Is it Inhumane to Deny IC Patients Proper Pain Treatment?

Is it inhumane to deny IC patients proper pain treatment? I think so. I mean, let's get real. IC patients and those with similar illnesses (PN, V, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction) are not druggies searching for their next fix. IC patients are truly and really in pain terrible. No matter how much pain IC patients are in, many doctors still deny opiates and other strong pain treatments to many patients especially young females.

It's sad when help is available and patients are denied treatment.

I am not 100% sure why doctors are so reluctant to prescribe opiate pain killers. Part of me thinks it is because of the large number of healthy people who abuse opiates for fun (thanks jerks). Part of me thinks maybe law makers are cracking down harder on the medical community. A really large part of me thinks that no doctor wants to be responsible for a patient's "addiction". But here is the thing: anyone who does his or her research will find that patients who are in good mental health, are REALLY IN PAIN and are monitored only have around a 1% chance or less of becoming addicted to these prescription drugs. IC patients don't want to use drugs. IC patients don't want to get high. IC patients just want the pain to stop so that they can lead more productive lives. When you have shooting, throbbing and stabbing pain radiating through your bladder, vagina or rectal area it is pretty hard to focus on even the simplest of tasks sometimes. Proper pain management could be life changing for IC patients.

Now, I can understand a doctor not wanting to give prescription pain pills to someone who walks in off the street and just claims to have pain. IC patients do not fit this mold. IC patients HAVE A DIAGNOSIS, a diagnosis of a painful and incurable disease. IC patients typically have to try a variety of treatments to find ones that work to control the illness. Many of these treatments (hydros, bladder installations and surgeries) are very invasive and painful. I feel like the medical community thinks that it is "okay" to treat us like science projects, sometimes causing us more pain along the way, but that they feel it is "not okay" to treat our pain.


 The saddest part is, the only reason most IC patients who desire opiates want them is because they have tried them and the medicines truly do help to relieve the pain. If standing on our heads, drinking Gatorade and blinking helped the pain, IC patients would desire to do that instead.


I think it is inhumane and selfish of the medical community to know that there are medications available that can help a patient and deny that patient treatment.

I joked around with some of my IC friends the other day, that maybe someone should take a taser to the groin of mean doctors and then they will know how IC patients feel. But when I think about it, that wouldn't be good enough. The pain of one taser zap eventually fades. IC patients struggle daily. 


So what is the answer? I think one of two things needs to happen: doctors either need to believe in the pain of pelvic pain patients and prescribe narcotics when necessary. If they don't want to do that, then the medical community needs to get in gear and invent a treatment that is non-narcotic and works. It's not the fault of pain patients that they have tried all of the existing alternatives with no success. 


I think it is inhumane for doctors to deny chronic pain patients with proper diagnosis narcotic pain treatments if they are suffering. What do you think?