[jazpoppy]

Puddy;

Glad you posted here on our Recovery and Pain Management Thread. But, I have to disagree with your broad generalization "You can't say all things about all people" and don't misconstrue this as terminal uniqueness. Remember, some are sicker than others. Unless you are a medical doctor, you don't have the expertise to judge other people's chronic pain and recovery issues in general. I agree that being in recovery and being a chronic pain patient is double-trouble, but it can be managed properly by a good physician or team of physicians. To say that if someone takes a prescription for Vicodin and doesn't demand that the doctor give them only Ibuprofen 800 (which does work well for some, but not all, and it can be dangerous for people with stomach problems such as ulcers, liver problems, and kidney problems) doesn't mean that the person is seeking a HIGH. They could simply be in very significant acute pain at the time and may actually need Vicodin to help them cope with the severity of the pain situation. Sometimes people can have heart attacks from uncontrolled severe pain and require narcotic pain medication (especially someone with a weak heart to begin with). Also, everyone has a different level of pain tolerance. One person with a broken ankle may feel mildly to moderately uncomfortable, while someone else with the same type of ankle break may feel severely uncomfortable, and may even through up or pass out from the pain. Everyone responds to pain differently. This is your account of what happened to you while using pain medication to control a (chronic or semi-chronic) pain condition. You were not able to control yourself. Someone else may be an alcoholic like you and be perfectly able to take vicodin (or percoset) without ANY trouble. My mother is an alcoholic, but she HATES the way pain medication makes her feel, so she will only take her medication when she's in agony and it sits in a locked box in her home untouched unless she needs it. So instead of saying "Try not to take narcotic pain medication by all means if you find yourself injured and the doctor is offering pain medication." Just because an ER doctor thinks you need 20 vicodin for your injury doesn't mean you really do, its a judgement you need to make on your own, are you really in that much pain, because if you're not and you have never or rarely ever do take narcotic pain medication, you may not have to. I would tell someone "If you are in a lot of pain, be honest with yourself and close your eyes, can you think about other things and get your mind off the pain. If you can get your mind off the pain, can you keep your mind off the pain long enough to do some task? If yes, then you may only need motrin or tylenol. If not, then you may need to take the narcotic to help with pain. Having a sponsor or family member hold the medication is a great idea so thanks for that. I just want you to know, puddy, I am not picking on you. I am just giving my OPINION on what your opinion. Thanks.

Jaz