I just finished my fourth year as a blogger on this website… starting out with no particular set direction. Just by chance it was about the same time that the war on drugs/pts started ramping up. It quickly got to a point that I had more material to blog about than I had time.
The ensuing four years really has been a education in many areas… first of all that there are many laws on the books that no state/federal agency is interested in enforcing.. particularly when they revolve around the DEA and law enforcement in general.
I have tried several things to help the chronic pain to create some unity and I have come to the conclusion that the chronic pain community is so dis-jointed, unconnected, not paying attention or some other unknown reason.. unity within the chronic pain community continues to seem illusive
Over the years, I have watched the number of Face Book pages literally EXPLODE… in regards to those focused on chronic pain.
I have watched time and time again that people have put up a petition to the WHITE HOUSE and others…needing 100,000 signatures for them to even look at it – doesn’t mean that they will even do anything at that point.. and few – that I have seen – have exceed 1,000 signatures.. let alone 100,000.
Now it seems like two different groups are planning a rally/protest on THE HILL in Oct… on the SAME WEEKEND… but different days… While all the members of Congress are in recess and back in their home districts campaigning for re-election. They are going to have a rally in front of a EMPTY HOUSE.
Over the next 60 days I am going to start pulling back from cross posting on most/all of other chronic pain FACE BOOK pages. IMO, I am just encouraging all the dis-unity within the chronic pain community by doing so. I am going to continue to post on www.pharmaciststeve.com, my Face Book page https://www.facebook.com/pharmaciststeve and my twitter account @pharmaciststeve and anyone can use the RSS feed at the top of the blog to get a automatic email when something new is posted, or follow my FACE BOOK page or Twitter feed.
I will continue to be a advocate for the chronic pain community.. just what form/shape that takes has yet to be determined.
Filed under: General Problems
Thank you Steve for standing strong. I quit CVS also
Thank you for all you have done! Been following since summer 2012!
Can you explain how both the oxycodone and adhd meds have been corrupted, reconfigured and beyond recognition. I’ve returned 5. Was on Barr dextroamphetamine sulphate for 12 years, after Reform Act the franken meds have incurred 4 drug related primary dr visits, and the 5 versions of oxycodone are making me sick. No-one is being truthful and I need to function before I’m killed on dissed ability.
[…] I made a post almost a month ago stating that I was going to be Changing directions […]
[…] I made a post almost a month ago stating that I was going to be Changing directions […]
I have to admit Steve that I agree wholeheartedly with what b you are saying to me . It makes me so sad that the unity is not there for the chronic pain patients
I wish you good fortune Steve . I see your point and stand corrected.
I do love your analogy. Yes, at this time they are uniformed roaring dinosaurs that the government has used against us. But as all dogs, lets have one come at them from the front and the rest of the pack circle round from the back. Information is our weapon. The internet is what we is our battlefield.
We can be strong here. We can inform the public. Even as little chow chows. 🙂
Steve, I’m feeling a lot of the same. Also, I hate that I’m feeling this, but I am starting to think we are going to have to go FAAAAAR down this road to utter HELL for pain patients until the public realizes and is directly effected by the truth, before we will succeed in this fight. Im losing steam and I can’t bear to give in–I wont, but I have little faith in this fight. We are millions of scattered, injured chihuahuas, and they’re 2000 healthy, angry, unified, roaring dinosaurs. But, I sincerely hope I’m wrong,
I understand consolidating your effort. Focusing your drive and energy to be more effective. Sending an RSS feed to the many sites you once individually posted to is ideal. Plus, makes you more available to more sites.
Additionally, gives you additional time to focus on the topic of Chronic Pain instead of populating sites.
Congratulations, on your next stage of growth. I look forward to seeing what new things come from you!
I am up for it!!!but 1 of me,,,well I think we need more????u know where wth is this u.s. pain foundation,,,even something as simple as making a statement on line,,a simple column or responds to all this b.s.. from thee attorney general,,the surgeon general,,,,nothing from them??!!!!
Just a thought I believe there is nothing like tying up the phone lines to the White House – your state rep- senator and congress on the same day. Lets not give up now- lets plan a day. Whos up?
If I may?”Terry”,,,u have a very very clear view of what we are up against,,maryw
I understand your frustration, but the challenges facing the chronic pain community come from many sources. I think one of the key aspects that promote apathy is the fact that the mainstream media is 100% against us. Our message is not heard. Our opinions do not matter. Our comments are often censored. We write to our government to no avail. There is an overwhelming sense of futility in our efforts. No attorneys are willing to hear our case. The American people are ignorant or too unaffected to care about what is being done. We are a minority population, and we all know how minorities are treated in the United States.
As voters … we are not an minority… the last presidential election… there was 126 million votes cast.. with 5 million between the winner and loser… and a estimated 106 million voting age citizens — DID NOT VOTE … but 100 million is just the start of counting the numbers.. many chronic painers have spouses/significant others… who will vote for better pain management therapy ?… how about the adult children of those chronic painers?… Don’t forget all the prescribers with spouses/kids that are being screwed with by the DEA… and then there are all the pharmacists/pharmacy staff,spouses/kids that are being screwed with… Most elections difference between winner/loser is 10%-30%… since there are about 232 million voting age adults.. that would suggest that a majority would start at 116 million… IMO.. the chronic pain community could control who is elected in just about any office at city/county/state/federal level… one thing that we don’t have is UNITY.. individually pain lives matters… collectively… unity is illusive..
hmmmm,,I can understand the why,,,we need to united under 1 banner,,quitters never win and this issue is dealing with human lives literally, and thee wrongful abuse of the medically ill,,,and that just wrong,and not the civilized humane humanity I see for our children,or the medically ill..Where is this U.S pain foundation,,or this M.S, foundation,,or thee arthitis foundation fighting against this,,,or is it truly gone back to the days of barbaric idealism, where only the physically strong survive?we make that choice,,and so ,”we” are not getting our truth thru to the general public,,mary
I understand both your passion & frustrations, Steve… It’s a roller coaster of a road. I’m behind you 100% and, as mentioned, would love to help contribute some authorship. Unity is the key, that’s a 100% absolute.
Completely random sidenote: By coincidence, you put up a picture of roadsigns at the top of this article – the same day another friend wrote a post about how ‘they recently changed the direction the red line goes in.’ Any thoughts on that? Do you think it’s just random which corner the red strike-out line goes in or did they really change it?
(Figured some levity can’t hurt;)