There are some doctors who will not listen, who will act in a disinterested and impatient way if you try to discuss your pain control with them and who clearly give pain control a low priority. If you have a doctor like this, you would probably be better off changing doctors, as we discussed in the introduction to this chapter. Unfortunately, there is no type of doctor that I can guarantee will be good at pain control. I believe that the ones who are most likely to be well informed about painkillers are doctors who specialise in pain control, in terminal or palliative care, in radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment. You can ask for a second opinion from one or more doctors from whichever of these categories is available and seems appropriate for you. I hope you strike it lucky first time!
Right, let’s say you now have a doctor who, at the least, seems interested and concerned about your pain. What if this doctor agrees that you need a certain dose of a certain painkiller, say 20 milligrams of physeptone, but tries to send you away with a prescription for twenty tablets of 10 milligrams each and an appointment in two weeks time. However concerned this doctor appears, he or she is making it impossible for you to take your painkillers in an ideal way— regularly. He or she is forcing you to ration yourself, to take them only when your pain is really bad. Don’t let them do this. Tell them you understand it is best to take the painkillers regularly. Ask how long they last if you haven’t already checked it for yourself.
*180/40/1*
