I have always felt that common sense was much more important than book smarts.. I have never claimed to be the brightest bulb in the box.. My academic record would validate that.. in high school.. I was very seldom on the honor roll.. I was on a roll to have a good time.. in college.. I was on the Dean’s list.. just not the right Dean’s list. I have always fought “the system” when I believed that the system was wrong.. I admit that I am not a very “quick thinker”.. I have to contemplate my actions .. reactions.. Some people believe that I am pessimistic … nothing is perfect.. and I look for flaws in a system.. try to determine if they are BIG FLAWS or small flaws.. IMO.. some people – like bureaucrats – design programs and systems intentionally to have major flaws or will ignore BIG FLAWS when they are pointed out to them.. Have you ever heard of a part of the bureaucracy designed to solve a problem .. with the intention of putting itself out of existence.. I swear that I believe that some of our bureaucracy is designed to cause a need for yet another dept to be put into place. I had one bureaucrat within a state Medicaid system tell me years ago.. “don’t suggest that we spend a penny to save a dollar… we won’t consider it .. we are not going to spend one extra penny ..” That sure puts our bureaucracy into perspective !
This will be no surprise to my regular readers.. our system . is how it treats chronic pain pts and those people with mental health issues and end up abusing some substance .. isn’t just FLAWED.. it is MAJORILY F-UPED.It seems that every time that something seems “wrong” in our society… some of those in our society look to the bureaucracy to fix it. After all the government is here to help/protect us 🙂
Back to the avalanche.. my contemplation a of system’s flaws.. When I read about that RPH in Michigan that got Rite Aid fined for refusing to give a HIV+ pt a flu shot.. I had an epiphany ! Chronic pain pts are protected under the ADA.. the same ADA that has been on the books since 1990. I hastily threw together a DIY page on my blog on how to file a ADA discrimination complaint… first of all I dispelled the idea that an attorney was needed to be involved.. NOPE.. just a form on their website.. remember the government is here to help/protect us. That was JUST THREE DAYS AGO !.. I have seen where this little ole DIY information has people re-posting, re-tweeting to websites devoted to chronic pain pts that have from hundreds to thousands of “likes” and followers.. here is just one post from just one chronic pain pt on one a website:
i think you’ve got the clearest view on the “situation” that i’ve heard. patients and the ADA striking back is such a wonderful idea to me but, -it is so scary, steve, to be a legitimate patient in this climate.
to get “mad as hell” crosses all of our minds and we may even allow ourselves to express that feeling in a safe environment, but to our physicians and pharmacists, we have to act happy to receive less than adequate dosing, obtrusive and illegal questions from a new pharmacy and the stigma that surrounds us, our friends and family crying, “overdoses! death! addiction! malingerer!”
this war on pain tints all minds with RED! ALERT! that the mainstream media can reach.
what i can do, soon, is re-post to my online support group of over 1,000 people, who ARE mad as hell (mostly in washington state and florida), your post and your amazingly simple navigation through the process of getting help from the ADA that all of them will be able to understand.
i can only hope that the people who have been violated find the strength to act.
i now know what to do, in my case, and this post is priceless for me.
thanks again,
jen
i look forward to reading more of your website.
I may that one “flake” that may cause a avalanche of common sense 🙂
See ya at the bottom of the hill !
Filed under: General Problems
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