[fishnchef]

Here is a strange predicament, although as easily as it seems to be
happening, I am sure that it is not too rare. Short version because
alot of you on here already know my story. Had a great job with good
money and good insurance. Injured my knee at work. Surgery.
Surgery. RSD.(woohoo!) Worker's comp insurance. They say: take
tests, injections, therapy, see our doctor, ........you're healed!!

Now I am cut off of money, seeing my doctors, my medication, blah
blah blah;albhalbhalbalhbbh. My doctor is still seeing me once a
month or two. I pulled myself off the meds on my own for a while
when it was warm. Now I'm paying for it. I do not recommend coming
off your meds if you know you really need them. I was just trying to
let the insurance company know that I am willing to try different
things to see if they will work. Well they didn't and what do I get
out of the suffering through things their way.....cut off.

Here's my question, what are some of the medications that people are
taking or have tried through this RSD? I need to find an inexpensive
replacement for the Nuerontin and for the Fentanyl. I have found
that I can get them much less expensive on the online pharmacies but
$2600 for pain meds is out of the question. I have had a hard time
coming up with $26 for the Gabapentin from Costco's online pharm.
company. fire away. This will give something else to argue with my
doc about. Thanks

J.

[angelrsd]

sorry to hear about the flare its the cold i swear when i got really cold last week here, its been hard to move etc. anyways . topomax is less than neurotion, percocet for the fent . i have a morphine pump w/ fentnly and for break thro i use the percocet and it think that its like 30 or so for a month or like 42 pills.. but all the anti sesiure meds are high no matter what.. have you tried to get samples from doc thats what i used to do ? hope that helps '

-carrie

[GalenaFaolan]

I'm lucky enough to be able to get by on vicodin 10mg and my baclofen(my miracle drug!). I know about the money thing. Paying for it all is really hard. For vicodin I pay a little less than $40 a month for 120. The baclofen is cheap,$10 at walmart for 90 of them.

Hugs,

Karen

[Dubious]

Originally Posted by fishnchef

Here is a strange predicament, although as easily as it seems to be
happening, I am sure that it is not too rare. Short version because
alot of you on here already know my story. Had a great job with good
money and good insurance. Injured my knee at work. Surgery.
Surgery. RSD.(woohoo!) Worker's comp insurance. They say: take
tests, injections, therapy, see our doctor, ........you're healed!!

Now I am cut off of money, seeing my doctors, my medication, blah
blah blah;albhalbhalbalhbbh. My doctor is still seeing me once a
month or two. I pulled myself off the meds on my own for a while
when it was warm. Now I'm paying for it. I do not recommend coming
off your meds if you know you really need them. I was just trying to
let the insurance company know that I am willing to try different
things to see if they will work. Well they didn't and what do I get
out of the suffering through things their way.....cut off.

Here's my question, what are some of the medications that people are
taking or have tried through this RSD? I need to find an inexpensive
replacement for the Nuerontin and for the Fentanyl. I have found
that I can get them much less expensive on the online pharmacies but
$2600 for pain meds is out of the question. I have had a hard time
coming up with $26 for the Gabapentin from Costco's online pharm.
company. fire away. This will give something else to argue with my
doc about. Thanks

J.

As a primary health care provider, I know a fair amount of the WC system. As you found out, it exists for the benefit of the employer, not the injured worker who it is supposed to protect. You aggressively need to pursue a WC lawyer as you are getting hammered by the carrier and will continue to until your represented.

[fishnchef]

In regards to the legal representation, I had posted this on another thread. Just to verify my predicament. Thanks J.

Boy oh boy. What a day I had on Wednesday. To make an hour long blah blah blah fest a short story, I will tell it like this. As many of you know, I have spent the last week or so preparing for this meeting. I am the type of person who NEEDS to be informed. I have spent time on the internet, on this page, on several forums, and on the phone with several people from this site(you know who you are and again I thank you) and elsewhere. I spent several hours typing all of my questions in an organized manner and also typing an addendum to the IME report given by the insurance company's doctor. I was prepared and I was not going to forget anything so long as I had it on paper, right?

My wife took me to meet the attorney (the list has the questions I could think of before hand and my wife has the questions I should think of while in the meeting, I can't seem to think or speak very clearly at times). We arrived at five minutes before the meeting is supposed to start and tell the receptionist about the appointment. "Wait here for just a minute. I'll go back and tell him you're here." So we wait. Ten minutes pass and she directs us to the conference room where we sit. Ten more minutes the door opens. Again the receptionist, "He wants to speak with you for a minute." I think 'this is odd, because I would like to speak to him too. That is kinda why I scheduled a meeting with him'. She picks up the phone and hands it to me.

Now I don't know what all of your impressions were, but I was under the impression that 'let me go back and get him' meant that he was back in his office. Not let me go back and get him on the phone. After a quick attempt to, 'lets just chat really quick on the phone', I averted. He tells me that he was leaving court and running late, which I later caught him contradicting himself by saying that he was at home. All on my recorder by the way. Over an hour later the meeting finally started.

To sum it all up, I will tell you what happened in the first two minutes, the rest was alot more of this. I started by handing him a copy of the list of questions that I had compiled. As he was flipping through the pages (not caring about the text on them was made rather obvious) I started with point number one.

"In the time since I hired you over a year ago, I have talked to you two times totalling less than an hour. I have made all contact with the paralegal and spoken with her for 20 minutes total. You told me the last time we spoke and I quote 'from here on out we will be walking in LOCKSTEP'".

He paused for a moment and stumbled over the papers for a second before saying, "okay, here's the problem Jeremy.... Uh, at some point in your treatment you were going to treat with a different doctor, you wanted to switch doctors. You wanted to treat with Dr. Lockstadt. (puzzled, I looked at him and told him no) You were going to treat with Dr Lockstadt! (no?) Somehow, between you and your doctor and your nurse case manager you were wanting to treat with Dr. Lackstot. (I inform him that that is the first time I had ever heard that name in my life, my wife concurs) Look, if you didn't..........well, I might be confusing you with someone else (he flips through some of his file) Well then, why did you bring up Dr. Lackstop?(I say "I didn't.") Yes, you just did bring him up and I am wondering why. (again but more harshly to get the point across this time, "NO! I DID NOT!!) Okay well let's just go on to the next question then....."

Are you thinking WOW like I was? Now I listen to this blah blah blah for nearly and hour and like this I could not get him to answer the questions that I had taken time to organize and type. fifty minutes in, he puts the list in my file and scoots back from the table. I sit in astonishment at the nerve of this guy. He says that he has another meeting and begins to bring the meeting to an end. My blood is boiling at this point and I'm trying to contain myself. I simply forced myself up out of my chair and stumble forward a little when he says, "I've got your best interest at hand (this as I stumble forward and he pats me on the shoulder) Trust me Old Man. Ha ha ha." I didn't find this too funny and figured that it was in my best interest to leave right then (before I end up in jail).

I leave and am in some pretty bad pain from all the stress of the situation. I get to my destination and kick back on the couch at my cousin's house down the road from my own. I thought the original acusations of Dr lachstadt was unreal so I decided to let my cousin hear it. We listen to the first two minutes of the recording.

I don't know if anyone reading this caught it in the text but I didn't catch it in real life. Remember his quote that I quoted to him in the first question" walking in LOCKSTEP"? Anyone want to tell me why I brought up seeing Dr Lachstadt, Dr Lochstadt, Dr Lackstot, Dr Lackstop?

Anyone know what I am financially liable for when I find a new attorney and let him know that I am no longer in need of his services?

[llrn7470]

I'm on Lyrica (don't even look up the price for this one-outrageous!), but for pain, I take MSContin 30 mg twice a day and MSIR 15 mg for breakthrough. These are both Morphine and fairly inexpensive.
Best of luck!
Lori Lee

[marybeth37]

Originally Posted by angelrsd

sorry to hear about the flare its the cold i swear when i got really cold last week here, its been hard to move etc. anyways . topomax is less than neurotion, percocet for the fent . i have a morphine pump w/ fentnly and for break thro i use the percocet and it think that its like 30 or so for a month or like 42 pills.. but all the anti sesiure meds are high no matter what.. have you tried to get samples from doc thats what i used to do ? hope that helps '

-carrie

Stupid question but, didn't the nerve blocks help at all...

[juno]

Originally Posted by fishnchef

In regards to the legal representation, I had posted this on another thread. Just to verify my predicament. Thanks J.

1st time to answer, so hopefully I'm replying right.
You had to sign something to start seeing this attorney. If you don't have a copy, get a copy from their office. It should have the details on how to get out from his "representation". If the attorney works on contingency, you may be able to get out of the contract cheap or free, depending on what he has done so far; ordered records, etc.
On the meds, Walmart, or possibly any pharmacy offering $4 generic, prescriptions should have a list of what they offer. I know Walmart definitely has one. Just take that to your doc & let them decide if you don't know the non-generic for something on the list.
I've had RSD for 6 years now & I rarely take meds for it. I've just limited my activity, drastically to avoid the symptoms. I had three ganglian-lumbar injections. The first was the only one that helped. A while back, I was sick with something unrelated & was prescribed: Dicyclomine 10mg, Promethazine 25mg & Sulfameth/Trimethoprim 800/160 tabs (antibiotic) & had no pain for that week. I was sick still & couldn't jog to test out how much relief. I couldn't tell you how often or how many of the the first two that I took. Or if one or the combo of more than one is what did the trick. I haven't had the same illness again & haven't had the same scripts. But it's something that did miraculously help me. I REALLY hope this helps another RSD sufferer.

[Mslday]

I'm very sorry to hear of your troubles with WC and your lawyer. I too got the short end of the stick by a bad lawyer.

The best drug I have found to manage my pain is Lidocaine through infusions. Apparently it is very cheap too, costs pennies according to my podiatrist who orders it from the USA for her patients. I have mine done every 2 weeks at my hospital and it is delivered subcutaneously with a Baxter pump (infusor). It is a throw away pump apparently about $35.00. Since I started having the lidocaine infusions I rarely have to take any other pain medications.

You might want to try contacting the manufacture of the medication you find helps you the best. I believe many of them have programs to help people who can't afford medications.

Alternately you may be able to find some help or guidance through the American Pain Foundation http://www.painfoundation.org/page.a...Pain/Intro.htm

You must be under considerable stress through all of this and as we all know this can severely impact your pain levels. Please try to find ways to lower your stress. Breathing, meditation, hydro therapy ect... I have recently started Qigong for stress relief. I picked up a DVD on it from my local library to give it a try. I like it and I feel good afterwards. I also borrowed some guided imagery Cd's that have also helped me.

Wishing you much relief from your pain.

MsL

[allentgamer]

I sure can identify with you as I had a great job, with great insurance, and great perks too. Went for a simple procedure, and came out disabled. Lost insurance, ranch, cars, dignity.

There is a way to get meds for free. Here is the website with all information, and sign up.

http://www.freemedicine.com/

One thing we can always rely on is change. Our situations will change too, but it seems hopeless when we are in the thick of it.

I sure hope things change for the better, and soon too