This Opiophobic story is good for a laugh

[Pharmacist.steve]

http://www.theindychannel.com:80/health/10782581/detail.html

NOW there is a TWELVE STEP program for chronic pain with a 65% success rate

In this story... Clarian Health is the predominate hospital management company in Indianapolis...

[bewolf]

Shouldn't this post be in the comedy forum?

12 steps to pain control? ... yea right....and pigs DO fly.

[exitwound]

outrageous. opiophobia and the general blind support of prohibition are among the greatest humane problems facing our society in this century, IMHO.

[champgoof]

I read it twice thinking I miss read something... wow how stupid is that?!

[Kira]

"Chronic non-cancer pain is not a fixable pain. It's not pain that's going to be fixed through surgery or medication," said Jim Ryser, of Clarian Health.

This really bothered me. I HATE that they make this distinction between cancer pain and non-cancer pain. My mom has had 3 different kinds of cancer now, and guess what? She's better. Yes it sucked. But her cancer is gone. Meanwhile, my non-cancer disorder is still here. Still real. Why is cancer pain put on such a different plane than pain from other disorders? It drives me nuts.

[Gimpy]

2222222222222222

[Pharmacist.steve]

"Chronic non-cancer pain is not a fixable pain. It's not pain that's going to be fixed through surgery or medication,

I have yet to see a 12 step program - dealing with ANYTHING .. that can honestly claim a 65% success rate... unless the candidate selection is so selective that it is like stacking the deck .. or their time frame to measure success is so short that "even a caveman could do it"

I am all for a multi-displinary approach to pain management.. but to profess that high a success rate without using surgery or drugs ... is hard to swallow

I think that chronic painers reading that article will be given false hope

[Joey54]

Another feel good story for those who think they are in severe pain but have yet to encounter pain that will take a bull to the ground or someone juggling numbers?

The state has contracted social services out to a private company … soon I guess that I will go in and speak by telephone to someone in India or Pakistan …

Indiana is for sale … the toll roads, lottery, and the sick are all being sold to a for profit companies …

Medicaid has attempted to dump so many patients that the legal aid lawyer that covers area counties is overwhelmed.

I got a notice August 18 that I no longer meet Medicaid criteria under their rules; of course, this was after a careful review of my medical records … this is the 2nd year in a row for a state declared recovery.

My initial hearing date was in November & my lawyer asked for a continuance until after January 18 as she was booked up, the hearings are not long so one must conclude that the delay is due to the large volume of success or a lot of people that are faking the need for help.

I feel like a Dell today,

Joey54

[Mark N]

The article didn't tell us how they choose the trial patients so it is hard to determine what it really showed. I know that in Indiana there is a real problem with addiction problems and it seems like there are too many pill factories. That is a big reason that i run all my medications through one doctor and one pharmacy. I don't want to get caught up in a investigation like many people in central Indiana have.

I know from personal experience there is a big difference from severe pain to real severe pain. If I took opiates when I was in first serious pain and went through this program I would be one of the successful patients. How ever, when I have tried to get off my meds now it is a total failure no matter how many steps I take [ I have tried several programs]. I know it is hard to distinguish how much pain people are in but these studies need to do more research about the histories of these people because it really would screw up the results if they didn't sort out the patients before starting the program.

Because there isn't enough background work on these studies, Steve is right they are laughable. We are right to be offended to be lumped with the group of people that have dealt with this for a short time or without going through other treatments before they get taking opiates. I think this shows more about the doctors that prescribe these meds than it does about chronic pain patients.

[curiousforever]

Ok y'all. Let's just get over it and realize that it's all mind over matter. That the pain that they can't find a reason for is just somatoform.

The psychologist believes this (the one I was going to). So why then did the pain start after a great summer and the boys starting school? One doc said it was 'probably stress'...again - just got done with a great summer (had NO pain - was getting all the housework done - and HAPPY to be doing it) - taking boys to the pool everyday---

It's not like I didn't know what pain was then - had surgery and got the nerves in my arms taken care of.

95% of the time I'm a happy person. I only have emotional problems when I end up with docs who say it's stress or emotional...

Stress does make my pain worse - but it's not the cause of the pain.

12 step article is ridiculous.

[DiMarie]

IF we take a control group of 25 and study group of 25 that will work at methods of adaptive living, biofeedback, learning how to SUCK IT UP and live with what there is....
after 6 months come in and say 65% of our test group learned how to suck up pain....

Sound like fun anyone?
Dianne

[Jo6]

the artical does not have me jumping through hoops this a.m. I see a # of things in this story that jump out at me as being really out there.

All Chronic Pain is not created equal. I have no idea how to put on paper what I am feeling about this article, the great results they have with a certain "12 Steps Program".

They name things that has helped this girl and "family involvment" was in there. That isn't for everybody either. I have seen "family involvment" do more harm than good. I guess it depends on the person and their family.

I'll hush now before I say things I would be better off left un-said.. If one is on meds. and want to get off them, more power to you. If one takes meds. in order to have a life, as normal as possible, then more power to them. I'm in the last group. I'm not young, but I would live as long as possible. I am not ready to throw in the towel just yet! Jo


ps: hi wolfie,good to see you:)

[Mark N]

Jo6, I agree with you, let every on do what they need to do. Like you, I am now in the group that takes my meds to have any kind of life at all.

[alex44]

I have yet to do a twelve step program that works. I have done them all, including in-patient in a T/C and the only one to resolve my problems was me. I do ned a good shrink to talk to but that is in addition to the meds for my pain - the shrink is for my emotional pain that the meds don't touch.
Alex

[finz]

I think some of my past docs subscribe to those crazy notions too :p