The VA killed me

UPDATE:
You have changed things. I just got a call from a lady at VA. Someone sent the video to a senator and that senator (she would not give me the senators name) contacted the VA and told them to find a way for me to receive after treatment where ever I want. This is a big deal. However, while this does help me obtain the treatment I need it still doesn’t change the fact that had they done things the way they should have I would not be dying.

My desire and wish is to force changes in the va to allow ALL veterans to get the care they need. If they can now allow me to get treatment where ever I want then they can allow ALL veterans to get treatment where ever they want. Please don’t stop now. This is a fight you can win.

Filed under: General Problems | 2 Comments »

Opioid-Related Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalization Rates Decrease From 2009 to 2015

https://www.clinicaladvisor.com/pain-information-center/opioid-benzodiazepine-ed-visits-hospitalization-rates-decrease/article/790991/

For patients taking chronic opioids with or without an overlapping benzodiazepine prescription, the rate of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations decreased in the United States from 2009 to 2015, according to a study published in The Clinical Journal of Pain.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort analysis using the MarketScan database to identify patients aged ≥18 years who were prescribed opioids for at least 90 days between 2009 and 2015 (N= 2,533,878). Patients were excluded if they had cancer or were receiving palliative or hospice care. The number of patients with chronic opioid use, opioid-related ED visits, and opioid-related hospitalizations was calculated for both year and region.

Approximately 60% of the study population were women; median age remained consistent throughout the study period (54 in 2009 and 55 in 2015). The North Central region had the largest percentage of individuals taking opioids chronically (2.7%, n=129,915) in 2015, with the Northeast at the lowest percentage (1.5%, n=66,443).  For the duration of the study, the rate of opioid-related ED visits decreased from 85 per 100,000 people in 2009 to 73 per 100,000 in 2015. The South was the region with the highest rate of opioid-related ED visits in 2015 (23 per 100,000), while the Northeast again had the lowest (15 per 100,000). No significant difference was found for overall ED visit rates by year. 

Opioid-related hospitalizations decreased from 168 per 100,000 in 2009 to 103 per 100,000 in 2015. The South had the highest rate of hospitalizations for all years, with 39 per 100,000 reported in 2015. The West had the lowest rate in 2015 at 19 per 100,000.

Approximately 66% of patients with an opioid-related ED visit and 73% of patients with an opioid-related hospitalization had an overlapping benzodiazepine prescription. The rate of opioid-related ED visits for patients also receiving a benzodiazepine decreased from 2009 to 2015 (160 per 100,000 people to 137 per 100,000). The West had the highest rate for all years at 42 per 100,000 in 2015, and the Northeast had the lowest with 27 per 100,000. The hospitalization rate decreased from 327 per 100,000 in 2009 to 203 per 100,000 in 2015. The Northeast once again had the lowest rate for all years, with 33 per 100,000 in 2015, while the South had the highest with 67 per 100,000.

Although the rates for opioid-related ED visits and hospitalizations decreased, the authors caution that “more research is needed to examine regional variation in chronic pain management and if or how concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine use can be less dangerous.”

Filed under: General Problems | 6 Comments »

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/403060-sessions-moves-to-block-two-ohio-doctors-from-prescribing-opioids

Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the announcement in a speech in Ohio on Wednesday. He said the action was the first of its kind and a sign of how serious the administration is about fighting the opioid epidemic.

The DOJ said the doctors had been served this week with temporary restraining orders preventing them from prescribing.

“These injunctions – a temporary restraining order – will stop immediately these doctors from prescribing—without waiting for a criminal prosecution,” Sessions said.

So much for innocent until proven guilty ?

It would seem that every time that the DOJ “steps over the line” and pushes what can legally be done and they get “away with it” .. the next time… it seems like they try to find how much farther they can go pass the line and get away with it..  This action by AG Session in Ohio – IMO – demonstrates how bold the DOJ is getting toward opiate prescribers.

The DEA has ran “help wanted ads” for Forfeiture Financial Specialist Supporting the DEA   does this suggest that the DEA is more interested in the assets of a prescriber than the “dead bodies” as the reason they claim that they are going after a prescriber

And why should they worry about crossing the line ?… there is no resistance nor consequences for their actions !

All they have to do is look at what is going on in and around the chronic pain community..  There was a fund raiser to help Dr Tennant with his legal expenses started EIGHT MONTHS AGO and to date there has been 119 contributors

And there was a fund raiser started a few days ago for Pain Warriors ~ the Movie   and to date there has been 32 donors and they have reached ELEVEN PERCENT of their goal…

Then there are the prescribers… logic would suggest that – before the vultures start circling – they could put all their assets into a irrevocable trust and basically make themselves personally a pauper and leave nothing for the the DEA’ s forfeiture Financial Specialist to find and the DEA nothing to confiscate and maybe have fewer reasons to go after the prescriber ?

One would think that ALL PRESCRIBERS would have by now jointly created a legal defense fund to help get cover legal expenses of their professional colleagues. SOP for the DEA is to raid a practice/clinic, confiscate all of the assets of the prescriber and toss them in jail… so they have no money to pay bail, no money to hire a first class attorney and left with very few options which you can click here for more info other than accept a public defender or plead guilty to a couple of charges and get a dozen or two years in prison.

When is the last time that you read where the DEA has caught anyone other than some “end of the food chain” drug mule transporting illegal drugs ?

Wouldn’t take much to see that prescribers are not trying to protect themselves … the entire prescriber community is not financially coming together to create a legal defense fund

The chronic pain community is failing to come together to create a legal defense fund.  In fact some within the chronic  pain community believes that agree with the DEA that addicts are causing their problem of being unable to get their necessary pain medication.  They refuse to acknowledge, and agree with our Surgeon General, that all addictions are a mental health disease and not a moral failing.

Over the last 6-7 years I have seen chronic pain pts and other who are interested in advocating for the chronic pain community come and go. I suspect that some have come to the realization that they are nothing more than a ” Don Quixote ” and they cease to advocate… It may not be long before more will come to that conclusion and more will cease to advocate and few will step up to take their place. What will be left, will be “easy prey” for the DEA to have their way with.

Filed under: General Problems | 14 Comments »

Tom Frieden, Former CDC Director, Arrested And Charged With Sexual Abuse, Harassment

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tom-frieden-sexual-misconduct-arrested_us_5b802c24e4b0729515128be4

Filed under: General Problems | 4 Comments »

Mom looks to share her son’s tragic story at healthy opioid summit

https://www.wkrn.com/special-reports/opioid-crisis/mom-looks-to-share-her-son-s-tragic-story-at-healthy-opioid-summit/1392183037

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – It’s been almost three years since Carrie Luther lost her son Tosh to an overdose. 

“He made a mistake and took something that wasn’t what he thought it was,” Luther said. “Now, he’s gone forever.” 

Luther says her son was having a hard time sleeping at night. 

On October 27, 2015, he took one-fourth of what he thought was a Xanax pill from a friend. 

“It wasn’t Xanax,” Luther said. “It was counterfeit, and it was fentanyl.” 

Luther says the small amount of fentanyl, an opioid, killed him within 30 minutes. 

Tosh was only 29. 

“You don’t have to be an addict to be susceptible to this,” the mother said. 

It’s a message she’s sharing Friday at the Healthy Tennessee Opioid Summit. 

Nonprofits, law enforcement, counselors, and lawmakers will discuss ways to fight the opioid epidemic and growing fentanyl deaths. 

“It’s important to me to let people know that this could happen to them or someone they love,” Luther said. 

Last year, 1268 people died from opioid-related overdoses in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. 

More than 600 of the overdoses were from prescription pills. 

500 were from fentanyl. 

“Fentanyl is so powerful that it only takes 2 to 3 milligrams to kill a grown adult,” said Shabbir Safdar, executive director of the Partnership for Safe Medicines. 

“That amount is less than what would fit on Lincoln’s head on a penny.” 

Safdar says most fentanyl overdoses come from counterfeit pills usually handed off between friends. 

“There’s no prescription pill that’s safe unless you get it from a licensed pharmacy,” Safdar said. 

It’s a warning Luther now spreads to young people and parents, hoping to save them from the pain she lives with every day. 

“You do not want to be that person lying in a casket because you made a mistake,” she said. 

The Healthy Tennessee Opioid Summit will take place Friday at the Hermitage Hotel downtown from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. 

Filed under: General Problems | 11 Comments »

US Drug Watchdog Now Urges Consumer Who Was Given the Wrong Prescription or Someone Else’s Prescription at a Pharmacy to Call About a Possible Financial Settlement – Did You Keep the Pills?

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-drug-watchdog-now-urges-consumer-who-was-given-the-wrong-prescription-or-someone-elses-prescription-at-a-pharmacy-to-call-about-a-possible-financial-settlement—did-you-keep-the-pills-300701181.html

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — The US Drug Watchdog says, “We are urging an individual who was given the wrong prescription or another person’s prescription medication by their local pharmacy or by a compounding pharmacy to call us anytime at 866-714-6466. For many people receiving the wrong prescription, the incorrect dosage or someone else’s prescription, the complications could cause extremely serious medical issues.

“If this did happen to you, did you keep the medication, or keep the sales receipt that indicates the error? We want to get you compensated if you received the wrong medication at a pharmacy. However, to make compensation possible we will need proof of the mistake.

“Our effort also includes identifying a parent who was given a prescription for someone else rather than their child or their child’s prescription was not the correct medication, or the dosage was not correct.” http://USDrugWatchdog.Com

The US Drug Watchdog’s initiative is nationwide and is focused on identifying consumers in any state whose pharmacy gave them the prescription for someone else, or a prescription for the wrong medication.  The group is now urging consumers in all states such as California, New York, Illinois, Florida, Ohio, New Jersey, Nebraska, Louisiana, Nevada, Minnesota, Georgia, Tennessee, Alaska, Missouri, Texas or any other state to carefully look at the prescription they are picking up at a pharmacy to ensure it really is what their physician had prescribed. 

For more information, a victim of a pharmacy medication error can call the US Drug Watchdog anytime at 866-714-6466. http://USDrugWatchdog.Com

The US Drug Watchdog is warning possible severe health side effects of pharmacy medication errors including:

• Death (example a consumer with a severe heart condition is mistakenly given antibiotics. Some antibiotics can cause arrhythmia with a person with serious heart issues.)
• Hospitalization (example a pharmacist mistakenly gives a pregnant woman an epilepsy drug, the anticoagulant, or a drug to treat bipolar disorder). These types of drugs have all been linked to severe birth defects.
• Allergic reactions or a person having a severe reaction that could cause hospitalization.
• In most instances pharmacy prescription errors are caused by labeling errors, mix-ups with another patient’s order, dispensing the wrong drug or wrong dosage, incompatible health conditions or adverse interactions with other medications.

The US Drug Watchdog says, “If you possess proof your pharmacy gave you the wrong prescription or someone else’s prescription, please call us anytime at 866-714-6466-especially if you were injured by the mistake. We want to make certain you get compensated. However, as mentioned we will need proof of the mistake either being you still are in possession of the incorrect prescription, or your sales receipt indicates the error. Our initiative is also focused on making certain consumers picking up medications at a pharmacy check to ensure what they are receiving is what was prescribed by their physician, or dentist.” http://USDrugWatchdog.Com

Media contact

Thomas Martin 

200577@email4pr.com 

866-714-6466

SOURCE US Drug Watchdog

Related Links

http://usdrugwatchdog.com

Filed under: General Problems | 1 Comment »

#OurPain: The other side of opioids LasVegasNOW KLAS TV8

Filed under: General Problems | 4 Comments »

Save the Date! A CMS Town Hall Webinar Event – The Opioid Crisis

The Opioid Epidemic: Approaches to Adolescents and Honored Elders

Thursday, September 6, 2018

1 p.m. – 6 p.m. ET | 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. PT

The western regional offices of The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) present an event highlighting the importance of collaboration among clinicians and community members to address the opioid crisis.The event is presented as a multi-regional webinar featuring an overview of the CMS opioid roadmap, guest speakers sharing their experience in addressing opioid use in adolescent and elder populations, and an opportunity to hear from those feeling the impact of the epidemic on a personal level.

CMS is seeking CME/CEU approval for this program.

Register Now!

Questions? Email roger.liu@cms.hhs.gov.

To download the event flyer, click here.

Andrea Patti
Pain Warrior & Advocate
WAR ON PAIN PATIENTS

War on Pain Page:  https://www.facebook.com/waronpainpatients/

War on Pain Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/193354774642975/

Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/NJMETALGIRL

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9evBaDmHbIVmid5pQYg0rQ

Filed under: General Problems | 6 Comments »

Charges: Eden Prairie man helped wife commit suicide

http://www.fox9.com/news/charges-eden-prairie-man-helped-wife-commit-suicide

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (KMSP) – An Eden Prairie, Minnesota man has been charged with a felony for allegedly helping his wife commit suicide last week. 

Thomas James Houck, 61, was charged with aiding suicide. He faces up to 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, around 2:20 a.m. last Thursday, Houck called 911 claiming he woke up in the middle of the night and discovered his wife “euthanized herself” by using nitrogen and placing a plastic bag over her head.

When officers arrived they found her wearing the bag, which was connected by a tube to a nitrogen tank. Near her, they found a handwritten note, which stated she “could not endure any more pain” and needed to escape it. Houck told investigators his wife had been experiencing pain from an unknown cause and medication was not helping.

Houck told police he helped his wife search for suicide methods and on Wednesday he went with her to the store to buy nitrogen and a regulator, but denied helping her with the actual act. He told investigators he threw out the receipts. Surveillance video showed the two buying the items and a sales worker who police spoke with remembered the exchange.

After police executed a search warrant, Houck admitted to helping his wife make a hood out of a plastic bag by using a diagram they found on the internet. He told police he was with her when she put on the bag and he turned on the nitrogen gas until the tank emptied. After she passed away, he went to a nearby store and threw out the gloves he wore during the incident as well as some other items. Surveillance video shows Houck throwing out the items. He told police he knew what he did was illegal. He tried to rest, but he called 911 a few hours after the incident.

Houck is in custody at Hennepin County Jail. 

Houck’s first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.

Filed under: General Problems | 8 Comments »

I recently had hip surgery. I am a chronic pain sufferer from Ankylosing Spondylitis and Osteoarthritis. Prior to my medical retirement from military service after 18 years I was a fully employed active duty member.

I would like to know if you could recommend any place I can put my recent hip surgeon on report?

Following my hip surgery he prescribed me Motrin and told me to buy some Tylenol at Walmart.

This is not his usual protocol for pain control following hip surgery. He usually prescribed strong pain killers. But, at our first appointment he began it by lecturing me on opiate pain management and the “recent Washington state laws” which were going to ensure my “high” level of pain medication would be stopped soon enough. I am well versed in the laws here and he did not know what he was talking about. Not to mention my levels of pain management are not considered high even under the CDC “suggestions” at 30 mg long acting Oxycodone per 24 hours with two 5 mg immediate release maximum Oxycodone per 24 hours for break through pain.

A month before my surgery I talked both with my pain management doctor and the surgeon’s assistant and an understanding was they would work together on post pain surgery management. Of course his excuse was “they didn’t call me” and “you have a contact” (my contract allows for post surgery pain prescriptions).

I don’t like how this went down and I am now talking to my pain management who are, of course passing the buck.

Any reporting suggestions you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I don’t wish to let this just pass-this surgeon needs to leave his picket sign at home and not involve his private opinions in his patient care. In addition, the agreement in advance to work with my pain management doctors should have been honored. I feel like I was deliberately misled and treated like a low life and a drug addict.

Thank you for your patience

Filed under: General Problems | 8 Comments »