Emily Ullrich
In 2012, I was on pain medicine from my primary care provider for severe endometriosis pain. I went to the ER, complaining of flank pain. I was told I was a drug seeker, and the doctor kicked my mother out of the room, and threatened to call the police. I went home still sick, embarrassed, and enraged. I’m sure that the doctor had looked up my KASPER, the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting. I had a number of surgeries that year, and had been prescribed pain medicine numerous times, on top of my standard prescription. That does not make me a drug seeker, it makes me a chronically ill person.
I returned to the ER at a different hospital, two days later. At that ER, the doctor accused me of being an addict, and offered me two options, rehab or leave immediately. Again, I left without being treated, in terrible pain, and feeling angry and shamed for being sick. Three days later, I was doubled over in agonizing pain that I could no longer stand, and my mother insisted that I go to the ER. Again, I went to a third and different hospital. FINALLY, a doctor said, “You have severe pyelonephritis. Why didn’t you come here sooner?” Well, I explained, I did, but no one took me seriously.
Within an hour, I was trembling with a fever of 102. I was admitted to the hospital and stayed for two weeks, during which time, I was taken off of my home pain meds, and given an EXTREMELY low dose of IV pain medicine. I was the sickest I’ve ever been and fought the doctor every day, begging him to relieve my pain. The nurses sympathized; they knew I was suffering. They even tried to talk to the doctor for me, but he wouldn’t budge. Then, I blacked out. For three days.
When I woke up, the pain was still there, I was soaked in sweat, and they told me that it had been “touch and go” for the past few days because I had sepsis.
I now have a multitude of chronic pain conditions, anxiety, and memory loss. I became a patient advocate and an Ambassador to the US Pain Foundation and Delegate to Power of Pain Foundation, and I hope to eradicate prejudice against pain patients, which is what put me in the position of developing sepsis.
