Wagga lady Lisa Miller is all too familiar with the struggles of living in excruciating pain day in and day out, along with the constant battle to be taken seriously by medical professionals, friends and family.

"I have Severe Progressive Chrohn's Disease for 30 years now, which has meant a lot of surgeries," she said.

Ms Miller had her large bowel, half of her small bowel, rectum and gall bladder all removed, inhibiting her ability to absorb nutrients and causing subsequent issues with arthritis and bulging discs in her back.

At the time of her major surgeries, Ms Miller was prescribed a high dosage of slow-release morphine which she would take daily for the next 11 years of her life.

"I was never drug addicted, maybe drug dependent but at the instructions of my doctors," she said.

"Every few years they'd say 'Just stay on it if it gives you quality of life', so I did."

But after the publication of an American doctor's research into opiates causing more pain, alongside her current GP getting suspended and the need for a new doctor, Ms Miller's life changed almost overnight.

"I had a lot of problems getting a new GP because they were all scared about getting involved with opiates after that article, so it was a harrowing month trying to find someone, anyone who would take me on as a legitimate patient in need of help," she said.

"They all treated me as if I were some drug addicted lunatic, I even had one threaten to remove me from the premises."

Ms Miller is not alone in her struggle, with the 2019 National Pain Survey finding common feelings among those with chronic pain to be issues of stigma and negative attitudes.

Despite refusals to prescribe slow-release morphin to Ms Miller, she sad no one would offer any alternatives.

"My pain specialist who always used to tell me to stay on the morphine to give me quality of life was now saying to get off it and 'live with the pain'," she said,

"I've been living with this pain since 24 years old, if I don't have a certain quality of live, I don't want life at all."

After getting in to a GP who helped her reduce her morphine intake, Ms Miller was offered one alternative that was not viable.

"They prescribed a medication called Palexia which costs $2 a tablet, so about $80 a fortnight which I simply can't afford," she said.

"I'm on a disability support pension which I don't even want to be on, but I can't work, I was a teacher and even tried going casual but couldn't cope."

Costs associated with chronic pain can be expensive, considering the need for allied health professionals, treatment and even travel costs.

The 2019 NPS showed 96 per cent of chronic pain sufferers felt the government should provide a full or partial rebate for accessing allied health professionals to manage chronic pain, and many wanted State and Federal governments to make treatments more affordable and accessible, and provide more funding towards more pain services.

"Between Sydney and Melbourne there's only one pain management specialist. Country people don't have the doctors, they don't have the resources, the experience, plus a whole lot of conservative mindsets, it's all fueling the problem," Ms Miller said.

"It's not an option for me on a pension to travel to the big cities either, I'd have to catch taxis, pay for accommodation, so many costs, and I do get some back for medical transport subsidies but it's only about 10 per cent, it's not enough."

An emerging treatment option growing in popularity is the use of medicinal cannabis, according to the 2019 NPS which outlined 36 per cent of respondents had spoken to their GP about accessing the treatment.

"I have asked the pain specialist about medicinal marijuana but heard it's really expensive and I can't afford it anyway, but there is so much research and evidence that it helps people enormously," Ms Miller said.

"People see the word marijuana and they think oh you'll get hallucinations, it's dangerous, it's a word that scares people."

Ms Miller said the government had a role to play in the stigma around medicinal cannabis.

"We have a conservative Federal government with a prime minister who has his own agenda that shouldn't be carried into politics," she said.

Pharmacist and national president of Chronic Pain Australia, Jarrod McMaugh, said there was a need for better education around medicinal cannabis.

"What we are hearing from people living with pain is that they want to know more about medicinal cannabis but they are facing a range of hurdles when it comes to accessing treatment, including a complicated approval process and the cost being out of reach for most people," he said.

"Barriers such as regulatory burden, stigma, lack of investment in research, and low uptake of opportunities for professional education by health professionals need to be overcome to ensure that everything is being done to better the quality of life of people in pain.

"Community education is also an important part of the process. The survey showed that almost 68% of respondents wanted to gain more knowledge about the science behind medicinal cannabis, so there is much work still to be done in that regard."

The theme for this year's National Pain Week, ending July 28, is 'Equal Partners in my healthcare' to highlight the need for people with chronic pain to be included in the decisions and policies that affect their lives.

"While people in pain can learn and benefit from healthcare professionals, so too can healthcare professionals benefit from hearing and really understanding the lived experience of the person they are treating," Mr McMaugh said.

"What we do know from our members - from their lived experiences - is that when their pain is managed in a way that allows them to work and participate in everyday activities, it is because they have a good working relationship with their GP, their pharmacist, and their allied health care providers.

"People in pain don't want to manage their pain alone, but they need partnerships that are based on mutual respect."

Ms Miller said she couldn't agree more that respect and understanding were vital.

"I've had this for 30 years now, it destroyed my life, my career, it's debilitating you feel so weak, you can't do anything," she said.

"I've had enough, I want quality of life, it just isn't any way to live.

"You just want people to believe you."