The Pain Relief Network

I’ve suffered chronic pain since an injury and failed back surgery in 1988. The first real pain doctor I found was 2500 miles away in Washington D.C… I was desperate so I borrowed money and went to see him. Dr. Hurwitz was the first doctor who relay listened to me about my pain, and treated me with opioids. For the first time in years I had my life back, I could get out and do things.

But it was short lived; in May of 1996 Dr. Hurwitz’s license to practice medicine was suspended without a prior hearing by the Commonwealth of Virginia after the deaths of two of his patients were incorrectly attributed to his treatment. Without any notice when I called in to refill my pain medication, I was told of the license suspension. I tried to find a local doctor in Kingman, but no doctor even wanted to talk to me.

I went to the emergency room at Kingman Regional Hospital, and was treated like an addict and a criminal for suffering chronic pain. I felt stigmatized and abandoned by the entire medical community. Doctors would tell me “if I prescribe pain medications, I will lose my license.” Yet when I called the Arizona Medical Board, they would tell me that was not true; doctors would not lose their license for treating chronic pain.

After months of fighting I went to the Kingman newspaper and spoke to a reporter. He wrote a three part article about my problem finding pain relief. In the article Donna Nemer, a nurse ombudsman for the Arizona medical Board said there were no published policy guidelines for pain treatment in Arizona.

The article came out in April of 1997, and by November Arizona had its first guidelines for the treatment, Substantive Policy Statement #7, The Use of Controlled Substances for the Treatment of Chronic Pain.

Since 1997 pain treatment has come a long way, but the vast majority of primary care physicians refuse to treat their patients who suffer chronic pain. Eventually I found a doctor in Mohave Valley Arizona willing to treat my pain.

It’s been almost 13 years, and I have had five of my doctors stop treating pain patients, and watched as others lost their license, or go to prison for doing what they feel is right, treating pain.

The problem with pain treatment is that family practitioners and primary care physicians refuse to treat their current patients who suffer chronic pain. Patients end up going to one or two doctors willing to treat pain, but anytime a doctor prescribes more than other doctors in the area, it draws regulatory scrutiny from DEA or the state medical board. Even doctors who specialize in treating chronic pain have little idea how not to draw the attention of DEA or state medical boards.

Currently I’m a speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, and speak out against DEA’s war on doctors. Please visit LEAP at http://www.CopsSayLegalizeDrugs.com
You can contact me at LEAPSpeaker@Gmail.com