Here's a little up date. You guys can appreciate it more than most....

Sooo, I had my appt. with g.p. last Friday at 9 a.m. My crappy insurance limits me to this clinic about 20 minutes from my house. I got in pretty quickly and the dr. came in the room a few minutes later. Heasked me how I was doing and I told him 'terrible'. He asked if the Gabapentin was working and I told him it made me tired, but that's all.

I then told him life had been hell during the last three months when I saw him. He said he would refer me to a neurologist and with my new (crappy) insurance, I could probably see one. He has referred me for the past two years, so I didn't exactly jump up and down with glee over his statement.

He turned and started leaving the exam room. I said, "hey, is this how you would treat your brother?" He turned back and closed the door behind him. I repeated, "If I was your brother who has had cronic pain for years and it just keeps getting worse, you would tell him to cross his finger and hope he gets to see a neurologist? "Or would you do everything you could to ease the pain?" He stood there staring at me. Then I said I knew for a fact that my vet wouldn't let my dog go thru this type of pain and I want to know why he would allow me to? And no, I don't want to up the dosage of Gabapentin, because we both know that doesn't work now.

He just stared at me and then at the ground. He said he'd be right back and left for a few minutes. He returned and said he was putting me on Lyrica. Fine, I thought, I've heard about that on tv and this site. Then he hands me a sheet of paper and tells me I was depressed and if I needed someone to talk to, just call this shrink. I told him "Hey, that's all well and good, and I MAY be depressed after years of constant pain, but if I'm depressed it's from the pain. Why don't we do something to end the pain and the depression disappears?" Then my kicker: "If I went to the shrink right now, all I would talk about is why you, my dr, doesn't do all he can to try to help me?"

If looks could kill, lol. Its times like these that I'm glad I'm 6'4" and weigh 225lbs. He finally said 'lets see what the Lyrica does for you. I thanked him and he left.

Of course, things go further downhill when the pharmacy said my insurance didnt cover it and the told me to call the drs and get an exception. After 45 MINUTES on hold, I hung up and had to drive back to talk to someone. It was a VERY bad day and the aggrevation just wrecked me.

Isn't this fun?