Duterte: Pain near ear is nonstop

President Duterte still experiences pain near his ear from a severe spinal injury due to a motorcycle accident he had when he was 68 years old.

In a speech in Puerto Princesa Palawan Saturday evening, Duterte said he is seen massaging his ear because of the constant pain.

“I’m suffering from pain 24 hours a day. And probably

you see me always massaging the left nerve of my lower ear. It’s because I’m suffering almost everyday non-stop,” he said.

“In a scale of... pain scale of one to 10, maybe something like two, three,” he added.

He said his family did not want him to undergo surgery because it could have a negative effect on him later.

“It became an issue before because I really couldn’t take it. The problem is, my family didn’t want me to undergo an operation as long as it is spinal,” he said.

His partner Honeylet Avanceña, a nurse, was against it. Maybe she has seen so many operations gone awry,” he said.

Avanceña instead, suggested that he take Fentanyl to relieve the pain.

“She said if I can. I should try Fentanyl. It’s a painkiller and the doctor said I should cut a piece into four and take them one at a time for two days,” he said.

But later the doctor told him to stop taking Fentanyl “because it is not even the remedy anymore. If I want, I have to undergo surgery.”

“But the thing is, there are thousands of nerves there. One mistake and it’s over. I’ve seen so many people, including priests, that underwent surgery and ended up not being able to stand anymore,” Duterte said.

The President earlier said that Fentanyl made him feel like he was on cloud nine. He has been criticized for casually talking about the use of the drug which some experts have described to be potentially addictive.

“There was a time I swallowed the whole thing because more than just the disappearance of pain, you feel that you are on cloud nine,” he had said.

“It’s like everything is okay with the world, nothing to worry about,” he further described the effects of Fentanyl.