"A life not quite one's own": A patient's journey with chronic pain and opioid addiction скачать в хорошем качестве

"A life not quite one's own": A patient's journey with chronic pain and opioid addiction

Fentanyl patches. Hydromorphone. Percocet. Oxycodone. OxyContin. These are all strong opioids with addictive properties – and each one a medicine that Michael Satok Wolman had been prescribed for his various conditions over the course of 20 years. Due to fibromyalgia, scoliosis, arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis and other diagnoses, Michael, 59, became increasingly tolerant and addicted to the medicines meant to manage his pain. “I was shackled to the clock,” he says. “I was always waiting for the time to come so I could take my next pill, my next dose.” At the peak, Michael’s opioid intake was five times higher than the safe dose – an amount of about 120 mg of hydromorphone. Then, in 2015, Michael was introduced to the Transitional Pain Service (TPS) at TGH and his life took an unexpected turn.