What Do I Need To Do and Is this OK?

[nncdalton]

Hey everyone. I have not been here in a while. I hope all is going well with everyone!

   I had a np refuse to give me anything for pain. She then began to question why I was being treated by other dr's like I was dr shopping. I take no controlled medication by the way. She knew that I have MS and that I have had a hip replacement, shoulder replacement, and a historectomy in the past 3 years due to an overdose of steroids by a dr's mistake that resulted in the osteonecrosis. She started asking me about the Copaxone that I take and what it was for and if I gave myself the injections.
   She had looked at my nose and ear earlier in the visit and then she said that she wanted to put me on an oral and nasal steroid. I said no. I simply asked her if they still made Flonase and that had worked before and that was how the issue above came about because I said that the actual dr there in that office had given me an rx for 10/500 hydrocodone and that had seemed to work for the aches and pains that I have.
   She then walkes out of the room and leaves the door open, comes back and sends me to the phlebotomst. The blood lady takes 5 vials of blood. I then go back to the room and the np is there and we sit down. She said that she wanted me to sign a medical release form for the other dr's and I said OK (I have nothing to hide). She then told me that she was going to find out what was really wrong with me and that covering up pain was not a solution to the problem. I then said "you have OPENED my chart, haven't you?". I thought the chart spoke for itself.
   I told her about the "MS Hug" and how painful that can be. She asked me to pull up my shirt and show her where it hurts. I tried to give her an idea. I even said that I can press on my sternum and my back would snap. The area that I pointed to in my back she felt of and said that it was simply tension. She then took her pen and pointed at me and said that I should take Advil. OK. I started to get mad and I told her that I ws not agreeing with her. She said that she had done all she could do for me and that when the test results came back we would see the reason for any pain.
   I have told my neuro that I had pain and he said that MS does not result in pain and that I needed  to go to my family dr. I don't know what to do. I have to smoke to get any releif and I don't live in California so now I am being made a criminal (metaphorically).
   I got to work this morning and my boss (and dear friend) said that she did not think that I was getting the best care and that she would write a letter to the fact that I am in pain all the time and I still work. She was mad at how I was treated. My husband was livid. So I call the dr's office and tell them what happened and that I will no longer be a patient. Was this OK? I just don't know how to react to all of this.


Happy Holidays!!!

[Wobbly]

sorry your going through this... I too know the feeling of dealing with some Drs.. take care and know your not alone.

wobbly

[HVAC]

Quix said it best. I am sorry you are going through all this.

I realized I have to have a good relationship with all my Doctors. MS is too complicated an illness not to have Doctors you can sit down and talk to about any aspect. Sometimes I just do not understand something and my PCP explains it to me. Some times my medical problems can't be solved but just understanding what is going on with my body helps.

Take care,
Alex

[Quixotic1]

Hey, Welcome back!  I have wondered where you went to.  You know that you are seeing some Neanderthals, don't you?  I have some reading for you to do.  The article you might want to print out and give to your doctors.  The NP isn't worth the time of day, though, on the off chance that she is educable, a copy to her might not hurt.

The first is a peer-reviewed article from the Consortium of MS Clinics.  It is an eloquent piece explaining that up to 40% of all people with MS are "never without pain" and that 2/3 of them have disease-related pain at some point.  Any doctor that denies pain in MS is a coward that doesn't want to get into trying to treat it!

http://www.mscare.org/cmsc/images/pdf/05Kassirer%20.pdf

We have had two threads recently about mental deficiencies in doctors:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Multiple-Sclerosis/DUMB---Disorders-in-Doctors-/show/1116530

and about the common myths that ignorant or poorly educated doctors hold:  Lies My Neurologist Told ME.

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Multiple-Sclerosis/Lies-My-Neuro-Told-Me-or-Common-MS-Myths/show/1074879

I think you need to find new doctors - despite already being told you doctor-shop.  Yes, doctor shop until you find ones that LISTEN to you, LOOK at you and your info and then THINK with grown-up brains about the problems.

A complaint to the Licensing Board of your state is appropriate here in stating that you are unable to get treatment for pain, being told in error that there is no pain in MS.  Complain that these doctors are not educated in the diseases that they claim to be able to treat.  Here is the site for SC.

http://www.llr.state.sc.us/pol/medical/

As you switch doctors lead with the statement that prior doctors had been ignorant about MS and would not consider that pain is a part of MS.  If necessary, obtain a psych eval for evidence that you are not a "crock."  Seek care from a pain management clinic that deals with "pain" not just managing pain and addiction.

Definitely copy this article for your PCP as explanation for why you are changing.  Be upfront about pain and the need to treat it.  Believe me, many people here on the forum are on and need various forms of narcotics.

These are just some ideas.  I am so sorry you have to go through this!

Quix