Hello ken82! I appreciate what you are saying. I’m very careful posting links on any professional chat site especially the Mayo. I do not want to affect their database. First, let me tell you a little about myself.
I am a registered pharmacist of 24 years, disabled and inactive but licensed with the state of Wyoming and formerly licensed with the state of Texas. I have worked 15 years with the Department of Health and Human Services, 8 years with the Public Health Services at the Indian Health Service in the Wind River Service Unit at Fort Washakie and Arapahoe in Wyoming, and 3 years with the Veterans Health Administration at Fort MacKenzie or the Sheridan VA Medical Center at Sheridan, Wyoming and 2 years at the Doris Miller VA Medical Center in Waco, Texas. In addition, I’ve worked nursing home, special needs, mental health, clinical health, oncology, and retail pharmacy including managerial.
I have also served on Pharmaceutical Therapeutics, Quality Control, Infectious Control, Tribal Emergency Management, and IT Committees. In addition, I have served as Pharmacy IT Liaison and Pharmacy ADPAC for the implementation period of the Electronic Health Record into the Indian Health Service as well as supervised the Pharmacy DEA audit of the Wind River Service Unit. I also was the Service Unit liaison for the State of Wyoming Immunization Department for ordering, storing, and tracking of all Immunizations.
During this entire period, my husband became disabled with Chronic Traumatic Arthritis and Chronic Pain due to 39 surgeries and an unconfirmed diagnosis (which my son most likely has as well) of classic Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. I also became disabled with complications of a TKR and onset of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, type 2. Our pain is managed partially to within livable levels with my husband’s at about 75% and mine at 40%.
I continue to speak professionally from the oath I took as a pharmacist because I AM a licensed pharmacist with the state of Wyoming. I pay my fee every year to keep it. If by the hand of God, I ever get treated to the point I can stand, sit, or walk and think clearly enough while doing so to work again, I intend to do so. The State Board knows who I am, why I am not working, and encourages me to hope in that day.
Today, I am an advocate for the Chronic Pain Community of Wyoming and the Nation. I am an advocate of the Rare Disease Community of Wyoming and the Nation. I am a member of the national organizations, RDLA, and NORD. I am also part of Wyoming Independent Living’s Advocacy Network, Don’t Punish Pain Rally Network, and RSDSA for CRPS. I’m also active in the promotion of Service Dogs and the appropriate treatment and usage of Service Dogs, Therapy Dogs, and Emotional Support Dogs.
I advocate through Social Media, my writing, my art, my website, my blog, and testifying before the state and federal legislature. I also speak to providers and nurses and patients all over the nation and globe about how they are treated for pain. What they are feeling about their care, what their providers have said, or not said about it . I also know how to decipher statistics, drug studies, and distinguish the appropriate and applicable language within them. I have been doing it for 30 years.
As for sources, I do not “litter” my posts with sources because I’ve been cautioned many times in sites such as the Mayo NOT to do precisely that. Most if not all of my sources come from CDC.gov, FDA.gov, DEA.gov, the Pain Network, RSDS.org, NORD.org, WebMD, or drug references I have forwarded to me.
As a pharmacist, I speak straightforward— am blunt— and do not lie. Why? When pharmacists do such, people die.