A Marine Fights for Veterans with Chronic Pain

Thank you so much Robert!!! First and foremost for your service to this country and secondly for fighting back for not only yourself but pain pts nationwide. I urge you all to send your stories in..One man alone will be difficult to take on the government, we need our voices, stories, bodies seen and heard NOW. Also Dont Punish Pain Rally on April 7th, nationwide in all 50 states. Please search on facebook for your state pain advocacy page. ex: New Jersey Pain Advocacy Group…..GET INVOLVED PEOPLE OR DIE,.. SOON WE WILL BE LEFT WITH NOTHING!!! AS SO MANY HAVE ALREADY BEEN TAKEN OFF THIER LIFELINES AND HAVE COMMITTED SUICIDE. #DPP #DPPRALLY2018 #shareourpain #wer1

Thank you Mr Rose for fighting for us. I’m also a veteran that suffers from chronic pain. My life has changed dramatically for the worse since they started denying pain meds for me. Everyday is a struggle and I know that the quality of life, best that it would ever be with proper meds, was taken from me by US politicians over money. I loved my country enough to die for her and still do but the people running it have turned their backs on us. They have sentenced dictators to death for torturing citizens yet it’s taking place right here in the US to Americans living with chronic pain. My wife has degenerative spine disease and I’m watching her die in front of me being murdered by the very ones that I fought for. She raised a family while I was deployed and she should matter to. I voted for the current administration and thought that veterans would finally be taken care of. If they would work as hard at finding the facts out about this propaganda called the opiod epidemic as they did to disprove the Russia collusion then the truth would be revealed. Unfortunately there is no money in the truth and veterans as well as other chronic pain patients will struggle to live another day. The big drug cartels and suboxone companies have pushed this propaganda because they stand to gain the most financially from it. People either turn to the streets (drug cartels making money on heroin sales or street meds) or turn to meds (suboxone) to deal with withdrawals. The suboxone is great if your an addict but unfortunately that’s not the case for me and my wife. We both live with chronic pain and it isn’t controlled with suboxone. The only hope we have is we both know that in the end we will both be pain free. As for now our dreams have been stolen and the country I would give my life for is torturing us because the leaders love for money is greater than the love for its people. Our leaders treat illegals better than it does it’s own citizens. I signed up knowing I could lose my life defending our country but I never read where I wouldn’t be cared for when I returned. I love my country and would die today defending her if necessary. I just hope one day the ones leading her will love us back.

God bless you Robert! As a chronic pain sufferer and as a Marine ver you have clearly written out what I have felt for years. The VA is out to kill me. I too have written many, many letters to my representatives and many, many letters to reporters and any one I thought could get me answers. But I never heard from anyone. For years I couldn’t understand why I was being made to suffer by doctors who had an oath “to do no harm”. I was never told why I had to be forced by the VA off my pain medications. Only that Inhad to stop taking them. I then got aboutside doctor who told me in the first appointment that he would not prescribe me pain meds without even looking at my pain. I even called ‘Doctor on Demand’ and I was told I had to get off the pain meds. Many I reached out to never responded. Then I looked at my VA health record and I was shocked by the lies in my records put in there by my doctors. Then I was lied to myself. As I write this note today, since being forced off the pain meds my body has started falling apart. I had had blood pressures that are sky high. 189/109 last appointment but was sent home. No big deal! I was first place on 6/7 different BP meds. Also I was prescribed a med for depression which was created to qiuckly increase a patients BP in the ER! I eventually took myself off all but one BP medication. I have had tinnitus (so I have been told) which is caused by stress since they started tapering my pain meds. For several years now. I have had increasing headaches partly due to the constant screaming in my brain. Which is all day every day. I am having debilitating acid indigestion. I had a bad fall last July which has caused my back pain. I was diagnosed with DDD (Most recent MRI 10/2017) then when checked a month later my back was okay! Spontaneous regeneration they said! It was an outside doctor who said it. I believe the VA sent another patient’s MRI. I have never been a conspiracy theorist but now I believe in them. After my experience with the VA and others, anything is possible! I am also having stomach/ digestion issues. I have no appetite, I am never hungry. However, I am bloating and it appears gaining weight. I have almost daily/hourly heartburn. And other symptoms to gross to mention here. I have no quality of live. All my dreams are crushed! I am mostly at home in bed fighting with my body. No doctor wants to take mysymptoms seriously…

We need to start looking at the big picture. Mr Rose is not an isolated example. There are plenty of Vets that have been silenced. The VA and other Federal Agencies chose to re-frame pain, PTSD and other conditions they deemed expensive. Whether it was the burn dumps in Iraq, where our service people were exposed to toxic chemicals, or the Soldiers who were traumatized, by sexual abuse. They adopted methods from Positive Psychology to re-frame torture and make it palatable for American consumption.
After Vietnam, and the first Gulf War, the VA knew they had a problem. They decided to make it a Public Relations problem. Instead of researching Chemical Exposure, or Pain and Trauma, that is too expensive, it is easier to run a counter narrative. They re-framed it as a lack of character, or resilience. Soldiers that came back with sexual trauma, chemical exposure, pain or PTSD, were labeled with various damaging “Disorders.” these labels were made even easier to apply by help from the American Psychological Association.
The true costs of war had to be downplayed, and the public had to be mollified, and human decency, and empathy had to be channeled.
They re-framed pain, spreading doubt on whether it even existed. They weaponized denial. They just implanted doubt in the minds of the public. Our politicians were even easier to mislead, their pockets full of Industry money. If you follow the popular news stories about the Veterans, there is a pattern. The VA partnered with the NIH and they are focusing on “Integrative Pain Management.” The NIH chose to post various dubious “Studies” on Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Mindfulness, on their Website, giving the all the appearance of credibility. They replaced facts with pseudo science and things people want to believe. A little Public Relations and Advertising goes a lot further than real treatment or Science.

Oh YES. I have written all my SO CALLED REP. in DC. Including Isakson , who is my rep. All I ever get is the standard form letter informing me of the “Terrible Opioid Crisis” our country is facing. The TRUE CRISIS is that those morons are supposedly elected to do what is right by US! I too am a Veteran, just waiting for my meds to be withdrawn. I am lucky for the doc. I have is senior and well respected at the VA facility I use. Robert is a HERO to our nation and I have the utmost respect for him. I HATE that he must endure this pain and other nonsense, after VOLUNTEERING to protect our nation and it’s UNGRATEFUL citizens/politicians that care nothing of the suffering he, and so many others, must live with every day. Thank You NPR for publishing this story and Thank You Brother Rose for all you have done for the many people you don’t even know . Everyone need to forward and share this with as many as possible.

This amazing man, a marine that served our country and now serves us. The chronic pain patients has done more for us than anyone in getting our message out. It’s disgusting that Congress, VA, & CDC will not take 11 minutes to hear his. Our story of pain & struggle. We all have the same tortured story. I broke my neck, back, siatica.. have had several surgeries and need several more. 6 years ago my Dr took care of my pain with opioids. I never asked for more, followed all the rules, took the drug tests, jumped through all the hoops. Then last year my Dr who has known me for 11 yrs. Said that she could no longer prescribe my meds because she was afraid she would lose her license and I has to go to a pain management center. This place is a people mill.. they immediately started tapering me off of my meds even though I was not on morphine or fentanal, or on the strongest pain medication. Then they started insisting that I get injectiona of lidocaine at 3000 at pop.. I explained to the new Dr that I have had this procedure and it did not work for me. After that I was sent for extensive MRI which showed extensive damage and that I needed more surgery immediately! Instead of helping me get a surgeon he upped the pressure to even more injections, even in my metal encased neck, which would have hurt me more. After I questioned the neck injections, he immediately ended all opioids and sent me to a psychologist.I was not even tapered off.. 2 months is not a taper off, it’s dangerous, unprofessional, & he should lose his licence because he is not a doctor! Pain management clinics are just money mills that are doing procedureso that are not even approved by the FDA!! I have a husband who has to work 80 hr a week & 2 boys at home..my children have to care for me now, I feel like I am stealing their childhood and its not fair! I can’t clean my home. Shop for groceries, nothing! I am in such agony that my life is nothing to live for. I wish that some of these law makers could feel our pain.. they could take it for 5 minutes yet we live with it for a lifetime.

I wrote my state Senatory and Rep, Rep ignored me, over this Fake Opioid Crisis; Senator said HOW DARE YOU! I’d considered this man my friend and campained for him many years. I had to recently just ask where a Single Father on Unemployment with Type 2 Diabetes and Neuropathy that was NOT under Control could get medical help. DISCRIMINATION that a Single Father can’t get the same help a Single mother can. I got a list of Insurance companies, as if a person on UE could afford even the cheapest Obamacare plan. If he’d been a woman with a child, or a Illegal Alien, he’d been put straight on Medicaid. His UE orientation class notification came in 1 day late. Then I got another email with all that HIPPA crap. All I wanted was a reference for a facility to treat a Type 2 Diabetic on Unemployment.

It’s no better in the Private sector than in the VA system, only difference is you can change doctors and hospitals easier. Obamacare screws up both of them.

Rick Perry is being considered for Shulkin’s spot, NO he hasn’t the experience. Shulkiun has had a year to make changes, they are superficial. To learn more visit Robert Rose Jr FB web site, you don’t have to be a Vet just a Chronic Pain patient. Vetsfightback.com
I’m the wife of a Ret. Navy SCPO, I’m the Chronic Pain Patient.
Memphis got a new CEO, same old incompent staff that can’t be FIRED!

VA whistle blowers deathbed confession
https://www.kare11.com/article/news/investigations/va-whistleblower-exposes-improper-claim-rejections/89-478547254

Investigators: Buffalo VA staff failed to try to resuscitate patient
https://buffalonews.com/2018/03/13/investigators-buffalo-va-staff-failed-to-try-to-resuscitate-patient/

I ran out of space, I guess. Last thoughts. It is a sad day when I can not get help from the medical conmunity! Knowing that a trip to the ER when I am in distress is pointless. Goong to see my doctor is like going to war. With my doctor as my adversary! Going to my doctor is so stressful and that too is pointless. One bright note, I received a phone call from one of my senators (Sen. Mike Rounds) in response to a letter I sent him about chronic pain. Whether or not this changes anything I don’t know yet. I will see what happens. I was just shocked and surprised I got a response from him!!

I am a Navy veteran, a pain patient and a father of a heroin addict. I had to retire early at a significant financial penalty because of this so called epidemic. Calling this an epidemic is giving my son an excuse to steal from his grandparents and friends and family. I dread seeing phone calls from my unaddicted responsible son that his brother is gone when he calls.
Even with the kneejerk reaction by government agencies to restrict Everyone
from these medications, even from patients that used these medications responsibly for years the overdose death rate is on the rise. Let doctors be doctors and politicians be whatever they are.
Thank You.

Thank you Mr Coghlan, this was a surprise. Just so ya know, I take offense to the comment “combative;” I’m just a big ole teddy bear… With long claws and sharp fangs! 🙂

To everyone who has or will comment in on this piece, please know I shed tears for each of you suffering these policies; veterans and civilians. Together, in one voice, coast to coast, we are going to speak out against the genocide which has befallen us. Genocide as veterans, the elderly, cancer patients and the disabled are being targeted in the prime of our lives. Many of us signed blank checks honoring the basic tenants for life liberty and the pursuit of happiness which because of greed we are now being denied. Many others have contributed by sacrificing their bodies in the steel mills, coal mines, nurses, waitresses, cooks, doctors, police officers, school teachers and so many other professions which have kept this country going strong. Now, through no fault of your own you too all targets.

What congress does not realize is they have wakened a sleeping dragon. Our voices will roar loud and clear throughout the capitals of every state on April 7, 2018 (12-2) with “Don’t Punish Pain Rally” nation wide. Please search for Claudia Merandi on FB or on Tweeter @ CMerandi . Then later in Washington DC, a WHITE COAT PROTEST RALLY at the Dept of Justice from 11 to 3pm on Tuesday, April 24. Volunteers needed to help with the service. There will be a memorial service from 12-1. Then the following day, Wednesday there will be a Congressional Briefing on Chronic Pain from 12pm - 2pm. This will be held in Room 122, Canon HOB, US Capitol, Washington, DC. Please contact Doc Ronald Myers at 662-392-2016 for more info.

(I’ve been invited to speak in DC but PLEASE pray for God’s guidance for me. My wife strongly opposes the travel because I get so ill just going after groceries and she is worried I may not return home except in a box. Sadly, my health is this bad but I am unafraid for myself but worry about her as I am her primary caregiver. For an explanation as to why I don’t fear death and definitely do not want want pity, please do a search for “Not Yet” on Medium and you will understand. God will provide a solution, I just need to be patient and prayers.) “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Ph 4-13. Or if you prefer - “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10

Many prayers. Robert D. Rose Jr.

I remember this well, in disbelief that this soldier, this fine citizen that has put his own life in the line of fire, can’t be heard for 11 minutes. Who have we become, a country that won’t stand up for their own? I have been through some rough times this past year. My meds have been denied to me, a palliative care patient with cord injury. It’s become impossible to acquire the needed opiate for my condition, no one will budge on it for me, for fear of losing to the DEA, CDC. I FEEL SO SORRY FOR ANYONE NEEDING OPIATE. Will the hysterics of the opiate epidemic finally end so we can get our meds back, get our lives back, I’m suffering as well as many others, it’s no kind of life now living in pain again. I had 13 years pain free on oxycontin so I know that freedom from pain is possible, that’s what’s the worst of it. As this soldier learned, no one cares, no ones listening, no one in politics has the backbone to stand up for us. I’ve been writing, pleading, received a few responses. Most were concerns for the heroin addicted and death rates. I’m not an addict and don’t want to die, just live a pain free, rest of my life.

Six months ago, I wrote to all four of my legislators, explaining the misery that chronic pain patients were suffering, thanks to the hysteria surrounding the “opioid epidemic”. I heard back from ONE senator, who isn’t even a member of my party! He had the courtesy to reply, and suggested I visit a pain clinic.
I rarely contact my elected officials. I understand that they’re extremely busy and pulled in seven different directions every day. But the fact that they IGNORED a polite request from a constituent disappointed me.
Of all the chronic pain sufferers in America, the ones being the most cruelly treated are veterans who received their injuries while serving our country. The VA is acting disgracefully by denying opioids to men and women in agony, veterans who have documented and provable medical disabilities!
I have lost all faith in my government. They are using flawed statistics to reach irrational conclusions, thereby forcing millions of citizens into constant, never-ending pain.

I’ve interacted with Robert numerous times on Twitter, and the man is a hero! Congress doesn’t want to hear his opinion, or that of the other veterans in pain, or the millions of pain patients across this country, because our views simply don’t align with theirs. They believe that prescription opioids are to blame for the “Opioid Epidemic”, and they will ignore any opinions or evidence to the contrary. It has become very clear that our government is willing to sacrifice the lives of millions of Americans, who experience horrific pain every day. They lump us in with addicts and drug abusers, as if we somehow chose this life of pain, and they are “helping” us by forcing us to live without opioids, so that we can never become addicted to them. Clearly, they have no concept of how addiction works. Nor do they understand that their current efforts will do absolutely nothing so slow or stop the present rate of deaths due to overdose in this country. Until they put serious effort into stopping the flow of illegal heroin and Fentanyl in to America, the overdoses and deaths will continue to rise. I have made the same calls to my representatives in California, and I too, have received the same deaf ear. It’s not popular to be on the “wrong” side of the current opioid agenda, and therefore our concerns remain unnoticed by those elected to represent us. But, I will be at the Don’t Punish Pain Rally on April 7th 2018 from 9am to 11am on the south steps of the Capital Building in Sacramento California. On that same day, at state capitals across the country, there will be similar rallies. Please look online to find the time and place for the rally in your state. Please show up and support your fellow pain patients and the doctors and health professionals who are still trying to fight for and with us! We need as many people as possible to show up and be counted, so that they will see and hear us, and then they will be no longer be able to ignore our cries for help! Let’s stand together and show our elected officials that we will not be ignored, and we will not go away quietly! We will fight for our right to adequate pain relief, and proper medical care!

Thank you, Robert Rose. For your years of service, and you valiant fight for what’s right. You may not be worthy of time before Congress to our illustrious leaders, but you are a hero to me. God bless, Sir.

I’ve called, I’ve written, I’ve signed so many times…Only replies were the form letters saying someone would get back to me and there was few of the them even….ha ha…still waiting….

Thank you Robert Rose for all you have done so far. God Bless….

I wrote two Senate Committees that had the CARA bill at the time. I personally heard NOTHING back. But one Senator, the Honorable Senator Tim Kaine forwarded my packet to my Senator, the Honorable Bill Nelson. He wrote asking if he could help me. But when I sent him what I needed, all I got back was a copy of the letter that Representative Ron DeSantis got for me which was worthless. I wrote back to Senator Nelson and that went ignored. They truly do not care about anyone who is not an addict!!!!

Yes, I have written senators, Congresspeople many times, what I get back every time is a form letter saying they too are concerned about the opioid epidemic. I was talking about chronic pain. I don’t think they even read what I wrote. But I will keep writing. We should all be writing.

They want all of us to Admit we are addicts to get adequate pain relief, this I can only imagine. The person they put in charge of writing CDC prescribing guidelines Dr Andrew Kolodny has had personal ties to the largest Addiction Clinic in America, Phoenix House Foundation Inc which he was once Chief Medical Officer. The Founder of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing. He Co Wrote that Chart with the Fuzzy math that is refusing everyone pain medication. He prescribed citywide buprenorphine programs for addicts YET we cannot even get that unless we go pay CASH at one of their clinics. It would provide us with pain relief YET they wont make the Insurance Lobby pay for anything. We are all addicts so says these fools.

What did we do to deserve so little attention? I am sure people have killed themselves because of the thoughtless treatment by the CDC, FDA and this person? Quote from their site, Everyday about 60 people die from Opioid overdoeses 44 from narcotic painkillers and 16 from Heroin. I find this very hard to believe. I wonder if they even test what is in the systems of the people dying? I am sure they do not, it would cost too much. They sweep people under the rug, like they were dust mites. Dr Kolodny must have the most contempt for people in pain then anyone that has ever lived.

I also gleaned some information because of an article that Medicare has been passing around to scare doctors. If it is true only 14% of Pain Management doctors writing for pain management are left that are writing over Opioids 90 Milligrams Morphine equivilent. So to me that means that if these numbers of people dying are true 40 per day are passing away from killing themselves from being UNDER PRESCRIBED AND IN PAIN. That never gets out to the media. Where is the Media that helping us besides this site? WHERE IS THE LAWMAKERS LOOKING OUT FOR US? WHO CARES FOR PEOPLE WRITHING AND SCREAMING IN PAIN??? And only 16 people a day die from Heroin? I believe the number is much higher and whoever is writing for the PROP site is consistantly lying.

Vets who were shot, have bullets on their spine are being called addicts. Everyone in pain is an addict. He said in a PDF presentation he has no relevant financial relationships to disclose. HA! The Justice Department needs to get involved, and CDC needs to stop treating us like a bunch of people lined up to be shoved in the Soylent Green Factory

I’m so proud of you I’m. Chronic pain to they messing with me wish I was able fight with you lost my brother june91969 Clinton Lee Day believe me be right by your side tired punishing innocent sorry praying for my brothers thank you fighting

Dearest Mr. Rose, Thank you so much for all that you have done, not only for my self but for our country as well!!! Thank you so much for trying so hard to wake our government up also.I too live in the state of Tennessee. I wrote our congressman also and begged him to please have a change of heart and to help those of us that were truly deemed chronic pain patients by our physicians. He replied back stating that he indeed was going to go full force with they’re opioid crisis, not ours, but theirs! Due to the alarming amount of overdoses. He failed to mention nearly half of these overdoses were suicides. Suicides that occurred before this law went into effect in 2016. You see, I did my homework. He also conveniently left out that the majority of the opioids they are referring to are illegal Fentanyl and heroin. NOT life-saving opioids that when taken as prescribed by one’s doctor for chronic pain, gives life, not death! One day on this website I was trying to “wake” someone, anyone up due to the alarming rate of suicides that have happened since this hideous law has been put into place. Only this time by chronic pain patients. The first story, one of our veterans walked up to a VA Clinic door. He put the first bullet through the door, the second through his head. I cried. The second story, a woman had walked into her backyard and doused herself with gasoline. She then struck a match and lit herself on fire. Yes she died. Her next door neighbor came out, witnessed the event and said he knew why. She had told him she could no longer live her life in bed, due to the drastic reduction of her opioid medications prescribed by her doctor. For living her life in bed was no life at all. As millions of chronic pain patients now know. I’m a soft-spoken gal; but when it comes to God above and my faith I’m one hard-headed woman that refuses to give up!! It’s beyond me why the government can’t do their jobs and let our doctors do theirs. Seems to me they’re having a hard enough time doing their own jobs, let alone playing doctor too!! Our physicians have studied and worked many long hard years to obtain their degrees, only now to be scared to death not to mention told what to do by those in the government. It’s pathetic, it’s an injustice, it’s a crying shame, it’s totally disgusting. I’m going to continue to pray everyday for each and everyone of us. God bless you for trying, perhaps your story won’t be in vain after all! Respectfully, Terri James

OMG, It has been confirmed now for me we are NOT a government for the people by the people. Just another example of how our so called “Representatives” don’t represent us. It makes me so damn angry, I want to throw something. It is all about the money, big corporations..If we don’t take care of our vets, who is going to do it. Another reason why we need to cut off all of the spending to other countries and take care of ourselves first then worry about everyone else.

I am horrified that nobody has contacted Robert Rose. Who do the members of OUR Congress think they represent? What could they possibly have to lose by making contact? These are such scary times by true pain patients, a government that thinks they are God, who fail to listen to the many real patients, and especially the Heroes that gave so much for our country. May God Bless Robert Rose and all of our veterans, and the pain patients, whose lives are being so unjustly taken away from them! Thank you for your service and may God truly Bless you and may you soon hear from a person that can help. Take comfort in knowing that God hears.

First- thank you to Ed & National Pain Report for updating this!!

Second-They STILL won’t listen? This has been in both print, internet and TV news and THEY STILL DON’T LISTEN??
It is obvious at this point that they do not want to hear from vets, or anyone else, regarding pain treatment. It’s no longer that they are ignorant, they just refuse to admit the problem.

I honestly thought that once this hit the news, there would be some type of action. Well, something other than just turning their backs!!

So, where do we go from here? Who ELSE do we call? 😢

Robert, hon, stay strong. You have friends here. Holler if you ever need to vent.

I called my representative’s office, left a message twice, got a call back from a woman who said she would have someone else, more experienced, call me back. Haven’t heard a peep. Thanks Patty Murray.

The way our country treats vets is revolting. In terms of pain management, the VA is far more aggressive than the private sector which is hard to comprehend. I have read too many articles about the rate of suicide among this community.

Members of our government are reluctant to meet anyone including veterans because they have already made the decision to eliminate opioids for pain management. Here in Michigan we understand that all insurance companies are coordinating to deny any oxycodone prescriptions by January 2019.

My appreciation to Robert Rose for his tenacity.

Lord please hear our cry!
Please everyone take time out of your day and go to your states Don’t Punish Pain Rally..,

It’s national, if your state does not have one, it’s easy to start and you need to do it for our Vets! And chronically ill.

Please look up the rally on Facebook and get involved!

Thanks for posting this Ed, people need to know that are veterans pain management is worse than the General Public.