I fired my doctors
Was I being punished?
You need to express fears
Fear of addiction
Side effects worried me
A gender bias
Costs are a factor
Believe your pain
Trust your pain. Believe your pain. You are the one who knows how severe that pain is. Having pain does make you a bad patient. Having pain does not mean you haven't suffered enough or that you need to be stoic. Make sure you have a medical provider who believes in your pain also. If you have one who's saying, well, it shouldn't hurt that much or you shouldn't need that much medication then it is time to check on a new medical provider. Somebody who can really be a partner and doesn't question your pain. That for me was incredibly freeing.
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