I have been in PM for 6 years after failed thumb joint replacement, total of 9 surgeries, countless procures & too many meds to count. Last year switched to my primary for the PM & was on total of 40 mg./ day. Several months ago my BP reached stroke level &they put me on second BP pill. First one was Clonidine, more for nerve pain. I hsve CRPS, fbro, arthritis in many joints & herniatet disc @ L5Sl. My first PM clinic I was very overmedicated which is why I went to my primary after I tapered from Fentanyl, oxy, OxyContin, morphine, attivan, ambient, Cymbalts & more. I was going pretty well with using l0mg oxy only when needed. When my BP went so high they gave me second BP med, which did not help. They thought the pain was the cause & my primary sent me to new PM physician. He tried me on long- acting oxymorphone, which was not helpful. Put me on oxyContin 20 mg twice/ day plus l0 mg oxycodone 4 x day for BT pain.
I also have urethral syndrome which makes it difficult for me to urinate, which is in my records & I mentioned it to the nurse. She told me to drink tons of water & some coffee, which I choked down.
Next appointment I'm told I failed the test that nothing showed. It is impossible. He told me it looked like it was diluted, like someone put something in it. This is impossible because of how they have the test set up. I was not allowed to bring my purse, jacket, or anything into the restroom. Two women stood outside. There was blue dye in the toilet & I wasn't able to flush. The water in the sink was shut off & I was told to wash my hands @ the sink outside the toilet ares. There is no way this could be tampered with. I also checked the cup to make sure the cup was properly labeled & it was. Seems everything was in order.
So physician is not happy & neither am I. He told me it was not from drinking extra water & coffee ...that it looked tampered with. From where I sit, it could only be tampered with after I gave it to the tech. I asked for blood or hair test & he told me know. I told him I was unhappy with this & he stated "I don't care." Told him in all the years I've been in PM 6-7, I've never failed any test. Now he gives me my meds two weeks @ time, which is sort of a pain since it means multiple trips every few weeks to his office & to the pharmacy.
My primary was very empathetic & believes me ... we've been together l3 years. I have another visit with the PM guy Wed. & I want to clear things because I need my physician to believe in me & work with me. If not, I can't stay with him. Trouble is I'm concerned he'll flag me. I am extremely compliant with things & never take too much or too little. I prefer using the least amount possible & he knows this. He talked me into the long- acting & now has taken one l0 mg BT away. He thinks we should taper down, which was my plan, though I was planning it when it got warmer since cold really sets off my pain.
I also take Clonopin on occasion & ambient several times/month for sleep. I take multi vitamin, magnesium, Valerian Root, i-cool for hot flashes, & Midnight for Menopsuse ... I have some bothersome menopause symptoms, night sweats, irritable, weight gain, dry mouth, eyes.
I'm wondering if anything could have effected this urine test. The fact he refused to retest with blood test bothers me. I take my relationship with my physicians very seriously & I know how difficult it can be to find great PM physicians. But without trust & mutual respect there isn't the right relationship. Anyone have thoughts on how this test came back like this?
I've worked in the courthouse & we use urine tests because they're cheap. If we get any type of false test, though, they either blood test or hair test. (Also, in Mass we have the big scandal with the state drug lab with the chemist who tampered with countless drug evidence causing thousands of prisoners to go free on drug cases. I'm not naive & I have respect for the medical community & legal community & most importantly myself.
I'm just looking to see how best to manage this. I hope we can keep this relationship because he seems like he knows his stuff. I just can't figure out how this could have happened. The urine tests I took in the past were not nearly that secure.