I took a risk by being honest w/ my pain doc...

[516CAZ]

What country are you in, and are you commercially insured?

If you are in the U.S. and commercially insured through yourself, a spouse, or partner, then you have plenty of options here. You need to call the insurance company directly (phone number should be on back of card) and let them know you want to formally file a complaint AND a grievance (these are not the same thing). Providers (including individual practitioners) take this very seriously as does the state you live in/ Surgeon General's office. After/ or during that conversation they will ask you about the details (stay high level on the verbal), explain you want to send them a formal email. The insurance company advocate should inquire/ communicate with practitioners and providers to assist in switching providers. You have rights, you just don't realize it. Insurance companies manage a network of providers, and within that network the providers have a profile, rating, and CNG marks. You will get things in the mail after this, and that paperwork has STRICT time deadlines, so don't blow it off if you take this route...

Yes, I'm in the US. I have Medicaid since I can't work right now (& still appealing disability ). I believe you can do all of these things with Medicaid, too.

 

[516CAZ]

I'm prescribed 160 mgs of slow release oxycontin, twice a day and 20 10 mg instant release oxynorm for breakthrough pain. I'm also on 300 mg of pregabalin twice a day. And I'm having stomach troubles at the moment so I've thrown up a few doses recently. And although my Dr is aware of it he won't do anything to help. I dislike most medical professionals intensely and it sounds like we both have uncaring drs. The only suggestion I can make for the future is what I had to do, but it did come at a price.

My meds are delivered as my pain keeps me housebound but I went from a monthly script which left too long a time to run out of meds. I now have them delivered twice weekly, so although sometimes my 6.00am morning dose doesn't get here until 11.00 am, it's usually earlier, I know that by that lunchtime I won't be without meds. I also found them easier to space out of I were running short as you're talking about 3 days supply and then 4 days in a week.

At the moment I have a dose and a half to get me through until Tuesday morning. That's manageable. When I had a whole moth to use as I needed it was so much more difficult as whenever I needed more I'd tell myself I'll work it out but never did. So maybe asking this fuckwit who laughingly calls himself a "pain" Dr, yeah right, to just give you a week's supply at a time might be an option.

Or get a new pain Dr, just remember you interview them, if they're interested in helping instead of judging you which stresses you out and that makes the pain worse, right. You need someone who is more in touch with his sense of compassion than his fuckin' ego. Apologies for the language, but pain patients have enough to deal with without being made to feel like it's their own fault. I hope you feel better soon sweetheart.i really do feel your pain, not just a figure of speech.

Baby girl. X

I'm sorry for all that you have to go through on top of your pain. It really can put one in a low place. It seems like most doctors, besides mental health professionals, don't bother to consider your mental health at all.

Yes, it's time to find a new pain doc. I know nothing good will come out of us even meeting face-to-face again.

 

[Dispatchick17]

I'm sorry for all that you have to go through on top of your pain. It really can put one in a low place. It seems like most doctors, besides mental health professionals, don't bother to consider your mental health at all.

Yes, it's time to find a new pain doc. I know nothing good will come out of us even meeting face-to-face again.

Please just know that you are NOT alone. I won't ever claim to know what another is going through, though - just know that your pain and frustration is valid!! We are ALWAYS here to listen, support, and assist in any way that we possibly can. This site is a wonder - an open place where we can be honest! Instead of judgement there's support from so many amazing fellow humans who've been there, done that, and have different views of wisdom to share!

I had a pain doc for around 5 years that had a really awesome bedside manner - he was funny, personable, happy - great in every way, except when it came to actually prescribing me ADEQUATE pain medication. Not calling for sympathy or anything, but just to give context, I have CLL (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia,) fibromyalgia, DDD, a plate in my neck, arthritis, several herniated discs, blah, blah, blah...and to top that off, a demanding job as a 911 supervisor that requires staring at 8 different monitors, answering phones (back before headsets) and turning your head consistently, sitting at a workstation, high stress that raises cortisol/inflammation, etc.

I used to have a great outlook on life and absolutely loved my job. I took no medications whatsoever...until one day my neck started aching and burning. My arm started to go numb. It slowly got worse, and towards the end of one shift, I was white as a ghost and felt like if I moved, I would crumble from the pain. I went to the ER...MRI/CT showed 2 discs at C3 and C4 pressing on my spinal cord. I was immediately scheduled for ACDF (fusion) surgery. Thus began my torment with chronic pain. 2 years later came the CLL and the rest of the bit, which only added to it all. I became severely depressed. I became anxious. The pain doc and the psych doc were in constant battle against what meds I could or couldn't take together, and throw in my neurologist, orthopedist, rheumatologist, oncologist, PCP at times... If I wanted my pain managed, I had to be depressed and anxious, or vice-versa. My pain doc would never increase my dosage, stating that I needed to be on the dose I was on a while longer. "A while" turned into months and months. He would insist on physical therapy and steroid injections, despite them just not helping. He then switched me to a fentanyl patch, which seemed to help, but didn't help the break-through pain, for which I was given the smallest dose of oxycodone, twice a day. Even my oncologist and rheumatologist had recommended to him that I may need a stronger medication (to which my pain doc stated that HE was the pain management physician and would make his own decisions.) By then, I had tolerance, so I might as well have been taking an aspirin. I had ALWAYS abided by all the rules, too. Always had my count every month, always had urine tests come out ok - the big issue was with my psych doc. Rather than him (pain doc) speaking to her (pysch doc) or any of my other docs on the phone, I always had to get office notes and letters, evaluations, visit records, just a million and 1 things. And this was even AFTER I stopped taking any psych controlled medications, like my klonipin. It finally came to a head one day. I went off, I had bottled it all up and was done being polite. I didn't cause a scene or anything, but I stood up for myself. I was tired of being tired. Tired of living in pain every day. Calling off of work (which I had rarely done before) missing out on my daughter's life, missing out on life in general! I had copies of all the notes from my various specialists in a big folder and tried to show him my progression, and continuation, of documented pain by each of them. I told him he was not doing his job. He left the room and slammed the door. About 15 mins later, he brought back a form for me to sign, releasing me from the practice. I refused to sign it and left. When I got home, I did exactly what you did. Called the office. Spoke with the manager. Filed a complaint. Moved up the chain as far as I could go. I faxed all of my paperwork. Asked them to check my history of counts/tests. It didn't matter. Made absolutely no difference. Despite filing this complaint allll the way up the chain, hearing apologies and excuses, in the end they sided with the doctor and that was that. They did taper me off everything slowly...that is the only good thing I can say about them.

I live in a very small area. This pain management practice is a chain, and is really the only place that, unless you were already an established patient, would accept new patients at the time due to the strict guidelines and rules enforced by our state. And our state is STRICT. I'd like to say my interaction with this horrible place was done; however, it didn't end there.

A few months down the road, I was admitted to the hospital due to some complications with my CLL. One of the nurses, who happens to be an old friend of mine, sat down and asked me quietly - with a worried look - what my drug of choice was. I looked at her, quite puzzled, and asked her what on earth she meant. She was pretty nervous and tried the "nevermind," but I insisted she tell me wtf she was talking about. I was flagged on the state's PDMP list as a "drug seeker" (that's not the official label but it might as well be.) As I stated, our state is extremely strict, but I knew INSTANTLY where this label had come from. But...I'll save that story for another day, as I'm sure my post is already TL;DR enough.

Thank you to whoever does/did read this, however. It felt quite cathartic to put this all down into words.

 

[helpingout]

I'm prescribed oxycodone IR, 15 mg, 5/day. I am just a pain patient, not an addict (not officially anyways). Yes, I had to sign a stupid "pain agreement" thingy at the beginning. I've never been subjected to a pill count before, but they do random urine drug screens. I don't think the addiction clinic route is a good idea for me. I'm in severe pain all day, every day, so I definitely need the opioids for pain relief.

That's so funny that you mentioned loperamide! I just bought some yesterday because I remembered someone recommending it on here years ago! I need to search for that post to see if it included dosing recommendations. I've just been taking 2 tablets of 2 mg every 4 hrs. I don't think it's enough. If you or anyone has any suggestions on this or any other potentiators, I'd be very appreciative!

I am prescribed several meds that I think MAY help with withdrawals. I also have a bunch of old dicyclomine that helps. OTC, I take biotin and NAC (N-acetyl cysteine).

Here are ALL of my (oral) Rx's:
atorvastatin
bupropion SR
fish oil
gabapentin
hydroxychloroquine
lisdexamfetamine
omeprazole
oxycodone IR
propranolol ER
sumatriptan
tizanidine
trazodone.

Thank you for your insight, DeathIndustrial88!

So what happened and how did it go?

 

[516CAZ]

So what happened and how did it go?

I managed to get through w/d's w/ relatively mild symptoms. Dicyclomine really helps w/ tummy troubles & kratom + extra gabapentin staved off the generalized icky feelings. I've continued using both to supplement my reduced oxy Rx. However, they tend to make me sleepy.

I had a follow-up appt. last wk. that was another fucking disaster. Total dickface right from the start. He increased my dose by 2.5 mg, so I'm now at 7.5 mg 4/day (recall my dose when this all started of 15 mg 5/day). He wouldn't allow any questions or discussion. He said, "I told you what I'm going to do." WHAT THE FUCK? I told him he was being unnecessarily rude. Making eye contact w/ me for the 1st time since the appt. began, he then accused me of hanging up on the on-call doctor, which I did not. I was flabbergasted. Later when I told my boyfriend, he said that was bullshit b/c he was right next to me when I was on the phone & I did not do that. I asked him about the treatment plan going fwd & every time, his answer was "We'll see." FUCK YOU. So unprofessional & hostile.

So, this smug fuck goes & gets the medication agreement/pain contract thing & says I have to re-sign it b/c this is the only warning he will give me about being rude to a staff member or else he will discharge me. We argued. Rhetorically, I asked, "Shouldn't there be a reciprocal clause in here between doctor & patient about not being rude to each other?" His reply was, "IDK- you'll have to read it." Once again, he told me, "If you have a problem w/ it, you can find a new provider & pain clinic." So, I said, "Is that what you all are trying to do- push me to leave?" He said, "That's up to you," & left. An M.A. came in to collect my signed agreement, but I refused to sign it because b/c nobody would answer my questions & I'm not putting my signature on something the doctor keeps trying to hold against me. There isn't even a place on it for the provider's signature! The M.A. kept trying to tell me that it wasn't a big deal & I should just sign it & I'm like fuck you.

I only noticed when I got home that I had been Rx'd Percocet instead of oxycodone. Fucking unbelievable. He knows I shouldn't be taking acetaminophen due to my liver issues & he did not discuss this w/ me at the appt.

My therapist suggested that I bring someone along to my next follow-up. If anyone's still interested, I'll post an update after. He also put in a request for a medical case worker for me.

I'm not going to bother calling the patient advocate. They are circling the wagons & bullying me! Once this is over, I'm writing every detail into my formal, written complaint to send them. I doubt anything will be done about it, but at least it will be in my record. Obviously, I fucking hate this guy w/ all my , but I'm nervous about finding a new doctor b/c
1. What if this gets me blackballed as a pain patient? I'm worried about what he's written in my medical record & what will be included in a records request from a new doctor.
2. If a new pain doctor sees the low dose I'm taking, they'll likely Rx the same amt. Hell, any new pain doctor is a gamble & may not even Rx opioids at all.
Any advice?

Thx for reading.