I fired my PCP yesterday

[Sevetts]

Just thought I'd let you all know that I finally fired my PCP.   I learned a HUGE lesson through this.  Do not trust that your doctor is on top of the medications they are prescribing, read everything before taking it!!!!!!!  Most of you know I am awaiting my appointment with the hepatologist and one reason is to get clearance to remove a tumor from the inside of my spinal cord, which causes great pain since it is pressing on all of the nerves.  I say that because herein lies the problem.  I went to a pain management Dr that the surgeon  sent me to, she gave my pcp the referral to prescribe me dilaudid long acting... (she wanted me on a fentanyl patch but I am allergic) My pcp refuses to prescribe dilaudid so prescribed a butrans patch instead.  I put it on Tuesday evening.  Wednesday morning I woke up at 5:30 in the am so nauseated I was vomiting, had massive headache and my pain was still here and very intense.  I thought, ok, this is a reaction but I will give it time and it might go away.  It did not.  By Thursday morning it felt like all of the potassium was out of my body...I couldn't even hold a spoon in my hands because it was to heavy for my forearms I felt like they would explode, my headache had not left for a second and had gotten worse, I was running a fever of 101.3, my jaw was aching, and still the pain was so intense.  But, alas the nausea was gone.  ha ha.  I took the patch off.  I called and got an appointment with my pcp.  It took everything I had in me to get dressed and get to the dr's office.  I got there, she had hired a new nurse, seemed very nice...asked why I was there.. I said word for word "she put me on a patch, I am having a bad reaction, my arms are killing me, I have a massive headache, my jaw is extremely sore" before I could get another word out she busted out laughing and says "wow, do you always come in with this many complaints" I am not one to cry.  But no sleep in two nights, massive pain etc etc.. I started crying and I said I am very happy that my pain can bring you so much humor.  She sent the doctor in.  She looked at me and could tell how much pain I was in and said as much then asked what was going on.  I said, "first off, I'm not loving your new nurse"  and BAM!!!!!!  She actually started yelling, Yelling...at me and said it's to bad if I don't like her nurse, she's had a rough couple of days and she didn't need this crap and continued to just let lose on me.  I have been with her for around 15 years.  Then she says I am not talking about my nurse anymore...remember I had only said that one statement.  She sat down and very meanly said "whats wrong shelley" so I said to her "you do not talk to me like that" She stood up again and again let loose on me.  And this time opened the door and stepped into the hall and continued yelling and was saying I told you I am not discussing my nurse and you just keep going on and on.  I was like wow...I said nothing, I just started bawling.  I was in so dang much pain.  Then she said she needed a break and left.  I left the office telling them I will be back in a couple of days to pick up my medical records.   She then had the nerve to have her office manager "a friend of mine" call me and say that she was ready to see me now, that I needed to come back in because she was going to be gone for a few days and didn't want to leave me in the condition that I was in.  I said, uh no, that won't be happening.  I want my medical records and that's all I want from her, she's fired.

  I then decided to read the information more closely than I normally do (the information that comes from the pharmacy with the medications) There were 4 pages that came with this particular medication.  And in one of the back pages it stated medications that would interfere with the way this patch worked and with how the medications would leave the system and may effect heart rhythem.  2 of those medications I am on, and she prescribed.  Then on the bottom of that same page it says should not be taken if you have breathing or lung problems because this medication can arrest breathing to the point of death, also not suppose to take if you have heart or kidney or liver problems.  I have 2 lung diseases, heart issues and ESLD/Cirrhosis.  What the hell was she thinking?

I know I probably should have went to the ER, but I didn't.  I loaded up on potassium and just rode it out.  I feel sooooo much better today.  But I am now without a PCP.  I need to get on finding another one.  But at this point I think my life is safer not having a pcp than having her for my pcp.

Thanks for letting me vent.  I really needed to.  Also want people to learn from my mistake....READ ALL INFORMATION not just the first little bit, of the information that comes with your prescriptions.  Maybe I'm being dramatic I don't know, but I think I'm lucky that nothing worse happened to me.  

Shelley

[Dee52in12]

  Wow, I feel bad for you. Yes, EVERYONE SHOULD READ ALL THE LITERATURE FIRST. Everybody around me laughs, like it's really funny, when I read every word on every paper they give me. I have hep c - everything effects me. I dang sure ain't taking anything until I see what it says about the liver first!
  I'm upset for you at that Dr. She literally could have killed you. Funny, seems like the pharmacy, which ever you use, would've caught it. Walgreen's has done that several times w/me. I wish you hadn't suffered. We go thru enough with our livers.
  Sorry I got a bit angry and a bit carried away there for a second.

[Sevetts]

Agreed rivll.  I do not want to waste more time on negativity than I have to.  It doesn't do anyone any good and we all know that stress plays a huge factor in our health.  I will report her then let it go. :)

Advocate lives very near me and her husband goes to the UW.  She has given me great advice to ask them about a PCP that is knowledgeable in esld.  I have an appointment with them on the 22nd so I will be doing just that.

[rivll]

I am so sorry you went through that and yes, you should report her. That sort of behavior and incompetence should not pass without some mention on her record, at least.
But I do advise you to move on afterward as you can end up stressing yourself out if you dwell on this.
Get a recommendation or two and shop around for a new PCP.

Good for you for standing up and taking control of the situation!
All the best

[Sevetts]

I have never been one for suing people but I must tell you, I am actually considering contacting someone even if it's getting in touch with a medical board.  Her actions yesterday were atrocious to say the least.  If she is under so much stress that she can't even pretend to be professional maybe she should have called in a replacement Dr and taken a few days off.  And as for prescribing me that medication, I just have no words for it besides total incompetence.  Not to mention the fact that since being dx'd with ESLD I have learned so much and I have been bringing things to her attention for the last 2-3 years (a lot in the last 2) that along with the labs I've had done should have alerted her.  Especially since another Dr that I had mentioned one of the things to instantly said it was my liver and to tell her (my pcp)...which I did  again and she blew me off saying it wasn't my liver and still did nothing about it for another year.  And since everything seems to point to fatty liver being the cause...I will wait to hear what the Hepa says, but this could have been if not reversed at least slowed waaaay down and caught a very long time ago.  I'm a little more than ticked off at this point.  To go to my Dr expecting to get relief at a time that I desperately needed it, then to be treated like that...  Yeah, I'm thinking at the very least talking to the medical board in hopes that she might not do this to someone else.  oh my goodness, I've gone on a rant again.  Sorry.  

On a bright note.. yeah, the 22nd is just around the corner.  I'm so excited.  It's been a long wait.

[Advocate1955]

Wow Shelley, that is a terrible experience.  Yes, read everything before you take anything, especially with decompensated Cirrhosis (ESLD).  I almost think you should consider hiring an attorney and getting this documented in a letter to your PCP.  She's made a lot of errors in handling your case in the past few months, and putting you on a med that potentially could have caused your liver to go into acute failure is frightening.  No, I don't think your hepatologist will be able to be your PCP, but I call the hepatologist and run every new medication by her.  I won't fill a prescription until she OK's it.  I also run lots of other questions by her and she gets back with me right away.  Maybe when you see the hepatologist on the 22nd you can ask for a referral to a good PCP who is knowledgeable about Cirrhosis and ESLD and who can be in communication with your PCP.  Based on experience, I can say that if you can get referred to a PCP within the UWMC system, it will facilitate communication as well as sharing of information.  That is an amazing experience, and I'm so sorry you had to go through that.  Thank goodness you will never have to see her again.  If you do have to go to the ER for any reason before the 22nd, please go to UWMC's ER.  At least they will have a hepatologist on call who can consult with the ER doc.
Advocate1955

[Sevetts]

* it actually says in the paper work "may cause severe liver disease".  not damage but disease..  I'm just shaking my head at this point.

from now on before I take any medication...I don't care who prescribes it, I will be reading all of the information in full and if I have questions I will ask BEFORE taking the medication.  I should have been doing this all along but I've just always trusted that my Dr's know/knew what they are doing.  That's why I've always just wanted one dr doing all of the prescribing.  Lesson learned.

Can my hepatologist be my PCP?