Need advice

[steffiegrace]

I broke my left elbow 12 years ago. It was a work injury and although my Workmen's compensation case is closed, the medical part will remain open indefinitely. I have had 4 surgeries to repair the bone as well as the ligament. The ligament is either detached now or is stretched to the point where it doesn't work and causes an extremely unbearable amount of pain. I was being treated by New York Spine & Wellness but made a mistake (they switched me from exalgo to MS Contin, to percoset all within the same month bc Workmen's comp was refusing to authorize payment of medications so I was paying out of pocket and when I ran out of the percoset I found one of my mscontins and took it and then let them know bc they ran a urine screen and the dr called and was very rude and said she would no longer treat me and that I wasn't worth her medical license...I didn't know that taking a medication that was prescribed to me less than 2 weeks prior was against policy. :(   ) and now they are refusing to prescribe any pain medications. I spoke to the nurse manager there today and she said I would probably receive better care somewhere else. I didn't record the conversation, in fact I didn't even answer the call intentionally but long story short I am wondering if I can go somewhere else, and if I can...will they get the records from nyspine&wellness? Is there any way to avoid having those records transferred? And if there is no way to avoid that, is there a possibility that being honest about what happened will be helpful or hurtful to them treating me? Basically, I was referred by my orthopedic surgeon to this place and he has now moved out of state and I don't know what to do bc I have a lifting restriction of 20 lbs, and I have a 4 year old and a 7 month old who weighs 20lbs. My psychiatrist has recommended a home health aid to come do the caring for my son and I'm not comfortable with that. I am almost always at an 8-9 on the pain scale unless I'm taking pain meds which brings it down to a 3-4. Without my pain meds, I have no quality of life. I only want to be able to care for myself and my 2 boys. I wish I didn't need pain meds to function but since being off them now for over a week, I am in constant pain, I cry almost all of the time and I'm so depressed that I'm not sure I want to be alive if I have to live the rest of my life with this much pain. I'm only 31 and I don't know where to go or what I can do to get the help I need.

[Tuckamore]

Hello and Welcome to our Pain Management Forum. Please excuse my tardy response to your post. I've been out of town for our wedding anniversary.

As always Remar offered some good suggestions - and I agree with her. I have a bit to add, or affirm.

Obviously you know you made an error but that's exactly what it was, an error. Sadly there is no room in this new against opiate RXs climate. No one dare make a mistake or the risk losing pain management.

Yes your records from your current PMP will have to be transferred to any new PMP. I don't think that's all that bad. You've never had a dirty UA (till now) and you've always been complaint. I'd request those records now so you may read everything that's been said about you - and you'll need all your test results.

You heard it in kindergarten and you'll hear it here, Honesty is always the best policy. Yes I'd search for a new PMP. Be honest with them and tell them the mistake you made, in part due to your extreme pain and in another part due to not understanding the laws and the pain contract. That doesn't make you a bad person -  that makes you an uneducated person - like so many other chronic pain patients.

I think you have a decent chance of finding a PMP that will take you. Did I understand you correctly? Did you pass the urine drug screen but they let you go when you told them what you did? Why on earth would your husband want you to stay at a clinic that will not treat your pain effectively and with a PA that you've never been comfortable seeing? Often ppl that do not have chronic pain just don't get it - including our spouses.

Unfortunately Workers Comp will have a field day with this! I'm not certain how they will react with a change in physicians - and your dismissal from the opiate therapy.  

I doubt ER will be of any help to you - but if you're desperate you can try it. You have done nothing (in my opinion) that should make your PMP contact area hospitals and other clinics and tell them not to give you opiates. In fact unless you are a true drug seeker it would be very unethical, at the least

Hang in there my friend in pain. We're here to offer our support - and listen. Sometimes I find comfort in just ranting a bit in our community. :0)  Please keep in touch - let us know how you are doing. Feel free to ask additional questions, make comments or as I said, just rant a bit.

We'll look forward to hearing from you soon. I'll be interested to hear how things are going.

Take Care,
~Tuck

[Rootsgal]

You are going to be flagged in the system now.
Once you get booted, its nearly impossible to get into another pain clinic.
I left voluntarily, because they were piling on so many medications, I could not longer "poop".
I told this to my primary care doctor, and he agreed to fill oxycodone, plus I said I would wean down the dose....and I did over many months.

What they are doing to you is pretty reckless.
Withdrawal can be dangerous, so call the WC Head Commissioners office and tell them this.
WC IS obligated to pay for you to go to rehab, unless you can get your primary care doctor to write the prescription for you.
Do you have a WC attorney?
If not, they will never take your case this late in the game, because I now need one, and nobody will take it.
Attorney's want money and unless you "stip" out the injury (which you should not) then they will not be interested.

I have a WC back injury and they just cut me off, without ANY notice, and I did not even violate any contract. They just did not want to pay and they had been all along.
They wanted me to "stip" out my back injury and I said I was not interested.
They lied at the hearing and said "the doctor was not in network".I had been seeing him for over 2 years! I went home and looked him up on the "WC secret doctor list", and he was on it!
I went back to tell the commissioner that GB LIED, but he was in on it.
He just blatantly stated, "have your private insurance pay for it." JUST LIKE THAT. No WC rule or statute to back that up, but no attorney is going to a hearing, because the insurance carrier claim adjusters are liars. We all know that.
Its called corruption.
Those dirty insurance companies (GALLAGHER-BASSETT) will lie, and make up anything or do anything to get rid of you,  without ANY proper notification.
It did not use to be like this.
Once Connecticut took Gallagher-Bassett on, the whole system went into the toilet.
Acupuncture is something you have to keep doing. It is NOT a cure. They will never approve it.
See if they will approve a "hands on" D.O. (osteopath) WAY better than a chiropractor.
DO NOT get those steroid injections. They are terrible for you and over time, they lead to muscle atrophy.
It showed up in my MRI after 10 years of burser injections, that my osteopath CURED with his hands in 5 minutes.
DO NOT let them wear you down so you just give up.
That is what they do to everyone.
Use their cruel behavior as your fuel to stay in the game.
Wishing you all the best~
BTW: MAKE THEM PAY for a taxi to come get you and give you a ride to the acupuncturist.
They have to pay for your mileage or for a ride to the appointment.
They do now want you to know that but now, YOU DO!
Its part of the game...making it inconvenient ~

[steffiegrace]

Thanks so much! I did sign a contract and shame on me, must not have FULLY understood it. :-( I only spoke to the nurse manager. She wouldn't pass my call to the dr, and the dr I see is only a PA. They said they would keep me as a patient but would no longer prescribe any medications. They are comfortable doing acupuncture, and other things but I'm concerned bc it's very hard for me to believe that those things will work and be enough to manage my pain. I am happy to try those things and if they work then AWESOME! I live 45 minutes away though and I can get acupuncture here close to where I live. So unless they are handling my meds, I don't really see a reason to stay there. I found other pain management clinics, and I don't believe I even need a referral, and I'm more than happy to be completely honest, sign waivers and contracts, submit to drug screenings, pIll counts, and anything else that they would want. I know this sounds lame but the PA I was seeing was very intimidating and whenever I saw her she made me uncomfortable being honest and explaining that the meds she kept changing were not really lessening my pain enough to make much of a difference. The percoset was the lowest dose, and only a maximum of 2 per day. But I just took them exactly as prescribed and I ran out on time but bc the insurance wouldn't authorize my script I couldn't afford the new script for the exalgo. I was on the exalgo 8 mg for almost 2 years along with hydro morphone 2mg up to 4 per day for breakthrough pain and it worked perfect but if I paid out of pocket it would've been $400/month and so they wrote 3 more days of percoset and when I picked it up they wanted a urine screen and I gave it to them. The urine drug screen was clean but bc I told them that I took a morphine (the med issued before the percoset) they said I should have known not to and that my ex priviledges were revoked permanently). Now I don't know if when I go to the ER if I am listed on the DEA as not to receive pain medications or if my pcp will also get a notice or if it's simply that this one place doesn't want to treat me. So I'm kind of scared to do anything but I've literally been crying almost a week bc I have no pain meds and I have to care for my kids. My husband thinks that I should stay at this clinic but I can't understand why bc I need my meds until I can get the accupuncture approved by Workmen's comp and since I have another IME...I'm just about to give up bc I can't live in this pain, and I can't handle my affairs to get the pain treated.  

[remar]

Did you sign a pain contract with this Dr? Can I ask about the Percocet and how you ran out of it? If you have that contract it probably says that you're suppose to take a certain med and a certain amount per day. Where you taking more than what was prescribed?
I know you have a really hard situation because of the insurance and all of these different meds being prescribed. I'm sure you thought it was alright to take one of your other meds. The clinic should have explained to you that is was not alright with them. Or, you could have called to ask if it was alright.
Have you tried talking to the head Dr there to explain that you just didn't understand and you did let them know before you had the urine test?
Yes, I do think another pain Dr or clinic will require your records. If they agree to treat you then you will have to sign another contract and follow every word of it.
We have these new laws now so almost all Drs are afraid of losing their license.
You should get started as soon as possible looking for a new Dr. Google pain Drs and pain clinics in your area. When you have the first meeting with them I think it would be best to be honest and tell them what happened and that you're willing to sign contracts, take urine tests and have pill counts. I know it's so harsh what pain patients are going through. Many of the Drs are not liking it either because they're not able to treat their patients the way they need to be treated medically.
I really wish I could be of more help because I know about chronic pain and it's so terrible. Most clinics will not let you make even one mistake.
We have several very knowledgeable members here so I'm sure you will get more responses to your post and more answers to your questions.