Table Three.
Representative Quotations from the Interviews and Focus Groups
| Theme One: Participants’ positive and negative interactions with health care providers regarding chronic pain | |
|---|---|
| Sub-Theme | Quotation |
| Participants’ perception of their physicians’ difficulty in identifying the source(s) of pain and alleviating it | • “If they wanted to, they could have been having me on pain management and I wouldn’t be going through what I’m going through today, if they do their job and diagnose me correctly and address my pain, they could. They could address my pain and I can take my pain medicine the way they prescribe it and everything. And I think that– I know for sure– I could be doing a whole lot better.” 53 y/o male |
| Participants’ perception of physicians’ lack of empathy regarding participants’ pain | • “You [doctors] don’t know what we’re going through, you don’t have our body. Don’t diagnose me when as soon as you see me walk through your office because if I don’t tell you what’s all going on with me, then don’t you try to analyze and diagnose me. Let me explain to you […] the pain and you go through it with me and you see how best you can help me. Nobody ain’t got my pain, nobody don’t know what I go through, so you can’t tell me jack about it, you don’t have this body, I am stuck with this body, not you. And I just want a way out; I just want to be normal, that’s not asking for too much.” 53 y/o male |
| Participant fear of disclosure of history or current drug use leading to distress | • “I was able to tell her it ain’t working because they’re not. But I just didn’t back off because I don’t want them to think that I’m trying to get them for– I don’t even know what reason they might have but other than what I need them for. So I won’t even say it. I just keep on dealing with the way I do.” 53 y/o male • “Nowadays doctors don’t want to give you the right kind of pain medicine. They– they prefer to give you Aspirin, Motrin. They don’t want to give– want to give you no Dilaudid, Percocets or nothing because all of those things are addictive too if you abuse it. And they don’t want to give it to you.” 51 y/o male(b) |
| Theme Two: participants’ complicated relationship with pain medications in light of a history of drug use | |
| Sub-Theme | Quotation |
| Receiving an insufficient dosage or an insufficiently powerful class of analgesic | • “…My doctor had me on some lidocane, I think it’s like three milligrams, it’s the cream. And every time that I get pain, I’m supposed to rub it on my knees wherever the joints are and it helps for maybe about an hour and then I have to go right back and keep using it. And he gives me a tube about like that but I would use that way before the week’s up, maybe like two days.” 51 y/o male(a) |
| Participants’ modification of their dosages and/or rationing of prescription opioids | • “[The doctor] gave 120 [mg of oxycodone] on this last round, I guess, around 30 days [ago] because I go every 30 days because you can’t refills on opiates and I’m cool with that. But if I’m taking them two [at a time as] opposed to one then I’m running out before time. That’s my whole dilemma […] So opposed to going to her and telling her the truth I’m afraid she’s going to cut me off so I did what I–[…] I did what I thought– it was stupid and it cost me more than I’m willing to pay. I won’t do it again.” 53 y/o male |
| Participants struggle with differentiating between their past use of drugs for non-medical purposes and their current need for drugs to alleviate chronic pain | • “Oh yeah I’m, well I’m off the Oxycontin period […] I got off of that…‘Cause I don’t want to be addicted to nothing. I mean this is only like a certain moment, this is you typically you take it all, you feeling me? I don’t have too much.” 58 y/o female |