“This was pain that knifed and throbbed ― that consumed my life. Pain that would cause me to vomit repeatedly, long after my stomach was empty. Pain that left me curled in the fetal position, holding my head. Pain that kept me from sleeping for days and would not abate. My son was a young child during the worst of these years. OxyContin pills and Fentanyl patches made it possible for me to function at all. Without these medications, there were few days I was able to leave my bed — to have a family dinner, to see my son in his kindergarten play, to sit upright ” Rebecca Stanfel: I Took Oxy And Fentanyl For Years. Here’s What No One Is Telling You About The Opioid Crisis.

+ SciAm: Rising Physical Pain Is Linked to More Deaths of Despair. Chronic pain causes despair. Despair makes chronic pain hurt more.