I have been posting on this blog for SIX YEARS as well as Facebook and Twitter. Reflecting in the rear view mirror of those in the chronic pain community… numerous people and chronic pain pts have “stepped up” to make things happen.
People have “stepped up” .. with “tons” of enthusiasm.. only to be discouraged because change doesn’t happen in a time frame measured in days or weeks… more like months, quarters and years.. if at all.
People have stated that they have sent letter, emails, faxes or called members of Congress’ offices and or various persons in the media, and typically they get back information about the opiate crisis we are dealing with.
Dozens or hundreds of petitions have been put up on various websites and goals of tens or hundreds or tens of thousands were the goal to have people sign these petitions and in the end.. MAYBE a few hundred would sign them.. given that there is supposedly 100 + million chronic pain pts… the turn out to sign these petitions could only be “measured” as POOR.
There has been a few attempts in getting “demonstrations” at state/federal capitals. Again, the “body count” considering all the estimated 100 + million chronic pain pts… Again, a poor turn out..
The DEA has raided Dr Tennant’s office a few months ago and there was a “go fund me ” fund to raise money for his legal defense … After about FOUR MONTHS… – as I write this post – 111 separate contributions have been made.
A couple of years ago, another chronic pain pt and myself tried to create a “legal defense fund”.. our goal was to get about 1% if the chronic pain pts to contribute – ONE TIME – the cost of a fast food lunch ($5.00 – $7.50).. after about ONE MONTH… a couple of dozen people had made contributions with a total of around $600. Not even close to the amount needed to fund the creation of a non-profit for the legal defense fund… The contributions were refunded and the project was abandoned.
Maybe this is why when someone looks in our rear view mirror… it appears EMPTY, but that may be the “sanitized picture”.. perhaps the real picture would be a road clutter/clogged with “dead bodies” and “incapacitated bodies ” from all the chronic pain pts that have had their medication reduced or stopped ? I wonder how many of those “bodies” didn’t expect it to HAPPEN TO THEM… they were good little pts… They had been using the same prescriber for years or decades. If they kept their heads down… everything would be OKAY ?
Filed under: General Problems
The road is indeed littered with bodies, some of them run over multiple times as different meds are taken from previously stable patients.
Is it then any surprise that as we stand up to fight, we get knocked down again? There is only so much we, as an incapacitated patient base, can do.
We can make a lot of noise, but changing the radio station takes care of that. We don’t have the money to put out ads on every station since we have already been stripped of our monies just to survive. I know of very few wealthy disabled people, and even less physically able ones.
If the healthy will not stand up to help us (like they do for other causes), the road will be littered with more and more bodies as baby boomers enter into the Medicare/Medicaid system. How many bodies will have to pile up before we block the road and the healthy start to notice?
Accepted lower dose???Seriously,,more like FORCED ,OFF to lower dosage,,,I know from people I ACTUALLY SPEAK WITH for I am not a mind reader,,,the people I speak w/are disgusted at our government. The see how corrupted it is,,and they have lost hope,,they can stop this corrupt government torture and genocide,,If u do the math,,that 2,000 more a year CPPs are DEAD,, via forced physical pain,,they only acception was 2016-2017 up 6,000 cpp,,that would give us about 40,000 total in the last 16 years approx.,,that have been forced to use death as their only means of stopping their physical pain via government torture/genocide..Now speaking from what I read,,,many are just done,,,their physically ill,,thus do not hve the energy to fight anymore,,and again,,the see the government corruption every time they try to stop this torture/genocide,,,and they give up,,,Many like myself,,having paid deductible/out of pockets for 20 years are just broke,,Don’t have the monies to fly out to Washington D.C..My other guess is,,seeing as the government as lied on EVERY PIECE OF DATA,, my guess it also,,,tht number of 100 mill,,, IS OFF,,,,MARYW
I also wanted to mention that I only joined Facebook this year because I read on your site what Valorie Hawk was trying to organize in all 50 states.
I just recently found out the type of exposure Richard Lawhern has on Facebook which I believe is in the thousands.
Maybe we should ask Red to post these things to Facebook if he truly has this kind of exposure. I contributed to Dr. Tennant’s legal defense fund, so that’s very disappointing to hear so few others did.
I didn’t even know this was happening until I stumbled upon your (Pharmacist Steve) website in 2016. The only other site I know of is. The National Pain Report. I just happened to Google: Pain Advocacy Groups.
I live in a small rural town and my primary always prescribed it. I don’t think even he knows the extent of what is happening!
CPP’S don’t know how to find help!
I have never believed there are 100 Million chronic pain patients. A smaller number could explain the lack of presence.
It is also possible the majority of chronic pain patients are receiving adequate treatment. Perhaps they had to make choices. Accept lower doses of opiates. Or have no opiates at all for pain. So they have found ways to manage.