Aa
new here but scared, embarrassed and need encouragement
I have had 4 previous back surgeries and 2 fusions on multiple levels. I see a pain management Dr and have for almost 2 years. Yesterday morning I fell and went to urgent care to make sure I didn't break any hardware again. The dr said nothing was broken but suggested I get the half of the previous broken screw in my back removed. He discharged me with a Percocet ds and valium (for muscle relaxer). I stopped at the closest pharmacy on the way home and not the one that I filly monthly meds at. I truly was just trying to get home fast and get some pain relief. I heard the pharmacist call my insurance (she kept saying d.u.r.) The pharmacy that fills my monthly meds and the urgent care dr. The Percocet was cancelled and she gave me the valium. About an half an hour after I got home the urgent care dr called and offered me tramadol. I refused saying i see pain management next week and don't ever want to go through that embarrassment again. I told him I wasn't dr shopping and he agreed. He said if anyone had reason to be on the meds it was me and assured me that no police would be at my door to charge me. I am still worried though. Will my insurance company send letters to my pain dr? Is this going to cause me troubles down the line?
Awe! Thank you so much for your kind words.
I truly hope everything works out for you very soon. If you get a chance send me a message letting me know how your visit goes on Monday. I have my fingers crossed that it will go very well.
I truly hope everything works out for you very soon. If you get a chance send me a message letting me know how your visit goes on Monday. I have my fingers crossed that it will go very well.
You are such a kind and caring person. I just wanted to thank you again for the encouragement. Please know if you ever need an ear I would be happy to lend mine!
I feel so bad for you. Having to go through all of these changes on top of having chronic pain.It's really sad that things aren't like they used to be when we could see our family Drs for most of our needs, including our pain care. Specialists and insurance companies seem to be getting a lot more picky about things too. I would imagine that Drs can choose what insurance they will and will not except. This can really be hard on the patient because some of us have no choice but to stay in pain while we're trying to find Drs that will take us, whether we have insurance or not. I've been turned down by several pain specialists because I have no insurance and would be self pay. I guess they don't like giving self pay patients discounts and would rather charge insurance companies whatever they want. Just my opinion. I hope you don't have to go through another surgery either. Do you have a list of Drs from your insurance company? That would really help with finding new Drs. I know you will probably hate the thought of this with it being Winter but putting ice on your tailbone may help a little with the pain. Let's hope your visit goes very well Monday. Try your best to hang in there with everything, okay. We're always here to listen, give advice and support you.
Thank you for your reply and concern. Pain wise I am in a lot more pain but most of it is centered around my tailbone. I see my pain management's PA on Monday. I am also making an appointment today with a new neurologist simply because there has been a big health insurance change in my city at the start of the new year and my old neurologist doesn't accept my insurance anymore. I also need to find a new pcp for the same reason. All of this is so daunting to me and literally making me sick to my stomach. I don't have the money to pay the copays of physical therapy for months that doesn't work - I am still paying off my last go round from two years ago.. I dont know if I can go through a fifth surgery. I am so very discouraged right now.
It all depends on your contract and what it says. I know many of them say that you have to have another Dr call them if you get hurt or sick and need medication. This can be a real pain, especially if it's after hours. A pain Dr should have an emergency number because things like this are going to happen with patients.
No, you did not get any extra medication so there should be no problems with your pain Dr.
How are you doing? Taking a fall, especially if you've had back surgeries, can be very painful.
No, you did not get any extra medication so there should be no problems with your pain Dr.
How are you doing? Taking a fall, especially if you've had back surgeries, can be very painful.
I am sorry to hear of your troubles. As a pain management patient I too have been treated poorly by pharmacists. I guess they just assume you are up to no good when they are not aware of the repeated surgeries that you have endured. My insurance company did write to my pain management doctor after they realized I had Rxs from 3 different doctors. The insurance company did not take the time to notice that all 3 doctors were in the same pain management practice I have been going to for 8 years. My doctor told me they wrote and laughed it off but the insurance company was more than happy to try to get me labeled as a doctor shopper because it would save the insurance company the money they contribute to my pain meds. As long as your pain management doctor is kept in the loop about every controlled substance your are prescribed you should be fine. If you won't see your pain doc for a while I would fax or mail a quick summary of the incident. Good luck!
PS... I also took documentation with me to prove that I indeed used a pharm that was on my list. I also provided the office with a phone # of the Doctor who treated me. You might want to do the same by contacting the Doc that treated you in urgent care.
After reading your initial post, I was in the very same predicament you are in.
I was on vacation and woke up with this screaming pain in my shoulder. I could not remember doing anything to hurt it. I suffered through 3 more days with this pain and finally my Husband drove me back home.
Instead of going directly home, we stopped at the ER as the drive was unbearable. It was determined that I had inflammation of the right lung and was given a script of Morphine.
Now I was already registered with a pain management office and told the ER Doctor that I had a pain contract. He said he would note it in my record and it would be alright.
We stopped at a pharmacy.. not the one I use on a regular basis but one that was listed on my contract. I had it filled and went home.
2 months later I received a letter from my pain management office telling me that they were releasing me due to not using the correct pharmacy and getting an opiate not prescribed by them. I was in horror after reading this.
I called the pain management clinic and found out that they had cancelled all future appts. I demanded to speak with the Doctor but was unable to achieve this.
I wrote to the State Medical Board with my issue but in the mean time I did make another appt. with the Doctors nurse practitioner. I told her my story including that the ER doc said everything would be fine and also showed her that I had filled my script with an authorized pharmacy. She looked it over and then asked me why I didn't mention this on my previous visit. I told her that My appointment that day with the Doctor was at 2:45, I was still sitting in her office at 3:45 and had to pick up my Grandchild. I was already late to get her. The Doc came in and I was in such a rush that it didn't even cross my mind and I suppose that the ER telling me that everything was noted about my Pain Management clinic, I had put it out of my mind. The ER only gave me 5 tabs to get me through until I saw my regular Doc for the infection.
The nurse practitioner reinstated me and life went on.
What I'm saying here is that it's possible that this will come back to haunt you. I sure did for me. Please call your Pain Management office and tell them what went on before they think that you're not being honest with them. I hope this helps you.
My best,
Mollyrae
I was on vacation and woke up with this screaming pain in my shoulder. I could not remember doing anything to hurt it. I suffered through 3 more days with this pain and finally my Husband drove me back home.
Instead of going directly home, we stopped at the ER as the drive was unbearable. It was determined that I had inflammation of the right lung and was given a script of Morphine.
Now I was already registered with a pain management office and told the ER Doctor that I had a pain contract. He said he would note it in my record and it would be alright.
We stopped at a pharmacy.. not the one I use on a regular basis but one that was listed on my contract. I had it filled and went home.
2 months later I received a letter from my pain management office telling me that they were releasing me due to not using the correct pharmacy and getting an opiate not prescribed by them. I was in horror after reading this.
I called the pain management clinic and found out that they had cancelled all future appts. I demanded to speak with the Doctor but was unable to achieve this.
I wrote to the State Medical Board with my issue but in the mean time I did make another appt. with the Doctors nurse practitioner. I told her my story including that the ER doc said everything would be fine and also showed her that I had filled my script with an authorized pharmacy. She looked it over and then asked me why I didn't mention this on my previous visit. I told her that My appointment that day with the Doctor was at 2:45, I was still sitting in her office at 3:45 and had to pick up my Grandchild. I was already late to get her. The Doc came in and I was in such a rush that it didn't even cross my mind and I suppose that the ER telling me that everything was noted about my Pain Management clinic, I had put it out of my mind. The ER only gave me 5 tabs to get me through until I saw my regular Doc for the infection.
The nurse practitioner reinstated me and life went on.
What I'm saying here is that it's possible that this will come back to haunt you. I sure did for me. Please call your Pain Management office and tell them what went on before they think that you're not being honest with them. I hope this helps you.
My best,
Mollyrae
No problem joining in on this thread - in fact I appreciate it. I never called my PM dr to see if I could take a few more pills to get me through. I hate bugging Drs on their day off. I see the Dr - or his PA - in exactly one week and plan on explaining the situation to her and asking what to do the next time it happens. I never asked the urgent care Dr for the meds. I just wanted to make sure the hardware was still in the right places. I think the saving grace here from what I can tell is that I never received the "extra" med so hopefully no letter will be sent to the Drs. I also have the understanding and name or the urgent care Dr and maybe he can intervene if it comes to that. At least I hope so. I just have never been so embarrassed and humiliated in my life.
I hope it's alright that I'm jumping in to your post. I'm so sorry for what you're going through and what you have been through. When a chronic pain patient gets hurt they may need more medication for awhile. It is such a shame that they're denied what they need. I'm not in pain management, yet, But I have read some of the online contracts and the pain Drs do want a call from any other Dr prescribing you medication. No matter if it's dentist, and ER Dr or a med stop type of place. What happens if they can't get in touch with your pain Dr? You're left to suffer and this is so unfair. You did absolutely nothing wrong. Like Philnoir said, check out the Pain Foundation. It truly is a wealth of knowledge for chronic pain patients. I hope you're feeling better. Did you contact your pain Dr to ask if you could take a few extra pills for the next couple of days while you're healing? I'm so sorry about your fall and everything you had to go through. Please keep us up to date on how you're doing.
Sorry. My tablet posted before I was finished. Dr wanted me on disability and I fought it. I currently have a very physical job and plan on doing it until I no longer can. And your right I have been humiliated over and over again by Pharmacists and fewer firs. Thanks for the peace of mind and I plan on asking my PM dr what to do if this ever happens on a weekend again.
Thank you so much for your reply. My last back surgery , two years ago in March was to remove the broken screw and extend the fusion. I have a scar on my back that is at least 3 inches long and woke up with 40+ staples. They removed part of the screw and left the half that is deep in bone I am guessing. My dr wanted me on disability sneak fought t
It is not only embarrassing, but humiliating what some pain patients go through.
Your insurance company will not contact your doctor -- there's no money in that.
However, I suggest that you explain it all to your pain doctor, tell him you did not get the medication, and have him explain what you should have done (had the ER doc call him).
It is not only humiliating, it is downright wrong to deny us medications with a legal script, but with things are they are right now, this is how it is.
I suggest that while you are angry, write all the political representatives, and then look into a free membership at the US Pain Foundation, an advocacy group for pain patients like us.
Medically, you need to talk with your doc about that screw. Depending on where it is, it may cause trouble, but it's nothing to worry about in the mean time -- it's there, it's been there, and there's nothing wrong at the moment.
Best wishes.
Your insurance company will not contact your doctor -- there's no money in that.
However, I suggest that you explain it all to your pain doctor, tell him you did not get the medication, and have him explain what you should have done (had the ER doc call him).
It is not only humiliating, it is downright wrong to deny us medications with a legal script, but with things are they are right now, this is how it is.
I suggest that while you are angry, write all the political representatives, and then look into a free membership at the US Pain Foundation, an advocacy group for pain patients like us.
Medically, you need to talk with your doc about that screw. Depending on where it is, it may cause trouble, but it's nothing to worry about in the mean time -- it's there, it's been there, and there's nothing wrong at the moment.
Best wishes.
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