High Risk Patient

[larbec7]

I will try to make a long story short.  I have been going to pain management for several years and on the same medication.  My doctor is a personal friend and my spouse worked for him.  She was getting tired and stressed out from all the BS going on in the office and he was not willing to change his ways and allowed certain people to just play around 50% of there day on computer playing games, face book, myspace, stc...

Well, I told her to quit and she did about 7 months ago.  Ever since then he has given me one drug test after another and changed my medication amounts as well.  I became disabled about 18 months ago.  When I went to see him this week, I confronted him and was very blunt as to why he keeps messing with me.  He claims that I am considered a "high risk" and I should not be on the dosages I am on since I am disabled now and I do not have to function in a work environment.  He also claims that because I am tan and have muscle tone I must not be in the pain that he thinks I am in and in the same breath he says "you seem to be in more pain the past few months than I have ever seen you.  I'm sorry but WTF????  He also says that since we are friends I may want to consider seeing another PM doctor.  Everything he said to me I called him on it and told him he can't baffle me with his BS and what is the deal.  He just said, well, you are considered a "high risk" patient and should not be on as much of medication as you are on since you are disabled.  Is this not discrimination or what.  Let me tell you, I am only on 40mgs Oxycotin a day ...10 mgs every 6 hours, 3 Darvacet for break through pain and soma/zanaflex for spasms.

What are your thoughts?  have you ever been told or heard of being a high risk patient?  Just seems strange to me to be treating me for 7 years and now all of the sudden since my spouse quits to be doing this to me.

[larbec7]

I think he has been trying to set me up since my wife left.  If I connect the dots, he tells me about marijuana, then cuts my dosages, then wants to put me on Suboxone that is prescribed for addiction issues even though he put in my charts it is NOT for addiction but for pain.  He would be the one to "change" anything in my medical records top cover his own sweet behind.....another reason I asked for a copy of my medical notes...some friend...

I can;t wait to see another dr, my town is probably larger than yours but there are only a hand full of PM Drs here....another reason I am going to a large city about 90 miles away.  The population there is well over a million

[Tuckamore]

Good choice larbec. I hope you will share with us how everything turns out. I will watch for your updates on the outcome of your appt with the new PMP. In my opinion your PMP was a bit vendictive and very unprofessional.

I see Atlanta listed on your profile page. I live in a very rural lake community. My home town is 10 miles way with a population of 7k, nearly tripled in the last 12 years. The next closest town, 45 minutes away is 15k. Our state capitol and closest large city of 275k is a good hour and a half drive from my home and the closest location that does offer only one actual PM Clinic. ....so I am very rural. Hence the reason that CP suffers are treated and followed by their PCP in my state.

We hope you'll continue to keep in touch.

[larbec7]

I will keep you all up to date.

[larbec7]

Well, he adjusted all my meds back where they were.  I am still looking for another Dr.  He is causing me more issues that really get to me.  My other Dr has me on permanent disability and my PM Dr always puts that I look muscular and well intact so now my disability company wants me to take a FEC test

[Tuckamore]

Thanks for the update Larbec.

I am glad that at least your PMP adjusted all your meds back to where they should be.

Physicians always "describe" how a patient looks to them ie, "healthy looking young female" or " this elderly gentleman appears frail and thin."  After reading thousands of physician H&P's or clinical visits I can assure you that a physician describes everyone as they view them.  

Ppl can be muscular and well intact and still have a disability. I think most medical professional know this, it can be especially true early on in a disability. In my opinion your disability company is grasping at straws and using any term they can find in his notes to use in an attempt to question your disability.

I hope your pain is in better control

[Wheels1990]

That doesn't even sound like a doctor, or a doctor anyone would want to go there.  I mean, like it or not, most disabled people *go* to a pain clinic and expect to have there pain controlled well enough so they can function.  Just because someone is disabled, doesn't mean they don't have to function.  Everybody has to function somehow in there life.  And some people have to function with pain every single day because doctors like *that* are all to common.