VIDEO

AUDIO

TITLE:

Iconostar Productions

Presents

MUSIC BEGINS – “Fighting On” (“Opus 1” variation) by Bill Olson.

Tammie Habhegger

TITLE:

Tammie Habhegger

chronic pain patient

Vicki Olson

TITLE:

Vicki Olson

chronic pain patient

TAMMIE

2*12:45 -- There are times, I admit, that I do want to give up because of the pain, only when I'm in so much pain. Because your body is telling you different things, your body is putting your mind somewhere else is what it's doing. It's hard to explain until you’re there yourself. It puts you in a different world, you know.

VICKI

1/ 0:59:14 -- You can't look at me and say "Oh - she's got several bulging discs in her back and in her neck,” or “She's got a spastic colon and endometriosis – all those things are invisible. And unless I choose to show that I’m in pain -- I usually choose to show I’m not in pain. (48:10)

1/ 0:59:14 -- I don't want anyone pointing their finger at me, saying, "What's wrong with her?” I wanna live my life as normally as I can."

TAMMIE

4/ 0:01:19 -- But you’ve gotta tell yourself not to give up; you've gotta keep fighting it, you know?

MAIN TITLES:

Fighting on

a profile of two

chronic pain survivors

----------------------------------

A film by

Bill Olson

----------------------------------

Narrated by

Greg Pangallo

Scenes of Vicki and Tammie.

Dr. Schlimgen interacting with Vicki.

Dr. Mark Schlimgen

TITLE:

Dr. Mark Schlimgen, MD

pain management specialist

NARRATOR

This program presents the stories of two women with chronic pain.

We’ll learn about the day-to-day difficulties they experience, and we’ll learn how they cope with their situation.

If you or someone you know is suffering from chronic pain and don’t know where to turn for help, there are organizations you can contact.

We’ll provide names, addresses and Web sites at the end of this program.

But what is chronic pain?

Doctor Mark Schlimgen (SCHLIM-ghenn), MD, is a pain management specialist at the Pain Clinic of Northwestern Wisconsin.

DR. SCHLIMGEN

1/ 0:15:15 -- Any pain that lasts longer than you would expect for a particular condition, and usually that's more than a month or two.

ACPA Web site.

Text from Web site.

Dr. Fitzgerald working in his office.

NARRATOR

According to the American Chronic Pain Association, 86 million Americans suffer from chronic pain.

Causes can include osteoporosis, migraines, arthritis and structural damage to the body.

Chronic pain often lasts a lifetime and cannot be cured.

Doctor Michael Fitzgerald, MD, is a pain management specialist in the Department of Family Practice at the Luther Midelfort Clinic in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

MUSIC ENDS.

Dr. Michael Fitzgerald

TITLE:

Dr. Michael Fitzgerald, MD

pain management specialist

DR. FITZGERALD

One of the goals in terms of management of the pain – it’s not so much a complete relief of pain, I mean, that would be ideal, but more making the pain level less so that people can function better. And that’s what you aim for. A lot of times it you set your standard as complete relief of pain, you’ll either never get there and everybody’s disappointed, or people can become non-functional just because of what it might take to get there.

Thorp water tower in snowstorm.

Tammie shows things she’s making.

Tammie on the Internet.

Tammie interacting with her family at birthday party.

Susan Tammie together at family party.

Susan Kolpien

TITLE:

Susan Kolpien

Tammie's mom

NARRATOR

Thorp, Wisconsin, is home to Tammie Habhegger, who spends most of her time with her family or making crafts.

She is currently working on starting a business where she can sell items she makes on the Internet.

Tammie faces serious life-style changes because of hernias in her abdominal wall.

Several loops of Tammie’s bowel, as well as a portion of her bladder, often pop out through the hernia hole, and she has to push them back in.

Surgery to repair the hernias would be risky and extensive.

Tammie’s mother, Susan Kolpien, has been a faithful advocate on behalf of her daughter.

SUSAN

4/ 0:31:10 -- One day, she was riding with me in the car, and she just bent over to tie her shoe lace, and she went into excruciating pain. She turned white, she fell back into the seat and she held her breath and she held her side until she got it pushed back in, and the pain let up some. But it did her in -- for several hours after that she wasn't feeling good, from the pain. So I know it's there. It's just a matter of how to get people to do something for her.

DEA Web site.

Medicine bottles.

NARRATOR

Chronic pain is often under treated for a variety of reasons:

Some physicians fear being disciplined by the Drug Enforcement Agency for over prescribing narcotics -- also called opiate drugs.

Some physicians fear that patients will become addicted to narcotic pain medications.

Some physicians are ill informed about addiction in pain patients, and refuse to treat pain under the belief that the patient is merely a drug addict seeking narcotics.

Boats on Lake Eau Claire.

Vicki rings bell outside cottage.

Vicki walks through cottage yard.

Vicki at her store, Many Little Things.

Vicki interacts with customers.

Dr. Mark Schlimgen

NARRATOR

Vicki Olson lives in Augusta, Wisconsin.

She travels to near-by Osseo where she owns an antique store.

(Vicki interacts with customers.)

NARRATOR

Months before production of this program, Vicki had fallen down a flight of stairs, leaving her with breakthrough pain.

DR. SCHLIMGEN

1*15: 25 -- Breakthrough pain is an increase or an exacerbation in a patient’s chronic pain state, or can be a secondary pain.

Vicki getting a shot.

NARRATOR

Vicki’s pain physician at that time allowed only one shot a month for chronic pain and refused to treat breakthrough pain, which she did not believe existed.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

INT. SACRED HEART HOSPITAL

Vicki and Dr. Schlimgen

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Vicki and Dr. Schlimgen:

VICKI

1/ 0:04:30 -- And she saw it as drug seeking -- "We're taking you off everything, that’s it!" And it was so traumatic and unfair. This was in September. "Well you can go and have a second opinion in Marshfield." They couldn't get me in until January. And I would've been basically nonfunctional, because they weren't even going to give me anything, not even Tylenol Number 3.

(Vicki cries.)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Vicki and Dr. Schlimgen (continued)

Vicki Olson

Vicki doing bookwork in her store.

Vicki looking out the window from her store, Many Little Things.

VICKI

1/ 0:59:14 -- I Wanna live my life as normally as I can. In order to live my life as normally as I can, in order to function on a day-to-day level, my pain has to be controlled. Without that control, I would be passing out six to eight times a day, probably vomiting every day, not being able to sleep. The lack of sleep would cause my fibromyalgia to become acute. I would end up being bed-ridden. I wouldn't be able to function mentally enough to do the bookwork for my store. Even if I could find someone to do the physical work in my store, I'd probably lose my business: Everything that I've worked so hard for.

Tammie Habhegger

Susan Kolpien

SUSAN

4/ 0:28:45 -- Tammie has been refused pain pills time and time again. And I can understand that; we don’t want her to become addicted to the drug, either. We don’t want her to have that complication along with the pain. So we haven’t pushed it. We haven’t gone to a pain management center or anything; we haven’t really pushed it.

Dr. Michael Fitzgerald

TITLE:

Dr. Michael Fitzgerald, MD

pain management specialist

DR. FITZGERALD

3/ 1:19:10 -- The current literature does not support that as being a huge problem in terms of people developing addictive problems in relation to being treated for pain complaints. Addiction involves a lot more than just medication....

Dr. Mark Schlimgen

TITLE:

Dr. Mark Schlimgen, MD

pain management specialist

DR. SCHLIMGEN

1/ 0:16:25 -- People that have chronic pain tend to really have a low addiction potential for narcotics when used in proper doses.

It's a very appropriate treatment for people with chronic pain.

Narcotics are a standard therapy for us.

The surgery scar on Vicki’s neck.

Vicki Olson

Tammie with family.

Susan Kolpien

NARRATOR

The person’s pain is often caused by numerous, verifiable, health problems.

MUSIC BEGINS – “Sky High” by Bill Olson.

VICKI

2/ 0:18:15 -- ... I have two bulging discs in my neck that are a disk apart. And then in between those two bulging discs that are on the right side, on the left side I have a big bone spur.

VICKI

2/ 0:18:15 -- So not only do I have the lower back pain and pain that shoots down my right leg, and electrical tingling and numbness problems with my right leg, I have problems where my arms will go numb, and I get pain in my shoulders and arms and hands. And that's from the neck part.

VICKI

2/ 0:18:15 -- I've had cists that grew in my abdomen that would start to burst and bleed into my abdomen, some of which were as big as grapefruits.

SUSAN

2*22:15. She had the bladder augmentation, which was a major surgery. And six months later, she ended up in the hospital with a bowel obstruction and didn't know what was wrong. They did emergency surgery to see what was causing the obstruction and found multiple adhesions.

Video of adhesion surgery.

Tammie Habhegger

Video of adhesion surgery.

Vicki Olson

Susan Kolpien

TITLE:

Adhesiolysis

tearing down of adhesions

NARRATOR

According to the International Adhesions Society, adhesions are bands of scar tissue that form after surgery.

TAMMIE

2*8:10. I've seen a little part of a movie of it. They kind of look like a spider web to me inside, because they're all white inside.

NARRATOR

They bind organs together, and to other structures within the body, causing great pain.

Adhesions can also cause other health problems, such as bowel obstructions.

VICKI

2/ 0:18:15 -- One doctor told me that if you took all of his patients that he had operated on and put their adhesions in my belly, that I would have more. So I have a lot of scar tissue and adhesions in my abdomen.

SUSAN

2*23:15. Well than a year later, she also developed hernias from having the bladder augmentation and the adhesion surgeries. So the doctor went to fix what we thought were just a couple of small hernias. It turned out she was in surgery for five hours again having adhesiolysis, which was taking down multiple -- even more -- adhesions than she had had the first time.

Video of adhesion surgery.

Susan Kolpien

Vicki Olson

Susan Kolpien

Tammie Habhegger

NARRATOR

Surgery to remove adhesions often results in the formation of new adhesions, making effective treatment difficult.

SUSAN

2*23:15. Ten months later, she was back in there again with a bowel obstruction and needed surgery again -- and multiple adhesions from top to bottom.

VICKI

2/ 0:18:15 -- I know that this last operation, they said that part of my bowel was fixed by adhesions up against the inside of the back of my abdomen, up against my spine.

SUSAN

2*23:15. ... She ended up with huge hernias, which she's suffering with now, plus adhesions -- we figure the adhesions are back, because they always come back.

SUSAN

2*25:00. And so now she's ending up with multiple huge hernias that have to be repaired, plus adhesions that need to be taken care of. And it's been going back and forth from doctors, not knowing which way to go first.

TAMMIE

2*11:00(TH_Hernias). I need a doctor that will help with the adhesions until they can do the adhesions and the hernias together. Because otherwise, I'll be right back where I started from. And my stomach’s getting so big now. They don't know how long the hernia’s gonna hold out. Because they could bust inside ya -- the poison part can – and it would get all poison inside of me and I could die from it, if they get too big. And the doctors that see me -- they said they can't believe how big they're getting. So they're really amazed that it got this big.

MUSIC ENDS

NARRATOR

Despite the fact that the causes of chronic pain are often verifiable today, many doctors do not believe the patient is experiencing pain.

Susan Kolpien

SUSAN

4/ 0:49:24 (SK_49_24) -- I get really upset when they say, "well it’s probably all in your mind.

Scene of Tammie Habhegger

Susan Kolpien

SUSAN

2*26:00. ... and doctors weren't believing that she was having this pain. But I knew. I knew because when she had her C-sections, when she had her babies 16 and 14 years ago, she was having chronic pain then on her one side. And when they did the second baby – did a C-section -- they said, "Oh! She's got all this scar tissue in there, that's why she was having this pain." So up to that point, they didn't believe she was having pain.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

INT. SACRED HEART HOSPITAL

Vicki and Dr. Schlimgen

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Vicki and Dr. Schlimgen:

VICKI

1/ 0:11:15 (VO1_11-15) -- I had dislocated an ankle, and I had a lump on the back of my ankle about the size of, like half of a ping-pong ball, and I kept telling my doctor, “This hurts, this is really sore.” “Oh, it’s just part of your chronic pain, it’ll go away.” Six years I told him how bad it hurt. “Just part of your chronic pain, don't worry about it.” I finally got to a specialist. The tendon had been inflamed for so long that part of it had died and turned to mush. And I was in danger, had I sprained it, I could've torn it in half.

DR. SCHLIMGEN

1/ 0:13:40 (VO1_13-40) -- There are a lot of people with your situation. Hopefully we’ll keep coming up with better treatments. It's common, a common thing, unfortunately.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Vicki and Dr. Schlimgen.

Susan Kolpien

Vicki Olson

TITLE:

Vicki Olson

chronic pain patient

Susan Kolpien

NARRATOR

The experience of working with doctors who often do not understand chronic pain, or the effects of pain medications, leaves patients feeling helpless, frustrated and angry.

SUSAN

4/ 0:49:24 (SK_49-24) -- And trying to throw... antidepressants, I guess is the word for it, at you to solve your problems -- that upsets me, that upsets me. Oh there are times when I'm sure that is necessary. But I think there are also times to check a person out -- check them out internally -- to make sure that that's what the problem is.

VICKI

1*1:32:00 -- I swear, some of the doctors that I have been working with over the years should have been working with nuts and bolts instead of people. (Laughs) It constantly amazes me why some people chose to be doctors when they absolutely have no compassion whatsoever. And it's just obvious that they don't care one whit about their patients’ well-being.

SUSAN

4/ 0:50:28 -- I think if they don't know the answer, refer ‘em on, refer us on to someone else. And if we ask to be referred on to someone else that we feel can do better for us, please refer us on. Some doctors do and some won't.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

INT. SACRED HEART HOSPITAL

Vicki and Dr. Schlimgen

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Vicki and Dr. Schlimgen:

DR. SCHLIMGEN

1/ 0:03:15 – Yeah, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt as much as possible. As long as people are real open with me, I try to be the same.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Jet airplane taking off.

Vicki Olson

NARRATOR

Many pain patients have to travel great distances to find doctors with the knowledge and willingness to treat them.

Vicki must travel to Chicago once a month to receive treatment for pain.

VICKI

It's too bad. We have pain specialists in Eau Claire, but one of the head doctors there doesn’t believe that breakthrough pain exists. And with one of my main problems being breakthrough pain and requiring the shots and the ER, my relationship with that doctor was doomed from the start.

VICKI

1*53:23 -- It's hard to find a local doctor that’s -- even if their willing to work with a patient who has chronic pain – it’s hard to find a local doctor who’s willing to work with a pain specialist as far away as Chicago.

Susan Kolpien

SUSAN

2*25:00. We had done a fund-raiser to raise money to take her out to New York. We had heard about an adhesion clinic center that had opened up out there by two doctors....

Tammie and Vicki viewing Web pages.

Susan Kolpien

Vicki Olson

Vicki walks along road.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

INT. DOCTOR’S OFFICE

We only see Vicki as she consults with her new doctor.

We see Vicki’s doctor: Michael Fitzgerald.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Vicki Olson

NARRATOR

The chronic nature of these conditions, and the difficulty in finding ready help from the medical profession, leads many pain patients to become experts in their condition.

Necessity has forced them to take charge of their healthcare.

SUSAN

2*33:15. We found out that you really do have to be responsible for your own health, your own medical care. Doctors are busy.

VICKI

1*1:23: 10 – We’ve done the doctor-God thing. In the '50s and the '60s and the '70s, you didn't question your doctor -- they were God. Nowadays, we're taught that we have to be our own advocates, that we have to be our own doctors, we have to do our own research and our own studying. And if we don't, we don't care much about what's wrong with us or how to take care ourselves.

VICKI

1*1:34: 15 – And I've learned from experience that these people are people. And there are good people and bad people, and good nurses and bad nurses, and good doctors and bad doctors. And we have got to be on guard in order to ascertain for ourselves who we're dealing with.

NARRATOR

But things are looking up for Vicki.

After years of difficult searching, she at last found one of the good doctors.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Vicki in doctor’s office.

VICKI

(2*x:xx:xx) I was so afraid of losing another doctor, and all through these last years – you know, everything that I’ve done has been, “Don’t make waves, you might lose another doctor and have to go find another one.” And so every time it tore at my stomach or something like that, I just didn’t say anything, I just....

DOCTOR (Off Camera)

Yeah, that’s not....

VICKI

But when I met you... (tearful pause)

you were a dream come true as far as finding a doctor here....

VICKI

(2*x:xx:xx) And I guess I feel I can be more open and not have to worry so much.

DR. FITZGERALD

Yeah, I appreciate that.

VICKI

(2*x:xx:xx) It just took me a while to get my trust back.

DR. FITZGERALD

Yup, understandably.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

VICKI

The last year has been really, really great since I’ve been with Dr. Fitzgerald. Dr. Fitzgerald actually surpassed my ideas as to how a doctor should react when you have additional pain, and I sure hope he stays in Eau Claire for 50 years so I never have to go through the hell of finding another doctor.

Tammie on the Internet.

Tammie at her family’s birthday party.

Susan Kolpien

NARRATOR

Tammie gains support from a wide network of friends on the Internet, in addition to friends and family in her community.

SUSAN

4/ 0:29:10 -- She's been very brave. She's really struggled through this, and she's really been strong through it. And -- she's a people person; she loves people. And so, the more people she can have around her, the better off she is. And she is a people person to the point where she is very concerned about everyone else. She's always thinking about the other person, what they need, what makes them happy -- she just loves people. And so that's basically what's keeping her going at this point.

Tammie Habhegger

TITLE:

Tammie Habhegger

chronic pain patient

Tammie and Susan.

Susan Kolpien

TITLE:

Susan Kolpien

Tammie's mom

Susan helps Tammie put on a necklaces.

Susan

Tammie

Tammie’s sons.

Tammie

TAMMIE

Everybody was there for me, and I appreciate it, cuz a lot of families aren’t help, like I’ve got. I’ve got a wonderful family and friends, and they’re really amazing.

NARRATOR

Susan takes an active role in her daughter’s health care, perhaps to the chagrin of some health professionals.

SUSAN

4/ 0:47:10 -- And then I think sometimes they wonder, "Well why are you sticking your nose into this? Tammy is capable of taking care of herself." But you know, I think it takes both of us to fight this battle.

NARRATOR

Watching a family member suffer chronic pain can be a difficult experience.

SUSAN

4/39:50. It's hard. I've had a lot of breakdowns.

TAMMIE

My kids are learning to deal with it now; they’re getting better. The youngest one, I think it’s kind of hard for him just yet, but, you know, he’s getting better, too. To see their mom in pain, that’s gotta be hard for them. And especially teenagers. And you try to hide it on them, but they know.

Vicki sawing a tree limb.

Successive shots of Susan and Tammie.

Tammie Habhegger

Tammie’s family

Susan

Tammie’s father, Jack, says prayer at party.

Scenes of April snow storm.

Susan

Vicki

Vicki fishing.

Tammie and her family.

Tammie Habhegger

Vicki working at her store.

Vicki Olson

Tammie sews and shows off her crafts.

Vicki serves customers in her store.

Vicki.

VICKI

I keep telling myself I’m more than half way through.

NARRATOR

For Vicki, Susan and Tammie, the battle is often bleak, but giving up is not an option.

TAMMIE

2*1:15. ...But you’ve got to tell yourself not to give up, You’ve gotta keep fighting it, you know? You’ve got your kids and your family to think about. (2*2:13)

SUSAN

4/ 0:54:03 -- We have been relying on God all the way through this.

JACK

God, we love ya, God. We’ve got kind of a storm coming now, God, and people are coming from quite a ways to this party. Thanks God, thanks for the food.

SUSAN

A-men!

SUSAN

I think without faith, we’d all have sunk a long time ago.

VICKI

1*54:40 -- So many times when you have medical problems, there's so much in your life that's negative. So you've got to concentrate on what's positive in your life.

NARRATOR

Tammie is looking forward to surgery in New York that might help her condition.

But she recognizes that it’s a dangerous procedure.

TAMMIE

2*5:00. Because they say it's a fifty[-fifty] chance I might not make it. But if you don't give up, if you keep with the faith with God, He'll help you pull through it. You just don't wanna give up.

VICKI

If I hadn’t chosen to have the store, if I had just chosen to be disabled and live off my check and just not have anything to do, I don’t think I’d be here today. It’s an easy way to allow yourself to become depressed. You’ve gotta constantly strive to do better, to do more, and to invent things that you can do – you’ve got to concentrate on what you can do, not on what you can’t. And once you find out what you can do, you can find more. It’s just that way. You’ve gotta look at the milk pitcher as if it’s half full, not half empty, because if you look at it half empty, it keeps getting emptier; if you look at it half full, it keeps getting fuller, can’t help it.

Scenes of Vicki and Tammie.

MUSIC BEGINS – “Opus 1” by Bill Olson.

NARRATOR

If you or someone you know is suffering from chronic pain.. and don’t know where to turn for help, you can contact the following for information . . .

American Chronic Pain Association

P.O. Box 850

Rocklin, CA 95677

http://www.theacpa.org

American Chronic Pain Association,

Post Office Box 8-5-0,

Rocklin, California, 9-5-6-7-7.

Or on the Internet at . . .

www-dot-the a-c-p-a-dot-org.

Dr. David Wiseman

International Adhesions Society
c/o Synechion, Inc.
6757 Arapaho Road

Suite 711 #238

Dallas, TX 75248

www.adhesions.org

NARRATOR

The International Adhesions Society can be reached by writing…

Doctor David Wiseman
International Adhesions Society

Care of . . .

Synechion (sy-NEE-KEE-ahn), Incorporated
6-7-5-7 Arapaho Road,

Suite 7-1-1 number 2-3-8,

Dallas, Texas 7-5-2-4-8

Or on the Internet at . . .

www-dot-adhesions-dot-org.

Fighting On

Web site

www.geocities.com/iconostar/fighting/

NARRATOR

For links to these organizations and updates on Vicki and Tammie, visit the official Web site for this program at . . .

www-dot-geocities-dot-com-forward slash-iconostar-forward slash fighting-forward slash.

END TITLES:

Fighting on

a profile of two

chronic pain survivors

------------------------------

Total production

and music by

Bill Olson

--------------------------------

Narrated by

Greg Pangallo

-------------------------------------

Post production at

Iconostar Productions

Studios

Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Video of surgery by

Dr. Harry Reich,

MD, FACOG, FACS

Courtesy of

Beverly J. Doucette

International Adhesions Society

Additional video

courtesy of

WEAU-TV

Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Special thanks to

Community Television

Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Penney Cowan

Executive Director

American Chronic Pain Assoc’n

Michael Fitzgerald, MD

Tammie Habhegger

Susan Kolpien

The Kolpien family

and in-laws

Rob Mattison

Vicki Olson

Greg Pangallo

Mark Schlimgen, MD

David Wiseman

PhD, MR PharmS

Founder,

International Adhesions Society

For information

about this show,

contact

Iconostar Productions

418 Marston Ave.

Eau Claire, WI 54701

[email protected]

Iconostar Productions

is on

the World Wide Web

www.geocities.com/iconostar/

Fighting On

MUSIC ENDS.