Withdrawals day 8!
 

Well it has been 8 days without any meds, and the first few days were a living he##. But it is getting better day by day.

Not sure if I want to go on pain meds anymore after this, would hate to have to do it again. The way all the doctors are now, it is a forgone conclusion it would happen again too.

Ada your totally right, Doctors can do whatever they want, and they could easily help people if they wanted. Im finding it is all about the $$$.

Well anyways gonna go nurse this headache, everyone be well!

Dear Allen -

This may be cold comfort, but I wonder whether or not your physician is in violation of California Health and Safety Code Sec. 124960(k):

The patient's physician may refuse to prescribe opiate
medication for a patient who requests the treatment for severe
chronic intractable pain. However, that physician shall inform the
patient that there are physicians who specialize in the treatment of
severe chronic intractable pain with methods that include the use of
opiates.

You might want to call his nurse and demand a referral to another pain physician who will prescribe opiate medication, pursuant to Sec. 124960(k), hopefully someone who also accepts MediCal reimbursment.

Thinking of you in any event,

Mike

oh allen...
 

i am so sorry they are being so cruel... this is not legal for them to do!!!! it is almost lethal!!!! i was off most of my meds for about 3 months not so long ago and i fully understand what you are going thru...please keep on fighting them.. we can not let them win....i am sending you as much strength as i can to help see you thru your nightmare...peace to you----linda:icon_mad:

Hey Allen,

Boy, what a trooper you are! This doc strikes me as completely unprofessional. In one way it may prove to be good thing - going off meds is, after all, a goal for all of us - but we never do it because we're forced to. Well done for enduring the "cold turkey" - it can't be good to make the body go through that unaided.

But you will need something, we all have bad flares and breakthrough pain, so I just hope you can get to another doc ASAP....hang in there, old friend (there's a lot more I could say, but I won't, what has happened to you makes me furious!)

all the best :)

Is the RSD pain worse or the withdrawal pains?

I wonder how long it takes for the meds and residual effects to clear out of the system?

It's a rough way to have to do it - but I guess eventually you will have a baseline of your pain level.
I hope you can follow up afterwards which ever way is best for you.

Allen,
I would start looking for another PM Dr. and get your records personally from this Dr. so you won't have to wait for another Dr. to get them. Hand carry them in with you.

Also, I don't remember if you have been on Methadone but I swear by it. I am on a very low dosage but I do know that if I don't take it my pain level is unbearable. I have tried a lot of meds and none of them touched my pain and the side effects were bad also. The only side effect that I notice if I get to high on dosage is being tired and sweating. I'm sure there might be more if you are on an ungodly amount also but it seems to me like it does a good job for me at a low dosage.

Gigglebabe uses it too, she could tell you how it does on her. It is getting to be the pain med of choice and I think it's because it doesn't do the things to people that Vicoden and Oxycontin does.

I have see what they do by 4 of my friends in this area. I think that is why Drs. are so reluctant to give them out. They are two meds that are used by real drug addicts and I believe that some Drs. are afraid that the wrong people will get a hold of them.

It is very hard to find a good PM Dr. I see a pattern of that on the forum here and the friends I have around here. As I told you I saw 3 or 4 before I finally asked my PCP if he would take care of my pain management.

The government has put such a fear of God into the Drs. that they don't want to get in trouble and it seems too easy for them to do.

Don't give up on trying to find the right Dr. to take care of you. You cannot go without pain meds. I honestly don't believe that. When all of your meds are out of your system you will most likely be in a mess with the pain levels being unbearable.

I think too, that the Drs. are seeing so many drug seekers coming through their office that they can't seperate the good from the bad. We pay for what the druggies do.

Something else you might want to do if you don't already have a PCP find one so that he can give you referrals and make sure that the PM Dr. knows that you keep your PCP in the loop so that he knows you are not Dr. shopping for drugs. They were talking about that on the Today show just yesterday.

AS I SAID, DON't GIVE UP on finding a good PM Dr. You need one.

Ada

You guys are the Best!!
 

The pain where the RSD is, hurts worse than anywhere else on my body. I will let ya know how Im doing as I go.

Im still lookin for the right Primary doc, as they really dont like what I have, and turn me away so far. 5 down and who knows how many to go. :Sigh:

Thanks Mike I will check into that, I would have never seen that. I would hang out longer but my eyes are hurtin units. Can barely see the screen yet LOL.

Will get back at all of ya soon.
love ya all!

hi allen...i have been thinking of you alot the last week..trying to send you some of the strength i have left..hope it's helping...
i can't believe that your dr didn't give you another dr that understood what you are going thru..it is so hard to find one dr to believe you but to have to start all again and build up the trust from another takes too damn long..you should not have to suffer!!! the cleaning out of your body is all well and good but this disease is not in your head..you should not be denied the treatments that you need to at least help you to cope with some of all the pain you are in..have you talked to a lawyer about the legal issues of your dr refusing to treat you? maybe just a free consultation to know your rights? wish i could get you a doggie-bag to help see you thru the nightmare...but am still sending you my thoughts and prayers...peace*****linda****

Hi Allen,
 

How are you feeling? I have been worried about you. I know when you are not on any meds it is very painful. As I told you, what little I'm on keeps the edge off for me.

When you call Drs. offices do you ask the office staff if they deal with cronic pain patients. That might be a good ideal rather then waste your time going to them only to find out. As I told you we have some here that won't take patients with certain illnesses.

I can't believe how hard it is for you to find someone in Cal. But then again I guess it doesn't matter where you are, no matter how big the city it happens. I have went through that being close to CO. Springs and Denver. I still couldn't find a decent PM Dr.

Good luck in your search and I do hope you find that help soon.
Ada

just wanted you to know i was thinking about you allen. i hope and pray you have gotten relief from some of the pain.

gentle (((hugs)))

hi allen
just read that you are going off the meds now.

i was on heaps of medication for just over a year and decided i wasn't going to live on meds like this and stopped them just like that. one day i was on them the next i stopped.

you are nearing the finalisation of the withdrawal symptoms now. it takes about 2 weeks for the worst part of it. you're in day 8 so what i suggest is you don't take the vicodin at all. i know it sounds cruel but do yourself a favour and stop them all, even the painkillers. once you've past the withdrawal symptoms you can then guage how your pain is. at the moment you are very very stressed so the pain level will increase.

if you're still at work, i don't know if you work, but if you are now's the time to take sick leave or normal leave days.

you'll get through it.

One can never compare ones own ability to withstand pain to another's , or what one person can endure in life to another person's ability - we are all different human beings on this earth - that is what makes us unique.
We are all born with different genes for tolerating pain and different life experience to draw from when confronting life's new experiences.
I would never judge another person until I walk a mile in their shoes( and since that will never happen I will not) nor will I claim that my experience is the one that they should choose.....
Having said all that gobbledygook
Allen for now ....BE strong and do whatever is right for you !!!!!!!!!!!!
I do hope that you find a great doctor and that you and he/she can come up with a game plan that is right for your future.

If I recall you have not been doing well of late .
Cold turkey cannot be the reccomended course of treatment for a patient with a weakened system.That is just not kosher in my book.
Hang in there .

Much peace and I hope you find that doc fast!!!!!!!

GnP

Hi Allen,
 

How are you doing? I sure hope you are having some luck at finding a Dr. soon.

There is no way I could go off of my little dosage of Methadone so I know what you are going through. I just put a pain patch on awhile ago because my Methadone isn't doing the job for me today. I'm just dealing with one lousy spot of pain today but it's driving me up the wall. I will most likely take extra Methadone here soon.

I have been thinking about you and I do hope that you get the right help you need soon. I have been there so I know what it's like. Finding the right Dr. is like striking gold without a goldmine full. It's seems almost impossible. I can say that I saw over 50 Drs. in the time I was trying to find the right Dr. for what I was going through.

I really get angry over these PM Drs. I sometimes wonder why they are called that. They are so reluctant to help anyone unless it's an easy case. They just donot want to deal with hard cases like we are.

I hope you are doing better today, let us know.

Ada

PM Dr's are afraid of lawsuits - What it has all boiled down to is the insurance industry charging them a small fortune for coverage and people trying to scam the system - It ruins it for LEGIT cases like ours here...We're the ones who get the shaft AND suffer from it all.

I would think that if there is a DOCUMENTED pain condition that the Dr's would HAVE to provide the medication - Some code of ethics or something...AND it should be that - something somewhere should say that Dr's could not remove the patient from the meds without a FULL - DOCUMENTED - SUBSTANTIATED RECOVERY.

Day 22!!
 

Hi all!

Well im still alive, but boy what an ordeal! I still have a headache, and real weak, but the withdrawal pains are subsiding. The RSD pain is back as bad as ever, but my brain hasnt had time to make a lot of new receptors yet. Im not sure how long that takes either.

One real good thing is that I WAS a smoker. WAS :D

I havent found a doctor yet, although I did go see a primary doc. I wont go see him again though because he fell asleep on me!!! He also was not into any kind of pain meds, or muscle relaxers, not even something to help with withdrawals. Totally a sleepy jerk!!!

At about day 14 I caught the flu, OMG!! It was terrible! Today is the real first day im able to walk around fairly easily. Dont catch the flu during withdrawals LOL.

I made a friend on another forum dealing with withdrawals, and addictions. He is a vascular surgeon on the east coast, and from what I understand one of the top in his field there. He saw my website, and was intrigued by the photo of the blocked femoral artery. He is going to help me out if he can. But being in cali makes it a bit harder to do. Still it is very nice of him, and you never know.

Well it is time to get something to eat, I love that! EATING! My stomach feels like the grand canyon LOL. Food really tastes good too :)

Allen I pray you will get the treatment you need. You have been threw alot and I must say you are the MAN, you made it this far never give up alot of people look up to you and your fight. I hope I have your will power when I need it also. I feel good things will come your way soon.

flippnout:rolleyes:

Allen - congrats on kicking the nicotine - that is awesome!

sounds very interesting about the doc .{vascular surgeon- not "sleepy doc"}

did you see Roz's info thread on Off meds?
maybe some off her topics will work for you

Thanks for the update
 

hey there Allen!

Soooo good to hear that you're pulling out of this; amen to what flippinout said, you are so admired - and before you protest (I know you will!) - giving up smoking? While going through cold turkey? :Bow: :Bow: :Bow:

Sorry about the sleepy doc; I think the Big Clip Board in the Sky has a note attached saying "Allen gets the lemon" :Sigh:

That doctor friend could be a very valuable connection - nothing like having friends in the right place - regardless of location, they all know eachother, or know someone who knows a particular other someone. Unlike the rest of us with our 6 steps, docs seem to be only 2 steps away from everyone on the planet (in the Kevin Bacon game) :D So, ya never know.....

Better luck next time - glad you got the taste buds back (what are they? I still smoke... )

all the best :)

allen i have been thinking of you alot...i am so glad to hear from you..send that sleepy dr some toothpicks in the mail with a note telling him to use 2 of these on each eye before every patient...what a jerk!!
i know there is a good dr out there to help you..sounds like the calif. doc maybe of some help..they say some do have some good connections.....
congrads on not smoking...they are my sanity sticks these days....
keep on truckin .....always sending you strength and good vibes...stay strong.. moonstar---linda:hug:

Well 31 days!!!!
 

WOW!!!! :thud:

I almost fainted when I counted that number!!! LOL

Things are lookin good, just a little weak still, headache, and the Dragon Burn! Wish that would go away with the withdrawals :D

You all are soooo supportive. I really used the words you all gave me, and the great advice too :winky:

Still lookin for a doc, but have really developed a great relationship with the vascular doc. He is really a neat person, and interested in humanity. Not very often you find that kind of doc, they mostly are money oriented. Tooooo bad he is soooo far away from me LOL.

Well Im about to pass out here, finally getting more than 2 hours sleep, about 4 to 5 now. Seems like a lot after a month of a couple hours hahahaha!

Big hugs to all!!!

By the way, still smoke free tooo. Another passout declaration!

I am so sorry