hI, I have no question for you. Just an attitude as to how pain management is being, or should I say not being done. Because of a handful of people who CHOOSE TO Abuse drugs, who really gets punished? Spinal Stenosis and 2 back surgeries, the last the titanium rods, plates, and screws were inserted from L2 thru L5. Stopped the pain for about 2 years, or at least at a tolerable level. Then Lortabs helped. Sent to pain clinic for epidurals. Epidurals on me were extremely painful. Scale of 1-10 they were a 20. (Not Kidding) Quality of life was going fast. couldn t do or go because the pain had grown to the point that I couldn t eat or sleep. Pain was 24 hours a day. Told by the pain Dr. to stay on the Lortab and come to the pain clinic every 4 or 5 weeks for epidurals. Epidurals were not only painful but I got very little relief if any from them. Finally PCP started me on oxycontin and Fentynal patch. I was much better for awile. I was taught that in so called pain management you would gradually increase dose until you knew the patient was experiencing some quality of life. I reached rock bottom after telling PCP my quality of life was slipping away. Finally I asked for an increase in pain med as pain was now 24 hours a day. I could not function. I was told no, and referred to pain clinic for more epidurals and Narcotics. The day I went in to office for routine followup and new perscriptions I was ask for a urine specimen. After all I d been thru over the last 8 to 10 years, all the operations and all the pain. The loss of any quality of life. I am in my 70 s and lost all those Golden years, 10 of them. Asking for a urine specimen. I felt made ME the criminal. I decided right then I asked to be titrated off the narcotic meds. I will die with all the pain before I will let anyone treat me like a criminal. So you go on breaking your solom oath by hurting patients . Doctors swore to do no harm. A large % of those being hurt and are suffuring are the geriatric population. I feel Obama has been behind a lot of this but you know I believe a lot of the fault falls on every Doctor, Nurse, and everyone working in health care. STAND UP FOR YOUR PATIENTS. yOU ALL ARE JUST LIKE THE POLITICIANS. tO SAVE THEIR OWN HIDES THEY JUST CLOSE THEIR EYES TO WHAT IS HAPPINING TO MEDICINE IN THIS COUNTRY AND SAY NOTHING. tHE PUBLIC CAN T EVEN GET TOGETHER AND STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT. The old time Doctor s predicted It would be like this. They said if the HMO went through it would be the death of our wonderful medical care in this country. Many have passed but they were right on. They realized that there would not be anymore decent medical care. The patient is really obsolete. No more real check ups. no more time to explain your problem. No more real examinations Oh, there is on paper or in the computer so health care workers, even Doctors just make sure they cover their butts, to the point of out right lying!!! Make it look like things were done just to collect the fees. The lawyers are partially to blame also with their ambulance chasing and advertising for frivolous malpractice suits. Rep. and Dems. just sit on their hands. Political correctness has run amuck. I thoroughly loved working in the medical world at one time. Now I want nothing to do with it Extreme pain is killing me literally but I will die with it. Think back of all the pain meds that really did relieve pain. Where are they now. Listed as a narcotic, now even lortab now and it is only hurting those who really need it. The really sick. But their pain med prescription has to be picked up at dr s. office no matter if they can hardly get out of bed. No husband or designated relative or person can pick it up. Can t even be called into the pharmacy anymore. What do they think they are doing. I am done with a medical world that has turned into nothing but a money making machine. Worst of all the money flows to the very few at the top while staffs are cut to the bone. Doctors are told what they can and can t do, how many patients they have to see in a day. no wonder there is no examining going on, No time to get to know their patients. On top of that not enough compensation for what they are trying to do. Trying to do the impossible. The patient is only needed for a name and insurance number. The old days were Heaven when working in the medical field if your heart was in it. Today s medical world is Hell in my eyes after all my personal experiences. A lot of us feel like we are on our own and no matter what doctor you go to we are not being treated, just pushed thru the system as fast as possible. Many, many mistakes are being made. No one, including doctors and nurses seem to know what they are doing. It is not their fault. They are not being properly taught and trained, just shoved thru school and paying exorbitant rates to do it. Something I use to love so very much has become something very ugly and I hate it. I have been on both ends. Suffering terribly and hanging out here on my own but so grateful to God for giving me the privilege of working in the world of medicine during the years before it fell.