Guest guest Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Dawn, I have been reading your opinions on pain management and your experiences with PA and F, and was compelled to respond. I find it hard to understand how you can question the choices others have made, regarding how they choose to deal with their disease. According to my rheumy and the research I have done, only a small portion of the population that use narcotics for pain management will actually become addicted. A person must possess a genetic predisposition before addiction will occur. From the description you have given of your PA and F, your symptoms are mild compared to others that share on this site. Until you face intolerable, crippling pain, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it is hard to state what you will or will not do, in order to elevate the pain. For many of us, we have pursued the available routes of medication, exercise, and physical therapy. Our disease process is such, that these routes no longer provide the relief we need in order to function. And function is simply being able to get out of bed, take a shower, and get dressed. We are no longer able to work, clean our homes, and take care of our families. You stated " I can guarantee that waking up and discovering that you've become addicted to pain meds will only make it far more worse...because the pain becomes more that just physical. " I have two points to make regarding that statement: 1) If I have enough relief from the pain, that I can function each day, it is worth the gamble of addiction. 2) The pain is already much more than physical. Chronic pain effects every aspect of an individuals life. Additionally, recent research has revealed, that chronic pain actually can cause areas of the brain to stop functioning in response to the over-stimulation for extended periods. For many of us, our choices in how we manage our disease, are very limited. We live to make it through the day, with what dignity we have left. Please do not question the choices we make in order to do this. Thank you, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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