You know, my bed bound mother was treated the same. She had to lay there, for 2 years, in pain while relief was denied her. When she died, she had spent 2 weeks in the hospital and was finally given the drugs she had needed for years that relieved her pain. Humanity is in a sorry state when we have the technology to remove a person's physical suffering, yet we refuse to do so because they might become addicted. Who the hell cares if they are in that much pain? The patient will likely have to take the drug for life regardless.