Share this page!

Maybe Scrolly?
Lelena Profile picture
Twitter logo
17 Apr, 8 tweets, 5 min read
Well folks...this is making the rounds thanks to the eagle eyes of @yahoocyd! (Thanks, Cyd!)

You read that right. 12 Steps For The Chronic Pain Patient.

Naturally, I have a few thoughts...

My initial reaction was disbelief, then utter dismay. Really?😔
chronicpainanonymous.org
Firstly...
The whole thing smacks of the pulpit, but let's dig in, shall we?

We are powerless over pain. Uhm...NO. Not at all.
That's what medicine, treatments, & coping mechanisms are for. Helping manage pain to a more tolerable level so one can be more productive & joyful.🤔🤷‍♀️
The second part of Step 2 begs a response as well.
"We admit that illness/pain makes our lives unmanageable."
No, I don't admit this at all. People living with #disabilities are creative & careful in how we manage our lives. This sounds like learned hopelessness AND helplessness.
Declaring total defeat is a world away from acknowledging hardships. I fail to see how this helps at all. 🤷‍♀️
Step 3-If I wish to commune with my Higher Power, I can attend church or pray on my own. This is beginning to resemble a Calvinist Cult. What is the goal? Conversion?😳🙄
Here's where the wheels start to really fly off the train:
Steps 4-7
Identify your sin!
Analyze your sin!
Confess your sin!
Beg for forgiveness!
Wallow in the inherent evil of your sin (b/c you are a despicable creature).😢
I fail to see why any of this is helpful/necessary.
I have no idea what any of this has to even do w/ #ChronicIllness or #pain. I'm not against taking responsibility for yourself & trying to improve as a human being. This is different.
Step 8:
I'm stunned by this one. Why would a sick person need to make amends? What did they do?
Step 9? You guessed it...KEEP making amends.
😳😳😳
Who came up with this horse excrement? Now I see what @billkinkle was saying. I wouldn't want ANYONE subjected to this festival of judgmental introspection.
Be Sorry! Be Ashamed! Beg for Forgiveness! Admit Defeat & Surrender!
Steps 10-11 continue to reek of a pulpit with a preacher telling people with #disabilities they are all Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, so fall in line.

Step 12 is to Spread the Gospel to others with #ChronicIllness & pain.

This is horrifying. No offense to 12-steppers.🥺

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Lelena

Lelena Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @LelenaPeacock

Lelena Profile picture
18 Apr
We need change NOW. How is it that at no point during the encounters with this poor woman NO ONE seemed to notice she had mental deficits? A visit from APS would be more appropriate. This woman was terrorized by the police, not *policed*. #PoliceBrutality
nbcnews.com/news/us-news/c…
This is indefensible.

Miss Garner is 73.
She has dementia & aphasia.
She was failed at every turn.
Walmart employees wouldn't let her pay for the items she *stole*.
The cops used UNNECESSARY FORCE w/someone who couldn't comprehend them. How did everyone miss her #dementia?🤔💔
Would this woman still be alive if she was a BiPOC?

SERIOUS QUESTION.😔

As it stands, she suffered a broken humerus & a dislocated shoulder.
The @LovelandPolice unnecessarily escalated this situation. It should have been obvious she was terrifed & not quite *all there*.😢😢😢
Read 4 tweets
Lelena Profile picture
18 Mar 20
Dr. Kertesz addresses the doctors who believe no one should be started on #opioids in this tweet. I'd like to chime in as well.

I believe it should be a carefully thought out decision between doctor & patient. I'm a patient that benefits from #LongTermOpioidTherapy. A few notes:
I finally got a diagnosis that isn't half-assed. I have #EhlersDanlosSyndrome, among other things. It's extremely painful. It started to set in during college. I should have know that wearing a backpack shouldn't have been excruciating. It was. I didn't go on an #opioid regimen
for years, however.

I finally tried #opioids long-term around the age of 28. I was working as a freelance photographer. Hauling equipment around became so painful, I hit a WALL around the age of 30. I had to slow down, whether I liked it or not. I got married, & after that, my
Read 10 tweets
Lelena Profile picture
30 Jan 20
I have a grievance regarding my mom's care during her bout w/#sepsis. #dementia

At the end of October 2019, my husband & I awoke to find mom's breathing labored, & her mumbling to let her sleep. We let her rest. A fever spiked within the hour, & suddenly she became deathly ill.
She was twitching, sweating profusely, in full rigors, & unable to sit up/speak well. She looked TERRIFIED. I thought she had a stroke. Turns out, it was a high fever from an infected gallbladder. She landed in the #ICU. ALL her vitals were jumping around. It was horrible.
She landed in the ER & eventually the ICU. Turns out she had #sepsis from the infected gall bladder. The ICU's 1st step? Changing her meds around INSTANTLY. Specifically they rescinded ALL #opioids abruptly. After over a decade on them, she was thrown into acute withdrawal in ICU
Read 16 tweets
Lelena Profile picture
3 Oct 19
My name is Dawn Anderson, & today I should be celebrating my 54th brithday.

I was a grandmother, mother, aunt, & dear friend.

I was also a #ChronicPain patient.

I used #opioid medication to maintain a decent #QualityOfLife.

I was forcibly tapered from my pain meds in 2016.
I found other patients who were suffering because of the #WarOnDrugs, & I cried out for help.

I shared my story with journalists.

I wrote my PCP a letter.

I attended a #DPPRally with my daughter @AmandaLatronica. I'm so proud of her. She's a #warrior!

painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2019/3…
In March 2019, my kidneys failed me, & I ended up at the hospital.

I was strapped to a hospital bed & injected with thorazine because I was confused.

The pain was horrific & STILL-no one listened. #PainStigma

I decided to let go on March 11, 2019.

I refused dialysis, & died.
Read 6 tweets
Lelena Profile picture
20 Sep 19
It's time to do another one of my dumb threads, so here goes:

I'm SO GLAD life is so simplistic for you. Guess where I was this morning? At the #PainClinic with my elderly mother who suffers from #dementia. She had an early AM appointment, which is unusual for her. Mom is
more confused earlier in the day. She often has trouble getting to sleep because of pain & the dementia. We had to plan carefully, bathing her, & laying out clothing yesterday. Despite this, mom changed back into her nightgown 3 times, then finally put the gown on OVER her
street clothes. ANYWAY, we arrive ON TIME & the shenanigans begin. The kind receptionist greets us warmly, & I explain that mom is especially confused this AM. The mean receptionist (on a massive power trip) attempts to prevent me from accompanying mom to the appointment. She
Read 15 tweets
Lelena Profile picture
21 Jan 19
Hi! To make a thread...

Simply send a tweet to start the process.

Then, find your tweet in your profile and REPLY TO YOUR OWN TWEET to add the second tweet.
This is me replying to my own tweet. Now I have a thread going.

This way, my tweets are now linked. This proves really helpful for me because I have a tendency to blather on, and sometimes I have a LOT TO SAY.

To continue my thread, I will reply to THIS tweet next!
And it will give you the option at the bottom to add another tweet..which will automatically continue my thread.
Twitter will also now declare this a thread at the top.

I find this extremely helpful!
Read 5 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Like this author's thread?

Get emails when @LelenaPeacock has new unrolls!

Check out other threads from @LelenaPeacock!

Read all threads by @LelenaPeacock