worried about getting kicked out of pain management

[purrm3]

Ive been seeing a pain management Dr for 3 months.  My last visit was my second visit after being put on fentanyl patch 12mc. I got a total of 15 for the month changing every other day. I also get 90 pillsof hydrocodone max three a day. I went to the er after first starting them cuz i passed out and had heart palpitations.  Ive been on opiate drugs for pain for over 10 years. After my second visit and second script for the patch i got sick with an upper respiratory infection,ear infection and sinus infection. After the first scare that sent me to the ER and now that i got sick i got veryscared to continue on my fentanyl patch while i was sick. Fentanyl patch scares the hell out of me and i did tell my RN when we started it.  Anyway i took my patch off while i was sick and then ended up having horrible withdrawal symptoms from it. I didnt think it would be THAT bad due to being on it such short period of time.  I was wrong.  I didnt want to put the patch bach on cuz i wanted to go ahead and get the withdrawal over with now and not go back on them. Needless to say it got to a point i couldnt continue to manage with my hydrocodone and not run out. So i went to the ER with sever withdrawal symptoms after about day 5. I did not get an RX from the ER but they did contact my pain management Dr to let  him know.  Somethig i did NOT do. Not to mention while going thru the withdrawal i destroyed the rest of my patches cuz i didnt want to wimp out and go back to useing them cuz this was hard. I called and made an appointment with my pain management Dr for Monday. Im worried im going to be kicked out.    
Please help. Not sure what to do.  I know this was stupid but i did it. I still have 5 hydrocodone pills till my Dr appt Monday and making it work. Oh lord im scared i wont get the treatment i need now.  

[iceman54]

In the last year I've had three discs removed and replaced with PRODISC C in my cervical spine, as well as two multilevel lumbar fusions done both posterior and anterior. I was blown up by an IED while serving in Afghanistan and needless to say it destroyed my spine. Due to such short time between major surgeries I've been on MS CONTIN, a long acting morphine pill, variable levels of oxycodone and lastly fentanyl patches every day for 11 months. In my case my neurosurgeon has implicated that I will likely need some form of moderate to strong pain medicine for the foreseeable future, while my hardware becomes set with bone growth. I stopped taking morphine cold turkey and transitioned to 75mcg fentanyl patches with oxycodone every 6 to 8 hrs at 5mg. Fentanyl is very effective for me but I'm also planning on stopping that as well here soon and relying on low doses of oxy, for break through or chronic pain. I'm only 29 and in excellent health, save for combat injuries, so perhaps that is why I did not experience withdrawal in any discomfort. Everyone is biometrically unique so I'd always suggest talking to your physician about your possible fentanyl allergy, they also make a simple morphine patch which you could inquire about. Best of luck, hope my experience gave you some optimism that your future can be a little more pain free, there's so many options out there.

[purrm3]

Went to my pain management Dr today after my experience of withdrawal from fentanyl patch. I have a kick *** team! My Dr was completely compassionate about my situation and the Hell i was going thru. Of course she did mention that she wished i would have called to let her know what was going on and she would have saved me from a an expensive ER visit but still understood my situation. She didn't get upset about my choice nor about the distruction of my fentanyl  patches.  She  says sometimes u have  to take measures into ur own hands with a very powerful drug like fentanyl. She did say being the Dr she wished i didnt do that but understood. She expressed to me that she felt upset with herself for not listening to me better and if she made me feel pushed to use the fentanyl patch after expressing to her my fear,which she did remember, she was sorry for that.  I have in the past had to do a withdrawal from methadone after  being on it for  5yrs at 10 mg x8 a day. I was weeined down but eventually had to do the jump off of them. That was hard but not near as hard as this evil fentanyl patch. I musy say i am thankful for the pain management Dr I have and no longer dread the thought of seeing them. I have a super team.  
Thank u jerry_a1ll9 for ur VERY  supportive message. It helped to ease a very  uncomfortable visit and gave me the boost i needed to walk into that appt with my head held high.  
I can't express enuf how Evil the fentanyl patch is. I really think if ur dieing of a terminal disease or cancer i can understand. If ur not stay away from this. It really made me question my sanity and will to live when going thru the withdrawal.

[jerry_a1ll9]

Your story/post sounds reasonable. What happens NEXT will be an indicator whether you have a good pain management doctor or not.

In my opinion, your Pain Doctor should show you all the compassion in the world, and should make you feel better. However, if they do anything less -- for example, give you the "3rd degree" and make you feel like cr*p, then you know what I say? I say to H**L with them!

I'm "with ya" on your opinion on those doggone patches! They are a GODSEND for some people. But an absolute HORROR MOVIE for everyone else.

After I read your post, you know what my first thought was? It was THANK GOD you got off of them while you still can! While you were on the dose that you were! Imagine if you had been on them at a HIGHER dose, for a lot longer -- oh goodness, I cannot even imagine the suffering. So, I say GOOD for you!

And, I hope your pain appointment goes well.

I see NO reason why your doctor should be anything but kind, caring, compassionate, and be very nice to you.

Nonetheless, I wish you GOOD LUCK!

[philnoir]

And what of the patches? If you were afraid of using the patches, then you should have a box or more remaining. Bring them to your appointment, talk about your problems during the month, and your fear of using the patch.