' "pervasive surveillance." In a new report, the organization warns against what it calls...

www.engadget.com

 

[I_Hate_This_Place]

It's good to see these articles at least acknowledging the issue at hand. Though I'm skeptical that acknowledging the issue is going to have an impact on the current sad state of affairs that is occurring in the US.

As a member of the pain patient community affected by the issue who tries there best to do what they can regarding advocacy, etc. I've sadly seen little in the way of results. Having heard for example from a medical professional "I'm sure it'll swing back the other way in 10 or 20 years. Sorry I can't help you now or in the foreseeable future." & the like; while being denied access to the care that previously let me live as oppose to exist."

I don't have 10-20 years of my life to be homebound & essentially invalid. That's as stated by the UN cruel & inhumane...

Thanks for posting. Though I must say the Human Rights Watch article for instance focusing again on "Alternative Treatments" I feel is again leaving behind a group of patients who already had found access to treatment that worked for them. As one of those patients who could easily be treated in a manner that works for them (or in this case me) I'd like to see action.

I feel there has been far to much a focus on finding alternative treatments when for certain patients they don't need an alternative. Opiates work for them. The positives outweigh the negatives & the patient's quality of life is drastically improved by said opiates. They don't need an alternative treatment. They just need there medication back!

It's great that they're finally saying force tapering patients off their medications is a mistake but as for those who already were forced off their medications WTF do we do? It's sad when a young resident I see who will soon be a full fledged doctor regrets their career choice. As they stated they feel they are unable to help people in the manner they would like to. In this case the person they feel they can't properly help being myself.

As a chronic pain patient who had their medication removed it's just getting worse & worse. My doctor moved. I had 3 months worth of my medication (methadone & oxycodone at the time) & a referall. I tried so many doctors but could not find one willing to accept a new patient at the time. My time ran out essentially. (n)

I won't go into the whole story as I tend to be verbose as it is. Regardless; I had to at least comment on the situation considering how vested I am in this situation.

I just noticed the PPM article though. Dr. Tennant IMHO is a great man who has done a lot of good things for many people & whose good name has been maligned. At least that's my understanding from everything I've read & heard from patients of his that I've spoken with in the chronic pain community. It's to bad there aren't more doctors like him.

I can understand the fear of losing one's license though. Or even the additional scrutiny. That's why the doctor I see won't help me. They feel that in the current climate it's to much of a risk. As I stated above they expect it to be a while before it improves. So I don't want to put the blame on the doctors by any means.

Honestly it comes down to let doctors practice medicine & the government, DEA, etc. stay the fuck out of it. Sadly that's not the world we live in. I hope some day that becomes the case. In the meantime figuring out a solution for my situation as a disabled chronic pain patient is becoming completely untenable & has been for some time. I know many others in the chronic pain community who are in the same situation.

Besides street drugs which in many cases lately aren't even really an option with the random shit that gets sold many pain patients are forced to go on suboxone or if they live near enough to a methadone clinic to use the methadone clinic as a form of pain management. In my case suboxone is the only option available to me. Again a long story & I've already been far to verbose.

I'll just leave it with my apologies for being so verbose & the following quote of me speaking to a physician.

"As a chronic pain patient I shouldn't be forced to exist in a state where I can barely care for myself when medication is readily available that allows me to at least have a somewhat functional life. Because other people are overdosing on fentanyl doesn't mean that my human rights should be violated. It's not right."

"No it's not right. I'm sorry." was the reply from physician.