Pure and blinding deperation.

[maestro1959]

Tonight I am alone and desperate.  I keep having to clean up all the sh**ty mistakes my doctor's amazingly stupid staff makes.  Am I going to have to do this every time?  I do not have the strength.  My body is throbbing in pain.  My head is going to explode.  I do not know what to do.

[Khiba]

I am so glad you got your Duragesic patch back! I have been on the generic for a long time now and it really helps. I never did get the real thing, but  I have found that there is a huge difference in strength between different generic brands, and even from batch to batch within the same brand. Some months I have very little pain and no break through pain and then the next month wham, it only works a little and the pain is hard to bear.

I am trying to avoid upping to the next strength as long as possible, but I have to say that there is nothing so relieving as as a fentanyl patch for chronic pain. It's a life saver, depression reliever, and has given me my life back.

I hope you never have to be without your brand again. It has to be horrible.

See if your Doctor will give you something for break through pain just in case you end up in a similar situation. My Doctor gave me tramadol which doesn't work all that well, but it can make the difference between pure hell and just awful. :) I take it every so often when the weather changes make me hurt worse or when the current batch isn't very good. The prescription will go out of date before I take even half of them, but its good to have a back up.

Cheers,
Jessica

[maestro1959]

Thank you everyone for your kind words of encouragement.  I am doing much better.  Now that I can think more clearly, I can explain the problem.  For many months I have been on the Duragesic patch for pain, as I suffer from severe headaches.

My Multiple Sclerosis was immediately preceded by an assault from a high school student.  I was thrown into a wall by him as he attempted to retrieve his cell phone that he had relinquished to me after being caught texting during class. I suffered a closed head injury, and have had a headache since that day in November 2009.

I have found the patch to be very effective.  I am on a program with Johnson & Johnson that pays for them in full as long as I take the brand name product.  I certainly will not argue with that option.  However, when I went to refill it in mid-March I learned it was backordered indefinately from the manufacturer.

Never let anyone tell you generics are just as effective as the real thing.  I have suffered greatly with the change I was forced to make.

The screw-up by my doctor's staff had nothing to do with the patch, it was just another in a very long list of their inefficiencies.  With the pain I was in from the generic patches, having to clean up yet another fowl-up, and some other stressors I snapped like a twig.

Bless y'all's hearts I headed straight for this forum to vent hoping it would keep me from getting stupid in my desperation for relief.

It really is amazing how everything piled up so quickly.  Then I found myself in a heap of trouble, not knowing where to turn, only knowing something had to change or I was going to implode.

Thank you, again for the lifeline you threw out ot me.  It gave me something to grasp while seeking a solution to the pain.  My doctor wrote another prescription for the patch, and one of the pharmacy technicians at my regular haunt called around town until she found a location who still had what I needed in-stock.  Last evening I finally was nearly pain-free for the first time in many days.

I am very grateful for the help I receive from all of you.  Having only received the initial diagnosis last July, and a final one in January I find myself with many questions.  I appreciate the answers and words of wisdom I gain here.  Knowing I am not alone in this walk, or in my case wheel means a bunch.  In any event I remain...

very truly yours,
Beth

[SarahL2491]

I've seen pts with soooo many lesions and well documented MS get tossed out of ERs and doc's telling their families they are "just hysterical".......ER docs are not well versed in MS tx or the like..............Keep plugging away, we are all here to offer support if that will help.....

[addicted2harleys]

I am so very sorry that you had such a horrendous night and I feel for you.  As a matter of fact, I literally felt it just reading your post.  It bothers me beyond belief when any of us have pain that is not treated appropriately.  

Regarding the ER, I have done what everyone here has advised you to do.  The first time, I was told it was anxiety and they gave me nothing.  Pure wasted visit.  The next morning I went to my pcp and he did help me.  

The 2nd time I went to a different ER and they didn't hesitate to help me.   They actually addressed my pain first, then ran some tests and started me on IVSM.  They had consulted with my doc first.  This was a good visit and very helpful.  

The 3rd one I ended up calling for an ambulance.  I had waited too long and literally couldn't move.  The paramedics gave me morphine in the ambulance before we started for the hospital.  The hospital ended up giving me more a bit later.  This visit was to the same hospital that did nothing for my first incident.   I guess arriving by ambulance made the difference.  

Anyway, my point is that if you have already gone to your local hospital with no help, maybe going to a different one would be beneficial.  It was for me.  

I hope that you find a way to get help for your pain.  It plays havoc with your mind when it is unbearably strong.  I agree with Lulu...be proactive.   Sometimes, unfortunately, it is the only way to get what you need.  

I am hoping you already have relief.   Either way, we are all here for you...

Gentle hugs,
Addi

[shermay]

We are here for you.

Your never alone - just reach out for support. If you feel that you have to go the ER then do so, as pain is so hard it can make you so mad and so depressed.

When your  pain is this bad please go to the ER and let them sort you out.

Please let us know,

Gentle hugs,

Debs x

[Lulu54]

Good morning.  I hope the day brings a different perspective to you.  Be proactive and don't just allow your health needs to be dictated by others.

let us know how you are,
Lulu

[HVAC]

I really love my Doctor her staff s---ks. I have learned I just have to get in to see her and bypass the staff. It is annoying but it works.

Alex

[crwriter]

Oh boy - I have been thrown out of the ER more than once.  I finally told them I would rather end it all than take one more minute of pain.  They put me in a psychiatric hospital, and would you believe they finally did deal with a great deal of my pain.

[rendean]

Dear Maestro,

I can honestly say that I have been were you are right now. I am very glad that you reached out for help from one of us who has been there before and "gets it".

Not to belittle your statements but you DO have the strength!! It's in there,hidden deep inside that ailing, aching body wishing it was back in the days before this mess called MS moved in.

Have you told your neuro or your PCP how much pain you are in? If your pain is unbearable call a friend or taxi and go to the ER. Many of our members have done this when things became unbearable.

My opinion regarding the the staff at the doctor's is to tell him to his face why you are changing docs and find some one whose ENTIRE staff is welcoming and comforting. You are going through too much to have to battle the "amazingly stupid stuff his staff" does.
But first, I would request an entire copy of your medical records including any medical correspondence from anyone regarding your case including telephone messages, all lab results and any and all notes, handwritten and/or typed. Just a CYA.

Please do not make any rash decisions. Do NOT feel embarassed to go to the ER, that's what they are there for.

Hang in there!!!!!

Huge hugs to comfort you through the night. Please let us know what you decide to do and if you go to the ER, let us know what they say.

Ren