Chances are, you are a person with chronic pain, or you know someone who has chronic pain. Chronic pain affects 42 – 50 MILLION Americans. I am one of them.
For almost ten years I’ve had chronic pain. My issue was caused when my ilioinguinal nerve was inadvertently sewn into my lower right side abdominal wall during surgery (one of over ten abdominal surgeries I’ve had in my life). It causes pain with every movement – every single movement. It causes loss of sleep because of the lightning flashes of pain that slash through my abdomen at any time of day or night, or if I cause it when I roll over in my sleep.
I’ve had exploratory surgery, a nerve resection, several injections, and cryoablations. The resection helped but I soon realized that it didn’t completely fix it. And now, I’m not a candidate for another resection. I’m pretty much out of options medically. I’m also not being treated for pain. Several years ago, as the war on opioids heated up, my pain doctor decided I wasn’t worthy of pain management. He told me if I didn’t follow his treatment plan for me – no matter how it affected me the first time I was on it – he wouldn’t treat me. And since I didn’t want to spend more months in bed unable to walk because of vertigo it caused, I was out.
I was treated abominably. There was no excuse for it, and I had never abused my medication. This war on opioids has caused immeasurable harm to chronic pain patients – and an unknown number of suicides. We are only just learning how difficult it has been for chronic pain patients to have been so badly treated.
Thankfully, I’m an herbalist. I can concoct my own remedies that help to a degree. I don’t have anything in my apothecary that is as strong as an opioid but, I can take the edge off which allows me to have some semblance of life.
I’m also grateful to my husband Michael who researches new medical protocols and holds me when I can’t get relief. He spoils me rotten and makes me feel like a queen.
If you would like to talk about a consultation for a possible herbal remedy, please visit my website at www.herbaljournal.info and schedule an appointment. If you need to talk about your pain… Just as a friend, please email me.
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