A Pain In The Back

A Pain In The Back

What are worthless and wicked people like? They are constant liars, signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye, a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers. Their perverted hearts plot evil, and they constantly stir up trouble. But they will be destroyed suddenly, broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing. Proverbs 6:12-15

Owen was a new patient, and I watched out of the corner of my eye as the nurse took him back to the exam room. There was nothing remarkable about his appearance other than a slight limp. Otherwise, he looked like an average middle-aged man. But when I entered the exam room, I quickly found out how aggressive he was. Without even waiting for a greeting, he stuffed a stack of medical records and X-rays into my hands from the last four or five doctors he’d seen.

“As you can see, I’ve been to all these specialists, and I’ve had three back surgeries. But none of them worked, and I’m still hurting.”

As I did my exam, I noticed that his vitals were a little elevated, and he had a scar from at least one surgery. We discussed treatment options to control his pain with medication. Often, opiates are used in this type of situation, and from his records, it appeared that his prior doctors had prescribed these for his pain.

“I ran out of my last prescription; that’s why I’m here to see you today,” Owen said.

His story seemed legitimate. I did a urine drug test, which came back negative, confirming that he’d been out of pills at least long enough for the drugs to clear his system.

As I prepared his prescription, I did one last check, and then the truth was revealed. The state recently had started an online program listing all the doctors and pharmacies a patient had visited in the past few months. From the online records, I could see that Owen had never stopped going to his previous doctors. He was getting a full prescription of opiates from each one. A quick check of the pharmacies and emergency rooms he’d visited confirmed our worst fears. Owen was a dealer, selling his pain medication to others. But once he was reported to the district attorney’s office, the gig was up. They were happy to take this dealer off the streets.

TODAY’S RX

Be certain to handle your medications responsibly, and properly dispose of unused quantities.

God, when evil seems to pervade all corners of the earth, I take comfort in knowing you are victorious. Thank you for not giving up on your people, but showing us your undying compassion and love instead.