I have a BIG problem. I have been seeing this one DR (I will call him DR Z). I have been with him for 4 years on the county insurance program. He was ok to use for normal check up stuff.
I have Fibromyalgia and Arthritis and he has been giving me 5mg of Percocet 3x a day for this for the last 2 years.
Well, I started having some really severe pain in my hands and feet and the tingling and loss of control standing and walking sometimes. He told me that I had PN. He started giving me Gabapentin. The thing is...I asked him if he could adjust my medication because I had been taking the same dosage for 2 years and the pain is so severe that it's not working anymore. Well, he flipped out and started telling me that I am a drug addict and all I want is more drugs. He really freaked me out. Being unfamiliar with this BIG pain medication thing going on, I started doing a lot of research on the internet and I am floored at the amount of controversy about narcotics.
Well, he had me believing that I was a drug addict. I was scared to death so I stopped taking the Percocet and then I found out from some friends and family that what I was getting was nothing. That 5mg 3x a day was no where what I needed.
So, I went back to Dr Z and asked him to please refer me to a neuropathy specialist or a pain specialist. He flipped out again and said that He was my specialist and he was not going to refer me.
He kept saying that all I wanted was more drugs. So I told him to forget about the meds and just refer me so I can take care of this pain somehow and get a second opinion. He is refusing.
I contacted my insurance and filed a complaint and they were really about the same way he was about the whole thing. I understand that there is a big thing going on about the narcotics but what the heck am I suppose to do?
Because it is county insurance, I am sure that they are used to seeing many people that are misusing the narcotics so they are thinking that it is the way everyone is. I feel like I am being discriminated against.
I have changed my diet, I am taking vitamins, I try to exercise. I hurt so bad that I have been thinking about suicide and I told him this.
I called Dr Z's office to make an appt and was told he no longer wanted to see me. I am sooo devastated and I have no idea what Dr to go to. I am not familiar with the Dr's here.
Can some of you that suffer from PN like I do tell me what you are being prescribed? Maybe when I find a new Dr I will have a better understanding to what I should be taking.
Sorry so long winded but I am really desperate. I hurt so bad that my quality of life has went drastically downhill. I have been thinking about suicide alot.
Any help out there?

Please, if you are thinking about suicide, you need to have immediate care... Go to a hospital immediately if you are considering suicide.

I also have fibromyalgia, arthritis and SFN. It is an extremely hard road... But you already know that. I am under the care of several doctors. For pain, I am prescribed vicoden (up to 4/day), morphine slow release (for during the night), Savella and Humira and low-dose prednisone for the arthritis. I was taking neurontin also but cannot tolerate the high dosage required to tame the SFN pain. So, I will probably try another neuroleptic and hope that I can tolerate it.

Nerve pain usually responds better to a drug like neurontin or Lyrica better than it does to the narcotics. Having said that, everyone is different in the amount or type of pain that they have and different medications work differently for each person. It is a tailor-made recipe - what combination of medications work for you, most effectively.

Please don't consider suicide. I know, I have felt very low before because of ongoing pain. I have been ill for 17 years and can no longer work - and many others on this Board have the same story. Having chronic pain can really do a number on your head and make you feel desperate. That is why you have to take charge and find someone to help you...Sounds like you are trying to help yourself with diet and exercise... that's good.

Remember, you have the right to be treated with respect and dignity. You never asked to be sick.

I would recommend that you get help ASAP. What are your options?


Mere

Thank you so much for your concern. Right now my only option is to change Doctors which I am going to do. But, my concern is that all these Doctors are County Doctors and they just seem to not care. I just want one of them to refer me to a specialist and to give me the combination of meds that I need. Right now I hurt so bad and my poor husband tries so hard but he just doesn't understand.
I am so depressed. I know that eventually I will get it resolved but how can a Doctor be that way and treat people so badly? It's awful!
I just want to be able to do some everyday things. I can't do anything. I either hurt or I am dizzy or tired or sleepy. I know some of that is from being depressed but my Dr would not even give me anything for that. He said that I needed to get over it and that a lot of people live with it and I can to.
I went to the ER once and all they did was tell me to go home and take a hot shower and follow up with my Dr. I explained about my Dr and I could tell by his face that he thought I was there for drugs.
People has mis-used these medications so bad that honest people are looked at as criminals. It's awful!
Anyway, thank you for your concern and I am sure that I will get it straightened out at some point but I need something now because I hurt so bad.
The other day my hip and leg hurt so bad that I could not even walk or sit. That was the day I went to the ER. My husband was terrified. So was I.
I have to use a cane sometimes. My worse time is at night and in the mornings. I am not sleeping good, I am depressed and I hurt. I just want a Dr that is going to save me.
Geez, I am really long winded today. Thank you for the hug, I needed it and HUGS back.

You say county doctors--is this a state insurance plan?

If so, there should be advocates withing th eprogram that you can contact to try and get a proper referral, especially as your condition is not acute, and such long-term conditions should be documented. And you have a right to a copy of all your medical records to make sure they are accurate.

GET COPIES of ALL your Med Records!!

I get so peeeved when I hear of these situations!!
GET all your records, because as it stands right now, this is your only advocate. By the sounds of your posts, you could certainly have grounds to file a formal complaint.... NO DOCTOR can deprive a patient of medical care!
If he doesn't want to treat you, he cannot refuse to refer you elsewhere and keep you captive in limbo!

Get those records, girl! Stand your ground! Don't be argumentive about the drugs (that will not look good) but you are being refused medical attention and SUICIDAL to boot!!! This is absolute negligence to the extreme!!!

.....Please! Don't let this get the best of you! Don't give Up!!
You're gonna have to fight for your rights and this Dr "Z"ero needs a swift kick up the .........

omg this ticks me off

It is a county program. I contacted them and they stated to me that the Doctor HAS to refer me. I did ask them for a copy of my medical records but they want to charge a $1.00 per page and that wold cost me a fortune. I can't afford it. Right now I am out of work and can't work and I am in the middle of filing for SSI. But, it is paused because my Dr will not fill it out. I'm telling you, he is evil.
I did file an official complaint on him with the insurance. Apparently I am not the only one.
I will start seeing a new Dr at the end of July. But, until then I have no one. I thought of seeing a specialist and pay out of my pocket. My sister goes to a specialist that only cost her $50.00 a month but the thing is in order to see him you have to pay $550 up front for the first visit and you have to bring an MRI (why I don't know).
Also, the SSI wants my testing results so I asked my Dr to send me for an EMT (not sure what it is called) for the PN. He refused. I explained to him that I needed the testing to file for SSI and he told me that I did not qualify for SSI and he was not going to support that.
But yet, he diagnosed me with Neuropathy but won't send me for testing. What if I really don't have it and it is something else?

I did state to him "OK, then forget about the medications, just send me to a specialist or tell me what I can do". He said that all I can do is take the Gabapentin and thats it. I told him that it made me dizzy and sleepy and he said that was part of the side effects. So, I asked him if he could give me something for the depression and he said no. So, I asked him what else could I do, like with my diet or vitamins. He said he did not know. He is a first class jerk, believe me. I did a internet search on him and found out that he has had 2 DUI's and he served 30 days in jail for it last Xmas. My husband got in our car and was going there to tell him off and I had to stop him.
I wish I knew who to write to about him and get his license taken away. I would do it.
Anyway...it does no good to go on about him because I can't change that. I can only hope that the new DR is a god send.

I have had issues w/ various docs I've seen but none has, in effect, fired me as a patient. That is outrageous.

The last difficulty I had was with a doctor who kept promising to send me blood test results over a 5 month period. In desperation I called the NYS Office of Professional Medical Conduct who advised me to send him a registered letter stating that I was writing on their say-so. Lo and behold, the results magically appeared within 2 days.

My advice to you is to contact the state agency that oversees physicians' professional conduct and set forth the facts you outlined in your post. His treatment of you is unreasonable/irresponsible and violates his oath to "do no harm." He cannot fire you because he is frustrated by your condition. You can fire him but once he undertakes to treat you he must follow through with your care which includes referrals to suitable docs.

The fact that you have coverage via county doctors does not negate his ethical obligation to you.

Yes, you are completely right about him.. so it's time to move on...Do you have access to a rheumatologist that perhaps believes in and treats fibromyalgia? Most dr's do not want to prescribe anything for pain unless they can establish a long-term relationship with you. Rheumatologists are used to establishing long-term relationships with their patients. I have been seeing my rheumatologist for about eight years now. He prescribes my pain meds and arthritis meds. He knows me and trusts me. That is key...

I know things seem terrible right now. You will feel better down the road... I am sure of it. Hang in there.

Mere

Hi well I am sorry you are being treated this way. I have seen many doctors but am on no narcotics though I have seen a few pain management doctors but they were for procedures. A few thoughts the apt you have in July starting today I would call everyday to see if cancelation. For me I have insurance but all office visits are not covered. The only time I had to pay up front was through a small private office. Any hospital based neuro or pain doc I was billed. I may not be the case for you but that could give you time to at least pay and some will work out a payment schedule. May I ask what state you live? The current doctor if you call and state that if you don't get the referal for another opinion you will file a complaint through the medical board I think or what ever hospital he has rights at maybe he would. I would not see this doctor. Most of the ones I have seen have known I may go for another opinion and seem fine with it. I would not see one who did not. I can relate to lack of sleep. I sleep but a few hours right now a night and like today have been up since 2am. Can you see a psychiatrist to help with meds for that and also the depression. For me though it did not take away my physical pain it as helped with my mental outlook overall. Not to say I am cheery but some progress. Sending painfree thoughts.