totally agree. the first pm doc i was seeing, when i asked him for something for pain. he said " we dont do narcotics!" I got instantly upset. i never asked for those. i said..i want some pain control. Doesnt have to be narcs, just something to help me. I dont want to be drugged up..its riduculous that i have to suffer for no reason.

Why do they make people pee in a cup? I'm not clear on that one?

for drug testing.....to make sure you have been taking what's ordered (instead of selling it) and to make sure you haven't been taking anything that's nor ordered

As for as peeing in a cup, to make sure you don't take more of your pain meds at anytime than what you are prescribed to take, also.

Actually you have Medicare to thank for medical records going electronic. They are the ones who pushed & pushed for this to be the way it is. They are the ones behind HIPPA also so that medical records could go electronic. That is the only way they will accept claims now from what I understand. They will not accept written or typed claim forms that are mailed in. They have to sent electronically.

I am really really lucky, seeing as how I live in California & they are so strict on DEA crap here. I don't have to pee in a cup every month. In fact I have only had to do that twice in 6 yrs. I have never given them one reason to ever suspect that I am a drug seeker. But then I have not had to have my pain meds, opiates, increased since 2005 when we reached the dose that finally contained my pain to atleast about a 4 to 6. Sometimes my pain has gone down as low as a 1 to 2 & those days I relish & even think, WOW if I could have every day like that maybe, just maybe I could back to my old job at the county I work in. Then of course reality bites me back again & the next day I am back in the 4 to 6 pain zone. *sighing* One can always dream I guess. Right?

DebbyV

I have to say I am a bit amazed at the amount of comments this post has generated. I'm glad I'm not alone on this subject. Thank you for the support!
This board is my life saving connection!

Just to answer a couple of questions that have come up.

Yes, it is very dangerous to cut someone off of their meds cold turkey. Tapering should be followed every time. You could actually throw your body into serious shock by not doing so. I was scared to death when it happened, thus my motivation to find another doctor fast. My primary care doctor covered my prescriptions until my new pm doctor took over. He was pretty ripped at my old pm doctor and wrote a nasty-gram to him. I was thankful for that!

Requiring a person to pee in a cup is done to find out if you have been taking your meds, or not, and to find out if you have been "self medicating" with anything else. This has never been an issue for me, I'm just sick of having to do it to prove my innocence every month.

Yes indeed, it's because of Medicare that our medical files are now available to any health care professional. Thank your lucky stars if you haven't had to use Medicare yet. Who knows how many HIPPA violators have had a looky-loo at your records.?

There is definitely a witch hunt going on at your friendly local DEA. I can almost guarantee they have full access to your states pharmacy records. I had an attorney get a copy of my "Patient Health Surveillance Record" and every single medication I take is on there, including non-schedule II meds. I have it in my hands as I post this and it goes from Jan 1, 2002 to Dec 31, 2009. It includes my name, my birthdate, my address, the RX #, the drug dispensed, the date filled, how many days it's good for, the doctor, and the pharmacy and all relevant phone numbers. Way too much information for just a doctor or nurse to need. The state would not release who had been snooping only to say it had, "been accessed several times by non-medical personnel". What "non-medical personnel" would have a need (or suspicion) to look into your personal health records? Lovely.

All a doctor has to do to access your pharmacy record in those states that have it, is to go to his/her computer, type in his/her DEA # and your id, and bada-boom bada-bang, up pops your medication history. Nurses, RN or not, are included in that bonanza as well. Hospitals, the same way. Don't lie about your meds or you're busted folks. Honesty is the best policy.

What is pissing me off is that I cannot have full access to those medical records. I have been denied every single time I have tried and given the lame excuse that I am "not privy to that information". It took an attorney to get them for me. Really? I have to threaten a law suite to gain access to part of my medical record? This reeks of law enforcement all over it. Someone is going to expose this for what it is and all hell is going to break loose. The states running these kinds of programs will go broke settling law suites.

I can see it now; in the wee hours of some bitter cold morning the black, unmarked vehicles drive up on the lawn. Feds bursting out of the cars and breaking down my door. They run into our bedroom, cold clock me, cuff me to my bed post, punch me in the gut, wrench my RSD infected appendage and then taze me for good measure, all the time screaming, "where the #%@## are your pain meds??" Then I moan out, "you mean my legally obtained medications sitting locked up in my gun safe?" Now the ATF is called in due to the mixing of drugs and guns. I'm looking at 25 to life aren't I????

One last thought; with obama (non-capitalization intended) care coming, I can only see it getting more intrusive. I'm just saying.

Thanks again for the comments. It's all great information, negative or positive.

While I don't have RSD I do have spinal disorders and neuropathic pain. But, wow, I have never run into this with my pain docs. The first group was at a teaching university. And the only reason I left is because they couldn't seem to find the pain generator; otherwise they were okay. The one I see now is affiliated with a local hospital. But with both of them no, no contract, no peeing in cups...none of this! He performs injections when warranted, prescribes meds, conservative therapies; all of it and I have never been questioned on anything for 10 years. I don't know maybe it is the state of Indiana or something. I do know Indiana was one of the first if not the first to have a statewide database. So, maybe that is part of it. I have no idea really and am not doubting your story. Just saying it constantly amazes me what people have to go through. And, oh, yes, I have Medicare, BC/BS and Tricare and have never had a problem at all! And I had access to my records; just had to pay for a couple of them once. And when I ask for copies, they usually just give them to me and/or clear it with the doc. In any case, I love my PM and would follow him to the ends of the earth! And I honestly don't have a problem with the sharing of my medical records. The only problem I can foresee though is that under Obamacare you might be placed in certain "risk pool".

I problem with many with RSD is the solid confirmation that they in-fact have RSD, for many it may take years, then the other can of worms is how much a doctor really knows about and how to treat RSD. In my wifes case, here in an area just chock full of doctors Washington DC, I've witnessed doctors say they know nothing please go away. And even when we would visit clinics who state they treat RSD, soon will'll find out they don't have a GD clue. The latter makes me the most angry, akin to bate and switch. The switch usually means a lecture and a lap around the pool.

You are spot on Jimking! It took me two years to get a correct diagnosis. Those two years were hell. No one took me seriously. "it's all in your head" they would say. It's the same old song and dance. "Don't do this and don't do that (interpretation: sequester yourself, take your activity to zero and take a lap around the pool) and go swim.

Kathi49; you are so lucky!! I would give my left you know what to get that kind of treatment. I don't know the intricacies of the Indiana pharmacy data base, but I bet that it's impossible to request those specific records. I don't have a problem getting my normal medical records, to the contrary. However, when it comes to accessing my states "Patient Health Surveillance Records" which are the pharmacy records, it is an insurmountable wall of red tape and questions. Frustration to the core, not to mention a bit scary when you find out that "non-medical personnel" have been accessing your record.

obama risk pools? Yikes!!

I haven't never peed in a cup but the only Dr. I ever found that would give me any med I need is my PCP. I see him often enough that he trusts me so I'm ok there. It did take me about 2 to 3 years to get diagnosed and a friend from the TOS forum told me what I had and only when I knew did the Drs. know. My PCP had only had one other RSD patient in his 20+ years. I went to so many other Drs. though that didn't know what I had or didn't want to diagnose me. I think some feel if they diagnose you then you are going to expect them to help with it. I honestly think I saw two Drs. that knew but wouldn't tell me.

As far as records, you know we talk pretty openly on here and we most likely have people reading such as WC and insurance companies. That happened on the TOS forum before.

I'm sure too with computers there are hackers that know how to get into those medical records if they want to.

When I was on braintalk, I actually had someone figure out where my Drs. office was and called them for info. My nurse took the call and refused to give them any info and she let me know. I will say too, you don't have to come to this forum to find some of us, you just type in something you want to read on and some of our stories pop up. Diana A had found old threads on me that way and pointed them out to me.

We have to put our trust in people but we also get in trouble sometimes doing it.

I too think things are going to be worse with this new healthcare program.

Ada

JetJock1,
Talking about going without pain meds cold turkey can be very very horrifying & very very dangerous. When I had back surgery last June 1, they thought they gave me too much pain medication right after surgery as I was in the kind of pain that I would have willingly taken my life over. Not only were my feet in a flare from hell with RSD, my buttocks & leg muscles were twitdhing & cramping from the surgery. I kept crying & screaming to let me die, to just let me die. I started throwing up from the pain even. I could be wrong but I have had 15+ pain with this RSD in the beginning & felt that if God called me home I would go willingly, but after surgery I was in 25+ pain & truly begged them to let me die. The doctor thought I was a darn alcoholic, he kept asking my family if I was & when I drank blah blah blah. He just wouldn't believe I wasn't one because the way I was behaving is how an alcoholic behaves when detoxing. Anyway he stripped all the meds out of me with Naltrexone. And it stripped everything out of me & when I say everything I mean everything. I was basically catatonic from late Monday to late Thursday. And then it took until Sat before I could say who the president was. I didn't know who I was or anyone else for that matter. When asked I said Richard Nixon was the president. When I started to come out of it after a neurologist told them to put me back on morphine they were giving me shots for diabetes even. And I am not diabetic nor have I ever been diabetic. The only way they could keep my BP normal was with 2 meds & I don't have high BP either. They had to give me thyroid meds, magnesium, potassium & even a multi vitamin who knows what else. I mean when they give that crap to you for that purpose, it strips everything. My blood work was all over the place & nothing was normal for days. Anyway no one should ever go cold turkey in any form off of pain meds. It almost killed me literally. Then I almost ended up in a skilled nursing center & then a nursing home because of what happened to me. So I don't advise cold turkey at all.

Luckily the back surgery was a success after all that.

DebbyV