Hi my name is Kathi and I am a chronic Pain sufferer for the past 20-30 years and have been on many different pain meds over the years.. I have recently just found a combo of meds that Finally got rid of MOST of my pain and anxiety( I also have anxiety disorder and have been on Valium 10 mg 3 times a day.. although usually can get by with 2 pills a day) and was on much higher doses of Morphine than they have me on now.. Was on 300 mg day with NO problems as well as Lortab 10mg ( in past anywhere from 6-8 pills a day) now at 2 a day for breakthru pain.. have had 2 lower back surgeries, neck fusion at c-5-6, the Lumbar surgery was at L5-S1 back in 1997, which failed..twice! Now my former Dr. who had been taking care of me has sent me to pain mgt in Indiana.. where I guess they have new rules now going on.. am being forced to go to PT 16 times over 3 months as well as get a UDS within 24 hrs after seeing him.. which is impossible right now as when we went there yesterday the place was closed..so will have to wait until Monday when I have my routine Mammo done ( have had breast cancer also 18 yrs ago ( cancer insitu) and 8 yrs ago with radiation treatements daily for 6 1/2 weeks with removal of 4 lymph nodes and radiating of the others.. which NOW has caused my body to go into Lympedema of both my legs and feet, even toes. and have gained over 40 lbs in the last year... 20lbs in just one months time.. I always weighed about 115-118 all my life.. until after the breast cancer radiation treatment..( this is looking back now as I have just found out that radiation of lymph nodes can cause lymphedema anywhere from immediate to 20 yrs later..) but my legs hurt so bad as well as my back with my Osteoporosis, and degenerative disc disease, and Leaking Vein Syndrome, which is also in one of my heart chambers.. forgot which, atrium I think. But I had seen this pain mgt Dr 4 yrs ago and he had me on 300mg of Morphine with no problems and occasional steroid shots in my spine.. which did not help but maybe a day or less.. and was told NOT to take anymore steroids due to my kidneys beginning to fail me.. was at stage 3 , and told to stay off soda s , salt or salty foods, etc.. which I did..and now it s at stage 2 now.. at last blood work..NOW my old pain mgt dr has dropped my morphine to 45 mg 3 times a day..one pill 15 mg strength, and the other 30mg 3 x a day on both.. and stopped my Lortab 10 altogether, and is requiring me to see Physical Therapy ( which I had seen years ago and never did get much relief from it..so just had been trying to walk more to keep things moving.. from my arthritis pain.. of which I am to go off of my Aleve also from heart Dr. , who says all anti inflammatores can cause more kidney damage. I m sorry this is so long.. a book would not even get to what I am even trying to ask you..Why are the legitimate patients which Chronic pain being made to suffer because of others.. all the news about all these stars dying from these same meds I am on.. not taking into accout that MOST of them were suicides, many of the deaths recorded from opiate use has been suicide because they can no longer live with the pain they are in due to all the cutbacks in pain meds.. My husband and I are at our wits end as to who to find to help us find a good , caring physcian like one we had.. who said he cared more for us then we cared for ouselves.. he was an awesome Dr. but got lost in all the paperwork he was suppose to be keeping up on with DEA and was fired.. and don t know where he is now.. We are not rich people.. by far.. very poor in fact. and cannot work, we sell stuff to try to make ends meet or borrow from family and pay back in monthly payments. but I digress..all this PT he wants me to see and all these x-rays, which can cause cancer too.. and I;ve had more x-rays then anyone I know of from my chronic kidney stone disease I have.. but they don t care about that.. the pain meds I had been taking sometimes helped.. but usually not even they worked until I passed the stones.. and had a jar full of them.. calcium oxylate.. and every member of my family had this disease.. except my dad..both brothers ( now deceased, one just last July 14th) and the other in 1997 at age 47 and last brother at age of 64, he would have turned 65 in Oct of last year if he had lived but passed from Terminal arterial pulmonary hypertension) his heart was larger and took up too much of his chest and involved his lungs so not enough O2 for him.. but lasted 2 yrs beyond their 3 months they said he had. by using trial meds on him.. being a vet, he could take them and since he was terminal...So here is my question.. WHO DO I SPEAK TO REGARDING THE LAWS PERTAINING TO CHRONIC PAIN SUFFERERS WHO ARE IN DIRE NEED OF HELP AND ARE BEING TREATED OR MISTREATED BY THEIR DRS. OR THE DEA THRU THEIR DR.S IN MAKING THEM CUT US OFF OR DOWN OFF OUR MEDS.. WE JUST WANT TO LIVE A LIFE OR THE REST OF IT.. IN AS LITTLE PAIN AS POSSIBLE, AT 60 AND 63. WE DON T HAVE MANY GOOD YEARS LEFT AND IT GETS WORSE EVERY YEAR.. AND WE CANNOT AFFORD TO KEEP SEEING THESE PAIN MGT DR.S WHO CHARGE 3X AS MUCH AS A PRIMARY CARE DR WE HAD BEEN SEEING.. AND HE HAD BEEN GIVING US OUR PAIN AND ANXIETY MEDS FOR YEARS.. NOW THEY WANT TO CUT US BOTH OFF OF MOST EVERYTHING OR LOWER THE DOSAGE WHICH WILL MOST LIKELY CAUSE MORE PAIN TO COME BACK SINCE WE WERE SO USED TO A CERTAIN AMOUNT IN OUR SYSTEMS. I DON T KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR ME.. BUT AT LEAST I GOT MY RANT OFF MY CHEST.. THANKS DR FOR AT LEAST HEARING PART OF MY LONG, LONG STORY OF PAIN AND FIGHTING THE SYSTEM THAT IS TRYING TO DESTROY WHAT SOMEWHAT NORMAL KIND OF LIFE WE HAVE LEFT US.. THANKS... Kathi or an p.s . my Dr. said my leg edema.. which is upwards of 3-4 plus edema does not make my bones hurt in my legs.. and ankles.. It feels like a truck is running over my ankles and legs the pain is so bad it is a 10 of 10 on pain scale. at times.. if keeping them elevated in recliner for hours on end helps.. already had one leg done to help close the leaking veins deep inside my legs from feet to groin.. flat on my back which is the most painful way for me to lie down.. and he would not put me to sleep for this procedure.. I said even a dentist puts a patient to sleep to pull teeth before dentures put in,, I know .. i had it done.. and yet he said NO.. he didn;t do that.. just suffer thru it as he jabbed hundreds of needles in to my already sore legs, even to the touch or even a sheet on them..from skin stretching so tight and calves so hard cannot move them.. like a balloon full to capacity to the point could hardly walk, feet were so hard, the skin was so hard and non moveable at all.. felt like a dead persons skin.. just dry and hard with no cirulation going to them.. and after breaking my ankle after a fall off the stairs or thru them rather..fx d my talus bone severely..and arthritis seet in immediately..which he said it would.. so many dr.s and not enough money to pay bills as it is.. and now want more money put out on PT I don t need.. being in the medical field most my adult life.. as a RMA for over 25 yrs. in the 70 s and 80 s.. again sorry for the book.. like I said.. have multiple medical problems adn don t think anyone has the answer but need to know if you know or anyone knows who I can contact to start to repeal some of these orders by DEA or the state to allow the legitimate chronic pain sufferers some relief and not put us all in one baskct of apples. where one bad apple spoils it for us all.. Thanks.. Kathi Wheeler.. Cloverport, KY