I've have chronic pain from a low back complete discectomy L5S1, Spondylitis, & degenerative disk. Had both shoulders operated on for rotator cuff & laberal tears. Before my pain was managed I developed 25 peptic ulcers over a 2 yr period. I had full rounds of unsuccessful back & shoulder injections from about 5-6 different location over several years before finding a Doctor who settled on fairly successful pain medications that allowed me to take care of myself, my pets & my home as it should be. Then after several successful yrs, my Dr. retired. It's been a HUGE challenge to find sufficient pain management. I then started with a new provider that didn't offer any pain management ideas but would begin reducing my meds while I was tasked to figure it all out. When my meds were so low they weren't helping much, loss of sleep, more migraines etc, it didn't matter so we parted company. Then I went to what I thought was a "real" pain clinic, but before I started specifically asked if he or anyone had an issues with my meds & he said no. Well, long story short, he's been hacking my meds to what "he" feels should work. Because of my disk issues, it hurts to sit, it's especially difficult trying to sleep & really difficult to take care of myself, my pets & nearly impossible to take care of my home. My pain has increased over the years because of the degenerative issues as with my low back the most pain has been on the left of my spine. When the pain goes bilateral, it's nearly impossible to manage pain. Sleep has been a HUGE issue so I have a FitBit device as I live alone & can show actual results. My sleep is 1-4 hrs per night usually fragmented from not being able to get comfortable in any position & no escape. That caused between 9-27 migraines per month, I've always had very health blood pressure but over the last yr. now have very high blood pressure from the stress, lack of sleep & chronic pain. Stress & trauma from not being heard has caused anxiety & I'm sure depression. My old prescriptions of 8-10 yrs would still work but they don't want to prescribe them & nothing else has worked. I have spent everything I have looking for safer options & in fact almost lost my home this year in that pursuit. I'm so tired & frustrated with such incompetent pain management. I've looked at implants & not real impressed but feel I'm being forced into that market. I have read many pain management guidelines & they all agree or so they say that everyone deserves sufficient pain management & that under managed pain is as serious over managed prescribing. Also there are guidelines for decreasing meds if they are working & the benefits outweigh the risks. Dose it make any sense to decrease meds without a solution to address the pain before cutting back? Not in my opinion... So what are people like myself supposed to do to get sufficient pain management & have as normal of a life including able to sleep, less stress, trauma, anxiety or depression? To live & enjoy life, family, friends & all things good that pain has robbed so many of us from. Doesn't it make more sense to manage pain legally than turning people away so they have no other choice than ordering illegal drugs to manage their pain or unfortunately too often suicide as their only choice? It just seems the metrics of success are so blurred... What are people supposed to do? Frustrated

Guideline References: The board recognizes that the under treatment of pain is a serious public health problem that results in decreases in patients’ functional status and quality of life, and that adequate access by patients
to proper pain treatment is an important objective of any pain management policy.