Please note that I did not get to say everything in this document because each public commenter is limited to 3 minutes; however, this written comment was submitted to be included in the official Michigan OAC meeting minutes. Good morning, thank you for allowing me to speak. My name is Darlene, I’m a Michigan chronic… Continue reading Comments to Michigan Opioid Advisory Commission, July 20, 2023
Picture of the Michigan State Flag flying outdoors under blue skies with the words Michigan Opioid Advisory Commission
Thank you to Pharmacist Steve for reviewing and fact checking this post. Most people in the chronic pain community seem to use the word opioid correctly and prefer it to opiate, but I'm not sure they know why. Also, When I read various state laws and saw the word opiate in their legislation, I became… Continue reading KNOW YOUR DRUGS: Opioids and Opiates, Agonists and Antagonists
Dear Mr. Todd, I was disappointed to see that you included Dr. Andrew Kolodny, Medical Director of Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University and founder of the Physicians for Responsible for Opioid Prescribing (PROP) as an expert panelist on your discussion about the fentanyl crisis this Sunday morning, July 2, 2023, on Meet the… Continue reading Open Letter to Chuck Todd, NBC Host of Meet the Press
Trigger warning: Self harm If people look at you like you have two heads, no clothes on, and blood gushing from every orifice when you disclose that you use opioid medication for pain, you might be a Chronic Pain Pariah. When someone says "you don't look like you're in pain" and you think, well, "you… Continue reading You Might Be a Chronic Pain Pariah If…
In Part One of this two part Series, I explained why our healthcare system is treating chronic pain patients like pariahs. In this post, I talk about the need to raise awareness of our invisible disability (chronic pain) as a first step toward getting our needs met. Life as a person with chronic pain is… Continue reading Coming Out as a Chronic Pain Pariah: Part 2
In part one of this two part series, I explain how people with chronic pain are treated like pariahs by our healthcare systems and government. In part two, I'll talk about how consciousness raising needs to be done for the chronic pain community to get our invisible disabilities accommodated. Everybody already knows. I haven’t worked… Continue reading Coming out as a Chronic Pain Pariah: Part 1
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