Pain Medicine: Emergency Room Doctors More Likely to Prescribe Opioids to Whites Than Minorities

As a pain doctor, I noticed that an attitude amoungst many physicians, including those of color, was that the races that got less pain medication deserved them less. There is also a discrimnation against women, as compared to men. Until the crazy attitude, that the DEA knows better than doctors, how to treat the patients' pain, ends, the people will be the real losers. They are placed into a type of chronic torture after already having the bad luck to suffer form chronic intractable pain. Blacks were seen as "lazy" and Mexicans were just "over-emotional". Women were "hysterical"! (term related to uterus) Sad thing is, not only are pain patients treated this way, but so are many other medical patients. Their complaints go ignored and unheard, by doctors "too busy" to listen!.

A close relative has been cut off of her pain medicine by her family doctor. While, at the same time, another doctor (surgeon) has come up with the fact that has had wide-spread cancer! Oh, but the family doctor knows better. He has all of her records documenting the possible presence of this cancer. He told her the spot on her X-ray "was nothing"! And, he still harasses her about taking her pain medication, which she does properly as prescribed! I guess that bone pain from the cancer does not deserve treatment because she is just another "hysterical" woman!

When are doctors going to stop acting like cops and treat the patients! They don't listen any more. (They over-delegate those resposibilities to subordinates) And when are cops going to stop thinking that "all pain doctors are just drug pushers"! They, at the same time, say all people, that have to take opiates, on a daily basis, for pain control, are "addicts"?

The DEA, drug task force, or any other cops have no business in any doctor's pratice, if they can't get it right, in the first place!! What the heck ever happened to physician/patient relationship (and/or) doctor/patient confidentiality? The drug war is truely a war against the American people! Time for the cops to suffer for their abusive actions, and not the patients!

If you are female and need to be treated in the ER it is always better if you have a man with you. I know this from personal experience. And many women who participate in online pain forums agree.

It's not right. It's just how it is.

I have never understood why doctors do not believe us when we say that we are in pain. I remember that one doctor told me that since I "could walk and talk" that I couldn't be in that much pain.

My pain control finally came a few years ago, but that was after decades wasted in hell.

Ruthanne

First of all, I grew up totally normal, healthy rather tomboy girl: saving animals, riding blind horses, driving a big 'old John Deere, facing up to a Bull, surviving MANY painful injuries. I had a VERY high pain tolerance( and didn't want to look like a wussy). My whole family were Special Forces then cops or Agents, etc.-for the most part. Even in College, I was an athlete- trained dancer, singer, actress- performing starring roles. I performed injured: with stress fractures, concussions, dislocated shoulder, etc. Very painful stuff. After college, I went to Korea, and studied daily to get 2 Black belts. We did NOT use ANY pads, etc. And full contact sparred causing many more injuries: but NEVER show weakness! I was then "tapped" to join an agency that I'm still not at liberty to discuss...BUT about 8 years later into my career, I was doing something undercover to save our citizens from harm ( which I did) and I myself was placed in harm's way. I can tell you that I'm a survivor and a miracle. I should be dead. I suffered being poisoned , assaulted in every way, and tortured. We did not know what the Long term effects would be. Slowly, I started to get sick and in pain. They thought Fibro, then no. My Pituary gland had been destroyed and so I have dysautonomia. I had to get a pacemaker because my BP kept crashing and I kept breaking bones. The years of Dr shopping and being your own Advocate: YOU HAVE TO BE!!! It is almost unbearable. You are in pain,sick, can hardly get out of bed to even make it to some of these Drs who don't even look at you or touch you- CLEARLY thinking your a nut or "drug-seeker" and like I needed to waste that time! I once went to my regular Dr who could not find my BP by any means so she urgently sent me to a cardiologist. He couldn't find a pulse either! Thinking I'm a Zombie or something... He urgently called the E.R. That I was coming in and he wanted me admitted with full cardiac vest, etc. I went to hospital. They put me on cart( no man was with me - just my mom) they said they needed a urine test. I was NOT requesting any pain meds. They laid me down and did 2 "banana" bags( you know - saline hydrates you and raises your BP - so does lying down. Your BP is highest while you are lying down. ) I also suffer from VasoVagel Syncopae. It's Hypotension (low BP) that is highest lying down , gets considerably lower as you rise to sit and as you stand- whoa Nelly! Your BP might just crash! So, if you feel dizzy upon standing up quickly, get tested and take your time. Get up slower. Trust me. I have broken my arm( 2 surgeries ) crushed my face and almost died. Fallen every which way. You can't get down fast enough. And , of course, more pain to deal with. So... Back to that hospital. .. My Dr had sent me there. See, like you I'm sure, I try to stay out of E.R's like they are the Plague! They brought a Prisoner in and had him cuffed right next to my MUCH SMALLER cot touching. The nurse came back( she obviously had the results of the urine test) Now, mind you, I had given them a printed list of all the meds I was on when arriving. I don't overtake my meds or drink or do illegal drugs. She came to my cot, got in my face and literally spit in my face! She said " No wonder you've been passing out with this Fentanyl you are on!" I was on the Fentanyl patch at that time. That was all for pain. And I STILL had pain. And I could have taken 10 times more and STILL not have passed out ( as I will explain). She spit all over my face and was loud. Rude. Mean. My Drs who had sent me there knew this info too and still sent me but that was the full " By Jove, I've got it!" To her- the Nurse. They discharged me. After I was under orders to be admitted, yeah, right, I was basically kicked out because of something everyone already knew. Egregious! In response to the " Have a man with you" I have a good one for you. I was having surgery in LA at one of the TOP hospitals, TOP cardiologists. Again, my Mom was with me. I am admitted staying in a room for a few days after surgery. So, I have a nurse, nurses station right outside room AND my Dr and his entire staff 2 floors up. Before surgery it was discussed again and it is written IN BOLD on my chart that I can't take Morphine! I'm not allergic. It just doesn't work. Might as well give me Tylenol. ( Back Story: 1st Surgery in College weighed 95 lbs- I'm under anesthia - they are operating- I start to fully wake up! They are shocked- can't understand! Put me back under with more- we knew something was up with me then. Later...genetic tests proved it) So, I wake up after Surgery with pain pump with MORPHINE. I immediately call attention to the problem and demand nicely that it be changed. I am in PAIN ! I have had heart surgery! A bunch of nothing happens for hours. I didn't want to bother my husband who was out of the country since I thought me being the patient and with my Mom- my Dr right there- this shouldn't be a problem. It was. ONLY after breaking down and having my husband call from overseas- and I am not kidding, after he called the Nurses Station, my pain Pump was changed in under 10 minutes!!! Next day, the Dr takes all his residents, etc. On rounds. They come into my room. And I spoke up. I said: " what exactly is the problem here? SERIOUS Chauvinism at the least. I am the patient lying in this bed and I did not receive ANY attention - could not even get a CALL-BACK from you upstairs after surgery while I was suffering until after many hours my husband called and Boom! My needs we're taken care of. So, obviously that means the only people you care about are people with Penises" I said it. I meant it. They were guffawed: didn't know what to do. I wasn't smiling. When I was discharged, I went upstairs to tell my cardiologist off( who knew my situation and my need for more and stronger pain meds just to get relief of any kind) he was so - I don't know- he was getting old- he went off on me and my mom with the door open and said I had a problem( like I was a drug-seeker) which NO Dr who has treated me has ever said and it isn't true and HE never thought it. It was awful! He treated us awful because HE screwed up! So,I had genetic testing done and it's a double edged sword. You have your normal genetic structure and then all of these alleles ( as I understand it) and all of them can be damaged or backwards( again, I'm no Expert). Suffice it to say, that my genetic and allele damage or disruption or change has changed my body's ability to process and metabolize drugs. So, when I was poisoned... That could have killed or severely more so affected a "normal" person. And, now that I am a chronic pain sufferer and Cannot live my life without pain control. Without it, I cannot get out of bed and function like a somewhat normal person. I figure God let me live/ survive for a reason. It CANT be to just suffer lying in bed all day every day! There are Drug Addicts and Drug Dependents. We are not Drug Addicts. We are though Drug Dependent- meaning we need our pain meds to live normal lives- it is PROVEN that true chronic pain sufferers CANNOT get high!!! So, therefore we CANNOT be addicts! Addicts take drugs to Get High! We can't! We can only get a certain level of relief( and never TOTAL relief) to try to live somewhat normal lives. So, know the difference and advocate when ignorant people try to talk about stuff they know NOTHING about! Unfortunately, this is cops, DEA, judges, lawyers, lawmakers, nurses and even Drs! Unbelievable. I know Drs. That The system is making it impossible ( with our litigious society) for most Drs to make a decent living today. Cosmetic surgeons stand outside everyone else. Ob-Gyn Drs are niching down. I know of true stories where a life can be saved in an ER but only by calling in a surgeon and the surgeons are saying " No. I can't be responsible if she dies on the table". Aren't they SUPPOSED to try and save? Our society and justice system is making those choices too hard. Now, get to the Pain Drs. After years, I found a Godsend Pain Dr in CA. ( Too bad I just moved To SC- I'm screwed here). This Dr is smart, keeps educated, understands that each patient is a different and unique case, wants to help, goes out of his way to help. Amazing! But a couple years ago, the Board investigated him and "his care" meaning how much pain meds he was giving to ME and a few other of his patients. With insurance, etc. He closed his practice and went to another one Part-Time. Every script is copied and sent to the State, Feds, DEA - and they DO NOT treat everyone as an individual. My Dr personally told me. He said that they don't care about my PROOF of genetic tests that shows that I require 4 times as much meds as my "normal"twin and my body metabolizes it in 1/3 to 1/4 the time. They also don't care WHAT is wrong with me-what conditions, diseases, torture, etc. To them, everyone- every patient is just a number. And every number is allotted a certain amount of pain/ opioid meds per month ( the same for every one) that CANNOT be exceeded. So, who cares if you are dying of cancer or need more meds because you are a special case, etc. They don't. And if the Dr exceeds, he gets in BIG trouble and eventually run out of business. And this brings us to : MY BIG FEAR!!! Government hacks are controlling patient care and their medications now. I almost died and have suffered irreparably and will live in constant pain for my whole life by doing what I believed right and saving innocent lives. There is enough to keep the gov't busy... Believe me, rather than causing the suffering to suffer more. What I see happening and am TOTALLY afraid of:It's already happening. They have started to control how much meds we can get. Then, they started to cut that limit down. They are going to keep doing that. I'm already at an under medicated amount. Even Drs who WANT to help us can't and will be forced out. Drs will dwindle. It will get harder and harder to find one- to get in - to be covered. And then, when we are placed in that real rock and a hard place... What are we to do??? I am an upstanding citizen. Not a criminal. Never been arrested. I follow the law. But if they make the law so illegal that I can't LIVE- what will I do? People talk about getting meds over the Internet? Or making road trips to stock up? Or buying them illegally? Well, that wouldn't even work if there was not enough to go around. Will we have to fly out of the country to get our meds? And how will that work? I know that I don't want to do any of that. I want a Dr I trust and the meds I need. And that should be my right. But, believe me, too many people are too ignorant. If the agencies mandating these new laws knew what they were actually doing- they wouldn't be doing it. And BY doing it, they are actually making the illegal drug problem worse! People MAKE that fake oxy or whatever. I wouldn't want to take something that's not regulated. But they are forcing the herd that way. Pure IGNORANCE. We need to stand up and do something. Write to our legislators- a Grass Roots Movement. I don't know. But I do know that they are working the plan to leave us unable to live our lives- and that is a form of Torture.

First of all, I grew up totally normal, healthy rather tomboy girl: saving animals, riding blind horses, driving a big 'old John Deere, facing up to a Bull, surviving MANY painful injuries. I had a VERY high pain tolerance( and didn't want to look like a wussy). My whole family were Special Forces then cops or Agents, etc.-for the most part. Even in College, I was an athlete- trained dancer, singer, actress- performing starring roles. I performed injured: with stress fractures, concussions, dislocated shoulder, etc. Very painful stuff. After college, I went to Korea, and studied daily to get 2 Black belts. We did NOT use ANY pads, etc. And full contact sparred causing many more injuries: but NEVER show weakness! I was then "tapped" to join an agency that I'm still not at liberty to discuss...BUT about 8 years later into my career, I was doing something undercover to save our citizens from harm ( which I did) and I myself was placed in harm's way. I can tell you that I'm a survivor and a miracle. I should be dead. I suffered being poisoned , assaulted in every way, and tortured. We did not know what the Long term effects would be. Slowly, I started to get sick and in pain. They thought Fibro, then no. My Pituary gland had been destroyed and so I have dysautonomia. I had to get a pacemaker because my BP kept crashing and I kept breaking bones. The years of Dr shopping and being your own Advocate: YOU HAVE TO BE!!! It is almost unbearable. You are in pain,sick, can hardly get out of bed to even make it to some of these Drs who don't even look at you or touch you- CLEARLY thinking your a nut or "drug-seeker" and like I needed to waste that time! I once went to my regular Dr who could not find my BP by any means so she urgently sent me to a cardiologist. He couldn't find a pulse either! Thinking I'm a Zombie or something... He urgently called the E.R. That I was coming in and he wanted me admitted with full cardiac vest, etc. I went to hospital. They put me on cart( no man was with me - just my mom) they said they needed a urine test. I was NOT requesting any pain meds. They laid me down and did 2 "banana" bags( you know - saline hydrates you and raises your BP - so does lying down. Your BP is highest while you are lying down. ) I also suffer from VasoVagel Syncopae. It's Hypotension (low BP) that is highest lying down , gets considerably lower as you rise to sit and as you stand- whoa Nelly! Your BP might just crash! So, if you feel dizzy upon standing up quickly, get tested and take your time. Get up slower. Trust me. I have broken my arm( 2 surgeries ) crushed my face and almost died. Fallen every which way. You can't get down fast enough. And , of course, more pain to deal with. So... Back to that hospital. .. My Dr had sent me there. See, like you I'm sure, I try to stay out of E.R's like they are the Plague! They brought a Prisoner in and had him cuffed right next to my MUCH SMALLER cot touching. The nurse came back( she obviously had the results of the urine test) Now, mind you, I had given them a printed list of all the meds I was on when arriving. I don't overtake my meds or drink or do illegal drugs. She came to my cot, got in my face and literally spit in my face! She said " No wonder you've been passing out with this Fentanyl you are on!" I was on the Fentanyl patch at that time. That was all for pain. And I STILL had pain. And I could have taken 10 times more and STILL not have passed out ( as I will explain). She spit all over my face and was loud. Rude. Mean. My Drs who had sent me there knew this info too and still sent me but that was the full " By Jove, I've got it!" To her- the Nurse. They discharged me. After I was under orders to be admitted, yeah, right, I was basically kicked out because of something everyone already knew. Egregious! In response to the " Have a man with you" I have a good one for you. I was having surgery in LA at one of the TOP hospitals, TOP cardiologists. Again, my Mom was with me. I am admitted staying in a room for a few days after surgery. So, I have a nurse, nurses station right outside room AND my Dr and his entire staff 2 floors up. Before surgery it was discussed again and it is written IN BOLD on my chart that I can't take Morphine! I'm not allergic. It just doesn't work. Might as well give me Tylenol. ( Back Story: 1st Surgery in College weighed 95 lbs- I'm under anesthia - they are operating- I start to fully wake up! They are shocked- can't understand! Put me back under with more- we knew something was up with me then. Later...genetic tests proved it) So, I wake up after Surgery with pain pump with MORPHINE. I immediately call attention to the problem and demand nicely that it be changed. I am in PAIN ! I have had heart surgery! A bunch of nothing happens for hours. I didn't want to bother my husband who was out of the country since I thought me being the patient and with my Mom- my Dr right there- this shouldn't be a problem. It was. ONLY after breaking down and having my husband call from overseas- and I am not kidding, after he called the Nurses Station, my pain Pump was changed in under 10 minutes!!! Next day, the Dr takes all his residents, etc. On rounds. They come into my room. And I spoke up. I said: " what exactly is the problem here? SERIOUS Chauvinism at the least. I am the patient lying in this bed and I did not receive ANY attention - could not even get a CALL-BACK from you upstairs after surgery while I was suffering until after many hours my husband called and Boom! My needs we're taken care of. So, obviously that means the only people you care about are people with Penises" I said it. I meant it. They were guffawed: didn't know what to do. I wasn't smiling. When I was discharged, I went upstairs to tell my cardiologist off( who knew my situation and my need for more and stronger pain meds just to get relief of any kind) he was so - I don't know- he was getting old- he went off on me and my mom with the door open and said I had a problem( like I was a drug-seeker) which NO Dr who has treated me has ever said and it isn't true and HE never thought it. It was awful! He treated us awful because HE screwed up! So,I had genetic testing done and it's a double edged sword. You have your normal genetic structure and then all of these alleles ( as I understand it) and all of them can be damaged or backwards( again, I'm no Expert). Suffice it to say, that my genetic and allele damage or disruption or change has changed my body's ability to process and metabolize drugs. So, when I was poisoned... That could have killed or severely more so affected a "normal" person. And, now that I am a chronic pain sufferer and Cannot live my life without pain control. Without it, I cannot get out of bed and function like a somewhat normal person. I figure God let me live/ survive for a reason. It CANT be to just suffer lying in bed all day every day! There are Drug Addicts and Drug Dependents. We are not Drug Addicts. We are though Drug Dependent- meaning we need our pain meds to live normal lives- it is PROVEN that true chronic pain sufferers CANNOT get high!!! So, therefore we CANNOT be addicts! Addicts take drugs to Get High! We can't! We can only get a certain level of relief( and never TOTAL relief) to try to live somewhat normal lives. So, know the difference and advocate when ignorant people try to talk about stuff they know NOTHING about! Unfortunately, this is cops, DEA, judges, lawyers, lawmakers, nurses and even Drs! Unbelievable. I know Drs. That The system is making it impossible ( with our litigious society) for most Drs to make a decent living today. Cosmetic surgeons stand outside everyone else. Ob-Gyn Drs are niching down. I know of true stories where a life can be saved in an ER but only by calling in a surgeon and the surgeons are saying " No. I can't be responsible if she dies on the table". Aren't they SUPPOSED to try and save? Our society and justice system is making those choices too hard. Now, get to the Pain Drs. After years, I found a Godsend Pain Dr in CA. ( Too bad I just moved To SC- I'm screwed here). This Dr is smart, keeps educated, understands that each patient is a different and unique case, wants to help, goes out of his way to help. Amazing! But a couple years ago, the Board investigated him and "his care" meaning how much pain meds he was giving to ME and a few other of his patients. With insurance, etc. He closed his practice and went to another one Part-Time. Every script is copied and sent to the State, Feds, DEA - and they DO NOT treat everyone as an individual. My Dr personally told me. He said that they don't care about my PROOF of genetic tests that shows that I require 4 times as much meds as my "normal"twin and my body metabolizes it in 1/3 to 1/4 the time. They also don't care WHAT is wrong with me-what conditions, diseases, torture, etc. To them, everyone- every patient is just a number. And every number is allotted a certain amount of pain/ opioid meds per month ( the same for every one) that CANNOT be exceeded. So, who cares if you are dying of cancer or need more meds because you are a special case, etc. They don't. And if the Dr exceeds, he gets in BIG trouble and eventually run out of business. And this brings us to : MY BIG FEAR!!! Government hacks are controlling patient care and their medications now. I almost died and have suffered irreparably and will live in constant pain for my whole life by doing what I believed right and saving innocent lives. There is enough to keep the gov't busy... Believe me, rather than causing the suffering to suffer more. What I see happening and am TOTALLY afraid of:It's already happening. They have started to control how much meds we can get. Then, they started to cut that limit down. They are going to keep doing that. I'm already at an under medicated amount. Even Drs who WANT to help us can't and will be forced out. Drs will dwindle. It will get harder and harder to find one- to get in - to be covered. And then, when we are placed in that real rock and a hard place... What are we to do??? I am an upstanding citizen. Not a criminal. Never been arrested. I follow the law. But if they make the law so illegal that I can't LIVE- what will I do? People talk about getting meds over the Internet? Or making road trips to stock up? Or buying them illegally? Well, that wouldn't even work if there was not enough to go around. Will we have to fly out of the country to get our meds? And how will that work? I know that I don't want to do any of that. I want a Dr I trust and the meds I need. And that should be my right. But, believe me, too many people are too ignorant. If the agencies mandating these new laws knew what they were actually doing- they wouldn't be doing it. And BY doing it, they are actually making the illegal drug problem worse! People MAKE that fake oxy or whatever. I wouldn't want to take something that's not regulated. But they are forcing the herd that way. Pure IGNORANCE. We need to stand up and do something. Write to our legislators- a Grass Roots Movement. I don't know. But I do know that they are working the plan to leave us unable to live our lives- and that is a form of Torture.