Comment on For 1 veteran at Tomah, even high doses didn't end the pain

For 1 veteran at Tomah, even high doses didn't end the pain

Frustrated by his chronic suffering, Bishop has struggled to find relief at several Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, including an embattled medical center in Tomah. The hospital is at the center of multiple probes after reports of narcotic overprescribing practices and retaliatory behavior surfaced in January — allegations already affirmed by a preliminary report. Surgeons at a Little Rock military base implanted a pacemaker to help Bishop's heart, but he was left with chronic pain that lingers more than a decade later. Physicians at multiple VA hospitals prescribed narcotics, but none gave him consistent care plans, he said, until he met Tomah VA Chief of Staff David Houlihan. Over almost three years Houlihan and other physicians at Tomah prescribed Bishop doses that at their peak were three to four times higher than the 70 to 100 milligrams that experts recommend per day, according to Bishop's medical records. While Bishop said he would have liked to try alternative treatments for pain like aquatic therapy, acupuncture, massage or non-narcotic medications, none were offered by VA physicians. Rollin Gallagher, national program director for pain management with the VA, said the VA is trying to treat chronic pain with alternative care solutions but there's still a gap in education. [...] a solution emerges some of these prescribing problems will continue, Alexander said.

 

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