Advocates Respond to Dr. Drew Pinsky by Celeste Cooper

Having experienced:

• horrific pain related to menstrual cycles
• my first cystoscopy at age five
• two surgeries for lysis of adhesions (cutting out scars that developed around my internal organs as a result on polycystic ovarian disease resulting in a total hysterectomy at age 35)
• a bladder that is not only in pain, but also creates an environment for chronic infection 
• vulvodynia and bowel problems that will last throughout my lifetime
• treatments of  daily antibiotics, constant pelvic floor therapy, vaginal dilators to control internal trigger points and pain, and electrical stimulation in areas where it wouldn't seem right,

I believe I have the right to say I am disgusted that Dr. Drew Pinsky would suggest that interstitial cystitis is all in our heads. This is a learning experience for physicians to know when to hold their tongue.  As patients, we get it that no one person can know it all. So why didn't this egocentric physician reserve the right to refer to a specialist instead of blundering through a question he was ill prepared answer? Read on spoonies, you will see the need to advocate with an assertive voice. 

Please take a look at Dr. Drew & Loveline Crossed The Line, here. 

thesethree.com/Pain_Activist

My comments are as follows:

Dr. Drew is a BULLY! Those who use their power in the media spotlight should be held accountable for bullying behavior. There is exceptional gravity in this particular situation, because physicians take an oath to do no harm.

While Dr. Drew offers some good medical advice at times, manners such as his (and it's not the first I have witnessed from him) should speak to his credibility. Shouldn't he be held to the same standard expected from a patient? When healthcare providers behave this way, they lose the trust of the very people they THINK they are helping. What is Dr. Drew's goal? Is it improved patient outcome or has he let fame and his ego drain him of his capabilities to be objective?

His judgments are in direct contradiction to helping people in pain. Pain is not just a physical problem. It nags and threatens to destroy a patient's emotional, spiritual, social, and financial ability to live life in a meaningful way. Behavior such as that of Dr. Drew harms the patient and in some cases, contribute to the patient's demise. This is an example of how NOT to treat people. Making a bad situation worse, this physician touts himself as an addiction specialist. In my opinion, he has a very tainted point of view. His behavior is a disgrace to his peers who do treat their patients with dignity and respect. Actions such as his are everything we work against in our mission to change the way pain is perceived, judged, and treated, defined in the IOM report "Relieving Pain in America," a report from his PEERS! (Accessible here.)

When a physician tries to set as judge and jury regarding someone else's pain, they become part of the problem. Bullying physicians and healthcare providers need to get the heck out of Dodge.

This is not IC awareness month, but this blog speaks to everyone with painful and misunderstood conditions as we begin a power packed month for spoonies. (See "Moving into the Month of Spoonie Awareness," here.)

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All answers and blogs are based on the author's opinions and writing and are not meant to replace medical advice.  

Celeste Cooper is a retired RN, educator, fibromyalgia patient, and author of books related to chronic pain and illness. You can read more about Celeste and her work on her Amazon Author Profile, here , or look to the right of this blog for direct links to her work.

Celeste is a fibromyalgia expert for Dr. Oz, et al., at Sharecare.com, here, and she advocates for all chronic pain patients as a participant in the Pain Action Alliance to Implement a National Strategy, here. You can read more educational information and about her books on her website, http://TheseThree.com