Being able to afford treatment is a major consideration for many people. There are often potential medications or therapies that are not in the budget for me, and I'm certainly not alone.

I have finally been able to convince my pain doctor that the only medication that works for me is morphine or Dilaudid, and I started Dilaudid a few days ago. I don't take it BID unless I'm really hurting. This morning I took one because it was going to be a long morning and afternoon using my walker, walking on two boots, going to church and lunch. I spent several hours in bed when we got home, so my feet aren't hurting any more than usual, so no pill tonight. I know that our bodies demand more after taking opioids for a long time, so I want to start out low so I can increase it when the time comes.

The Oregon Medical Association decided that the medical world had over reacted to the opioid crisis, and did harm to many people by abruptly decreasing their dosage or stopping them altogether. So they are now giving the prescribers the ability to prescribe higher therapeutic doses for long term chronic pain. That was good news for me, as an Oregon resident.

I was one of the victims of the opioid scare. My doctor cut my prescription in half, so it was no longer a therapeutic dose. Now, 5 years later, I can get what I need to make pain manageable.

Jim