“If you want a description of Hell, I can give it to you.’ – Elizabeth Kipp
Elizabeth Kipp went in search of a solution to chronic pain. What I found were the ‘Pushers from Hell’ in pursuit of the almighty dollar and the perfect recipe for addiction. Here’s a slice of my story and so many others. With such gratitude to Dr. Peter Przekop and John Newton, who deftly and steadfastly guided me out of Hell and chronic pain, and to Harriet Ryan, Lisa Girion, and Scott Glover for their investigation on Oxycontin. God help us all to help ourselves and each other.
‘What time is it? Oh, God, I have to medicate.’
The year OxyContin was introduced, Elizabeth Kipp, a 42-year-old stay-at-home mom, went to her doctor in Kansas City, Kan. She had struggled with back pain since age 14 when she was thrown from a horse while practicing for an equestrian competition.
In the intervening decades, she’d taken short-acting generic painkillers. On that day in 1996, her physician said he had something new for her to try.
Oxycontin – the 12 -hour disaster
He told her to take OxyContin every 12 hours. Kipp, who had a bachelor’s degree in plant science from the University of Delaware, said she followed his instructions precisely.
“I’m a scientist, very regimented,” she said.
For the first two or three hours, she experienced a “modicum of relief.” Then her pain roared back, accompanied by nausea, she said in an interview. Only the next pill would relieve her suffering.
She spent hours lying rigidly on her bed, waiting.
“I was watching the clock. ‘What time is it? Oh, God, I have to medicate,’ ” she said. “My whole nervous system is on red alert.”
#UnleashYourHealingPower #ReleaseTheGripOfChronicPain #ConquerChronicPain #kippinitreal
with gratitude to Dan Ray and the L.A. Times for the image
