Hi Hangin,
Beware of convincing yourself about the chronic pain. I know, I know, me, too. I have severe osteoarthritis in all my joints, and I had both knees replaced a couple of years ago. That's what bought me my ticket on the oxy hell ride.
Besides fearing I might die from withdrawals, I feared pain off oxys the most. Yes, severe pain brought me here. Chronic pain I suffered with for years before AND after the fake knees. I didn't know about something called "hyperalgesia" when I was started on this crap.
When you quit opiates, your pain only SEEMS worse, and in fact IS worse -- for awhile. Opiates actually lower your pain threshold, making you feel pain more easily and more acutely than if you were not on them. The lowered pain threshold does reset back to normal levels after you give your pain receptors a chance to adjust.
You may be convincing yourself to continue to be an opiate user. Be careful of that.
FT