I was fortunate enough to run into a recent online ABC interview with
Paula Abdul, concerning her battle with RSD and the resulting pain that
she has endured for 25 years. Also , her use of Opioid medications so
she could get out of bed and have as productive a life as her pain
allows her to.

We've all heard the jokes about her being "on
pills" or "drunk". When I do see the times she does seem to be talking
a bit slurry, I wonder if it is from a new med, and she is getting used
to it, or a change in the dosage of what she takes. There are many
reasons in a pain patients life to exhibit those symptoms or side
effects.

Knowing that she suffers from a Chronic Disease,
causing Chronic Pain, I feel very sad when I hear others talk about her
in a negative light. My heart goes out to her, as does my heart and
empathy go to every person that suffers in any way with pain and ALL we
need to do to address it.

If a patient decides to try the use of
opioids in their pain management regime, there will be side effects
that show at times. CP (Chronic Pain), patients take these meds, as
stated in the article, sometimes at grams, not milligrams. And do they
get 'high' off of opioids? No! Many say that they wish
they could at least feel something. Everyone likes to alter their
reality with something, if we are very honest with ourselves. If it is
not liquor, it is smoking pot. If it's not being high on all your new
clothes that you can't really afford, or stole; it is using lies to get
that rush, the rush of getting caught. I knew a man who liked to drink,
yet his lies were much higher on the get high scale than the
wine....the adrenaline rush he must have had, heart beating quickly as
he tries to remember what he told one person and what he told me.

Those
who have every day pain, and take medications for it, go through so
much just to get the RX, get it filled at a Pharmacy that: 1. Has it in
stock, 2. Doesn't treat you like a drug abuser, but with respect, as
everyone should be treated that they serve. Then picking them up later,
if waiting is out of the question, because you are in pain. Sometimes
the life of a pain pt. (patient), is a series of catch-22's. You waited
till the last minute to get your meds because you have been in such
high pain and there is no one close to help you out. If the pharmacy
doesn't have it in stock, (which is why it is a great idea to call
first and simply find out!), you must either know your backups, or
guess at what pharmacy you will go to.

Paula Abdul had not gone
public with her pain issue for many years. I remember her as a Lakers
cheerleader, then her introduction to the music world. To think that
since the cheerleading days she has been dealing with her pain.
Quietly. In fear. Like so many with Chronic Pain. Fear of what others
think when it comes to taking narcotics. Fear of 'their' approval or
disapproval over 'their' beliefs in taking opioids. Who are
'they'? If they are your family or friends, they are not educated in
chronic pain. Educate them! Once they have been, if they keep their
treacherously narrow view as before, you do not want them in your life.
All they do is pull you down. I want the people that offer to help me.
Who know my story very deeply

Paula wanted people around her that understood her pain and how she chose (with her doctor), to treat it. And meds are just one
part of a pain management ongoing program. She, like others that just
happen to not be a celebrity, feel the vibes from the haters. The ones
that never fail to say that,"my doctor can cure you", "my
Uncle got this or that treatment", and how what worked for these
people, will work for you. (When the person they are referring to have
no diagnosis even close to ours!) We, on the other hand, the pain pnut
gallery, have researched our diagnoses for years. We
have seen many doctors. Tried many if not all treatments, procedures,
surgeries, and medications available to us for our specific issue. We
heard the doctor say after seeing our backs opened up, that there is no
surgery available. Period. Were these people that want to judge us,
there by our side, helping us with trips to the doctor when we are in
pain, were they there when the doctor said he couldn't do anything
anymore surgically and we are relegated to a life of pain management.
How alone are we in this life of hidden illness?

Paula Abdul
felt alone. She had to put up with the rumors and attention to
something that is personal, it is her health. Her publicists are racing
around trying to decide what to say to the press when her speech
sounded slurred or the rumors were flying. Then she did what we all
must do, if not already done. She told the truth, her truth, in an
interview, then another, and another. Her truth, in essence, has set
her free. Tell the world, your world, about your story. About your
cheerleader story. How you originally hurt yourself, if you can put a
finger on that. Or what you feel now, and what the causes are. Let
people know who you are.

We are not our illnesses; we have
illnesses. And when we have something, it is ours to do with what we
want. Work on it, research it, take care of it, and ultimately, you.
Paula Abdul has taken steps for years to try and let her just live
every day without the pain that kept her from doing what she wanted to
in her profession. KUDOS Paula!

The fireman interviewed in the
article is eloquently spoken about his world now in chronic pain. He
has quite a few great things to say. To read the article, just click on
the title of this post.

I wish you a low or no pain day.

"The Only Constant in Life....is Change."