The Opioid Scam

The Opioid Scam

by

Russell R Ellis

Why the word Scam? Everything about these drugs are like they come from a secret society. Like they seem to be pushed onto a patent, as he or she is being sent home, without even seeing if they work on that patent first. Years ago I had this happen, after I got home, from the VA, damaging my neck, all they could do was treat it for chronic pain, when I got home, I found it didn't give me any relief, from the pain at all,  so as a writers researcher, I dug into opioids and learned more about them, this was when the crisis started, and I was horrified, like why did they put me on that stuff, it was like it was that or nothing for pain. Yet not all pain pills are opioids, but it seems they act like there is nothing else that works, so what did they use before opioid? 

I went back to the VA and told them I didn't want any opioids, so they gave me nothing, I was getting the feeling I was being given a run around, so I left very upset. I suffered this pain off and on for several months, trying aspirin, bufrin and then one day I tried a Lidocaine patch, it wasn't perfect but it gave me much more relief then the opioid pills. So I started getting the patch's at the VA. So whats up!!! 

That was long ago, just recently I went to the VA emergency room for pain in my left lower back, that seemed to be coming from the front also, all they could find was a urinary track infection. Now they gave me morphine when I arrived and again while I was there. When they could find nothing but the urinary track infection, they gave me Ciprofloxacin, but nothing for pain, something I found quite puzzling, and sent me home. Just because they can't find anything, doesn't mean there was no pain. Now I had colon cancer, having two feet of colon cut out, so I know what pain is.

 Four days later I went back with the same pain, they did a back ex-ray and concluded it was a strained back from a motor I had lifted. They gave me the same opioid they gave me for my neck years ago, but I have Alzheimer's and my wife wasn't with me, so I didn't realize I was getting an opioid again, and it didn't work. So I can understand why patents overdose. If one pill don't work, take two, or get a different medication, that works. But we are not the doctors, the doctors should have kept me there, until they knew the pain pill's worked.

Now, I had no idea I was given an opioid, so the VA wasted opioids on me, that cost a lot of money, the least they could have done was gave me an amount that would work and kept me there to make sure it worked or gave me a non opioid that would kill the pain. Maybe we need to look into the doctors prescribing these opioids, and quit blaming the patent. Now maybe they are overworked, in that case, Congress best do something about it, or maybe they get a kickback in the opioid they sell, so don't care about the amount given and the amount of pain it would handle, or someone is incompetent.

Now I liked the doctors and nurses I had both times, and know the second time I was there, it was a mad house, so if those doctors are being overworked then do something about it. We are talking about an opioid crisis out of control, and being caused by not wanting to pay the cost to hire more people to get control of an out of control situation in the workplace.