Mrs. Candence S.

Mrs. Candence S. - Tennessee: Here is a very special lady with a distant history of alcoholism as a teenager, but later developed severe chronic fibromyalgia pain and chronic fatigue syndrome. Her severe chronic pain was under-treated by most physicians, which in turn, resulted in worsening chronic anxiety, depression and panic attacks. She almost had to resort to alcohol again, but this time for chronic pain. Unfortunately, many patients with chronic pain end-up resorting to alcohol, or even worse mixing them with the weaker narcotics. This is because doctors fear trying to adequately treat chronic pain because of inappropriate interference of the doctor's medical care by governing bodies. However, this is lessening as we all become more educated on chronic pain in patient with and without addiction problems.

After careful assessment and treatment, she was able to function and have a life again.

Here is her very special testimonial sent by E-mail 12/19/2002:

"Once a drug addict—Always a drug addict.

No one will say it to your face, not in the “politically correct” climate we live in today. But, don’t think for a moment it’s not the knee jerk reaction of someone who finds out you abused alcohol and drugs “in the past”. It’s a hard reality, something you can never quite escape.

The real tragedy comes when you find yourself in severe chronic pain. I have been in severe intermittent pain ever since I began menstruating with debilitating cramps and mood swings. They got worse as the years passed till finally I was only having about 1 good week out of the month. I know now I was self medicating my pain and hormonal mood swings with alcohol and drugs. I was simply given Motrin by various gynecologists and I took it for almost 30 years.

Finally, the day came that the Motrin stopped working and I knew I would have to ask for narcotic pain pills. The Motrin had torn my stomach apart and I suspect I have an ulcer today because of taking twice the dosage since I was 14 years old - I’m now 43.

I opted to have surgery to remove endometriosis thinking this would clear things up and I could get off the Motrin and not have to ask for more potent pain relievers. I didn’t know I had fibromyalgia in addition to everything else. The surgery triggered a full blown fibromyalgia-chronic fatigue condition.

Yes, I’d been depressed and anxious intermittently throughout my life and I’d had severe PMS and menstrual pain but nothing like what “hit” me after the surgery. By the 2^nd month, I could not function at all without the Percocet my doctor had given me for post-operative pain. Instead of having at least one or two good weeks out of the month, I was now in severe pain, stiffness and fatigue every single day!

I woke every morning crying in pain. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. For years I exercised vigorously on the treadmill no matter how bad my pain, I pushed through it and usually felt better. Since this “thing” hit me I have not been able to get on the treadmill at all even for very low impact walking. When I do, I pay heavily for it by extreme pain for 2 days afterwards. Something was drastically DIFFERENT and no one knew what to tell me.

I had no idea what was happening to me and neither did my gynecologist.

I kept having to take more and more Percocet to get relief, and it was making everybody nervous, including my doctor and myself. I was filled with shame. Even though I’ve never been a “pill” addict, I worried constantly that I was looking more and more like a “drug seeking-drug addict”. This only doubled my depression, fueling a growing sense of low self-esteem and of course the “PAIN”.

Another doctor who knew my past wasn’t convinced anything particularly different had happened since I’d been somewhat depressed and complained of body aches for a long time, usually 2 weeks prior to my menstrual cycle. All he could offer me was an antidepressant combined with a new NSAID and I knew I wouldn’t be able to function with just that.

My ‘case’ was referred to a pain specialist in town who was so busy, I was told me it would take weeks to review my case and ‘decide’ whether or not to even take me as a patient. I didn’t have the luxury of waiting weeks especially with the knowledge I might be turned down.

And with my addictive past, I felt hopeless that anyone would see past that to what was actually happening to me. I did finally get in to see this doctor but it took 2 months and I shudder to think what might have happened to me had I been forced to wait that long with no pain medication stronger than an NSAID and antidepressant. I thought I was dying.

Then, a miracle happened…and I mean a MIRACLE. I found Dr. Gatell’s website and learned he treated fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue and a host of other chronic pain ailments. He said so clearly in the website and I quote:

" You simply don't have to suffer with chronic pain because your medical doctors and surgeons tell you to "...live with it."

Chronic pain is a complex syndrome that can affect any one of us. It is a chronic condition involving many levels of the nervous system and may result in many psychological effects. It can also be worsened or be a result of other psychological stressors of the past or the stress of functioning in modern day society.

So, don't be called a "drug-addict" anymore because some doctors are not adequately treating your severe chronic pain - a condition I call iatrogenic pseudo-addiction or doctor-caused and a false-appearing addiction because patients are made to seek drugs from many sources because of inadequate care - a very dangerous situation for patients.

Unfortunately, many physicians and other health care professionals, can not help their patients with chronic pain, and basically abandon them, because of the confusion regarding addiction, physical drug tolerance and physical withdrawal from narcotics: Please see definitions and guidelines of the American Society of Addiction Medicine at www.asam.org ."

I couldn’t believe it! Finally someone was validating my “real” pain and acknowledging the “different” kind of psychological effects I was now experiencing…now that the Fibromyalgia was manifesting as “full blown” symptoms.

Yes, I had period of anxiety and depression before but NOTHING like I was now experiencing. He educated me in how years of psychological trauma, which I had experienced, alone was enough to bring this condition on. But it lay dormant until an experience like “invasive surgery” tipped me over the proverbial edge.

And he treated me with respect, dignity, did not make me feel like a “drug addict” - Dr. Gatell knew and believed my pain was REAL. And FINALLY, I was treated with the proper medications for my condition.

I honestly think he saved me from a relapse into alcohol. The pain was so great that if no one had stepped up to the plate to help me, I might have thrown years of sobriety down the drain, simply to keep from committing suicide due to the unrelenting pain and shame that had taken over my life.

It’s demoralizing to have to convince someone you’re in as much pain as you say you are…it’s worse when you’ve abused alcohol or drugs in the past because doctors are afraid to treat you with opiates - the ONLY thing that enabled me to function at all.

Dr. Gatell did what any reasonable professional ‘should’ do in that situation. Get a referral from a psychiatrist, addictionologist, and/or primary care doctor that you’re seeing on a regular basis. This, not only is for his protection but for his patients protection as well. And if you don’t have anything to hide this should NOT be a problem. Then he was able to diagnose me and prescribe the appropriate medications.

And last but not least—HE GOT ME IN HIS OFFICE THAT WEEK! Fast and I thank God for that everyday. I was desperately in pain and I couldn’t wait weeks or months to see a doctor.

Dr. Gatell is THAT compassionate, it breaks his heart to see the mistreatment or misdiagnosis from patients walking into his office. If you want to know what is wrong with you and you want proper medical attention as soon as feasibly possible, please, contact Dr. Gatell. You will not get the “runaround”, you will get the truth, compassion, and the benefit of a doctor who’s on the cutting edge of chronic pain. You will also get a doctor who is not interested in merely covering your symptoms with pain medication. He is committed to Dr. St. Amand’s Guaifenesin protocol which works to completely reverse the excess phosphates and calcium buildup in cells that causes the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

But, if you’re a drug addict thinking you can manipulate this man…please, save yourself the trouble of making an appointment. Not only does he have the experience to see straight through you…you’re causing tremendous unnecessary suffering of patients like myself who are truly in severe pain and need help.

It’s hard enough for sincere, honest patients who have abused alcohol or drugs in the past to get any help at all because of the addicts who take up space and valuable time in doctors offices “just because they want to get high or sell drugs on the street”. They are jeopardizing good doctors licenses and preventing people like myself who are NOT trying to get “high” from proper medical treatment.

I sincerely hope if any doctor is reading this he or she will think twice before either turning a patient away or being scared to treat them with strong pain medications because they abused alcohol or drugs “at one time in their life”. People like us and people who have NEVER abused drugs are falling through the cracks due to intimidation and fear generated by the DEA and the waves of hysteria generated by the “War on Drugs” campaign.

Please look at each client “individually” before labeling them in neat tidy box labeled “addict”, or “drug seeking”.

I finally got that appointment with the pain specialist in my area. He’s a good doctor too but I was literally desperate in the interim and do not know what might have happened to me had Dr. Gatell not gotten me in his office the same week I called.

Thank you Dr. Gatell for not running away when I told you about my “past”.

Thank you for giving me, a “high risk” patient a chance.

With deep appreciation,

Candence"

Ms. Candence specific statements regarding the obvious problems in medical pain management, reminds me of a very eloquent statement made in Rap Music years ago: "0ops...dare it is ! Oops...dare it is!", etc.

Sincerely,

John A. Gatell, M.D.