One would think, however doesn’t the patient get a vote as he/ she is the one taking the risk of any procedure. I’m not thrilled about a pump for several valid reasons.
1: I’ve had 3 major surgeries and my condition has gotten worse with each one. Call it bad luck, bad surgeon, whatever the fact is each time they’ve cut into me I’ve ended up worse than before.
2: The pump is threaded directly into your spinal column. While the chance of complications might be small they’re not zero. Something as simple as an infection in my spinal column could be devastating. My thought is why would I take that chance when my pain can and has been managed quite effectively orally?
3: Also rare, pumps have been known to malfunction and overdose a patient. Once again, why take that risk when it can be treated orally.
3: My tolerance is quite high. Last year I had gallbladder surgery and post op was the most painful experience of my life. The doctors could not control the pain. It was so horrendous that I can’t even find words to describe it. Why in the world would I want to subject myself to this again. I told myself that after that experience, no more surgeries unless it was life or death.
3: I’ve undergone 3 major surgeries, more injectable procedures then I can remember, 2 nerve burns and all for nothing. At times I truly wonder if the doctors are just guessing at what might work.
Now, I’m not putting my doctors down, I do understand that this is a very complex and difficult issue to diagnose. But after a half dozen specialist I haven’t found one yet that can tell me why I’m in pain, what’s the cause and what to do about it. Instead I get, let’s try the next thing we haven’t tried. So, call me a little skeptical when it comes to something new.
4: And this is probably the main reason, I work in a extremely large and well known medical facility in a non-medical position. Over the years I’ve made friends with many many doctors. So, when presented with the pain pump option I thought I’d ask around. I’ve asked more than twenty for advice. The overwhelming, 80%+ have told me that in my position they would not agree to a pump.
Anyways, you might think that I’m being unreasonable, but why should my treatment options be, either we cut you open, implant a device in you OR we’ll just keep cutting your meds until you have no choice but to do what we want?
And for the record, I’ve been a stellar pain patient. 15 years I’ve never asked for an early refill, never “lost” my meds. Have always taken my medication EXACTLY as prescribed. Passed every urine test I’ve ever been given. And not once have I ever had an issue with a single doctor in all those years until Dr. I’m Going To Save The World From Opiods shows up.
And keep in mind that I’ve agreed that if we can lower the disagree of the opiods AND manage the pain I’m all for that. I’m taking a 1/4 of what I was from years ago. When this Dr. told me she was lowering my dosage her exact words were “Don’t worry, if the new dose doesn’t work I’ll move you back up”. Well, guess how that turned out?
As stated before I don’t want to be on these drugs, but unfortunately if I want some kind of life drugs are necessary. Without pain relief I literally have no life. With the pain relief I petty much can live normally.
So, in the end it very well bay end up that I’ll have no choice but to get a pump placed in me. But if that day comes I would like to think it was my choice.