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Do chronic pain patients have any right to pain relief any more?
We just want our pain levels eased to the level that we can function: we don't even fantasize about being pain-free. We know better.
Our former PCP of many years was a blessing and cared about keeping our pain down to a functional level - she was willing to do effective chronic pain management and had increased our doses slowly until we were at least able to do our own grocery shopping and tolerate riding in the car without being in agony
UNTIL ...
The physician's group she is with hired a really BAD self-proclaimed pain management 'expert' in early 2016 - He only believes in getting everyone totally off narcotics as quickly as possible. He managed to get the physicians' group to agree that ONLY his office could prescribe any C2 or higher. Then he actively campaigned to have our former PCP (and others who had chronic pain patients) barred from being PCP for any CPM patients. Our PCP was transferred to a sub-specialty we do not use (maternity).
We were referred to the quack's office and a new PCP in late March 2016, & our first pain management appointments were in mid-May. My spouse's health is extremely fragile so his first appointment with the new PCP was in late May: Mine is not until early October!
At our 1st PM appointments our opioids were cut drastically - my hydrocodones (1 to 2 10/325mg every 6 hours) & morphine IR 15mg for break thru by over 2/3s, and my mate's morphine ER (100mg +60mg every 8 hours) and oxy (10mg) every 8 hours for break thru were cut in half - abruptly, without warning and without tapering. We both went through severe withdrawals, barely getting out of bed except to go to the bathroom to pee, poo, and/or vomit for over a week, moaning and crying from pain. Two weeks later they cut them again, prescribing physical therapy for me (one session was all I could tolerate, and spent days in pain so bad I was incontinent) and a dangerous combination of other non-narcotic meds for him that his various other specialists (cardiologist, endocrinologist, neurologist, nephrologist, rheumatologist, and others) have forbidden. By early June I got no more narcotics and my spouse was getting only ONE dose of 60mg morphine ER per day! We are supposed to get by with just OTCs at label doses, even though we are both in tears almost all the time - even when dozing from total exhaustion. By mid-summer the physicians' group had closed the quack's 'pain clinic' due to 'too many justified and documented formal complaints to the authorities'.
When my spouse called to request a new script for that one daily pain pill last Tuesday, the new PCP decided he should try Fentanyl 50mcg patches instead - - - and nothing else. Within 4 hours of applying the first patch he was light-headed, nauseous, and moaning so loudly from pain that he was heard over the phone two rooms away. That night he was so dizzy that he fell, vomiting all over himself and the floor. When the PCPs office finally returned our Thursday morning call mid-Friday afternoon we told them he was getting NO pain relief and how bad the side effects were, they replied "Change you patch as scheduled."
He is diabetic with severe neuropathy, has HSP, IGaN nephropathy, COPD, and a host of other issues - and has not been able to keep ANYTHING down since Tuesday including his warfarin, metformin, etc. His blood pressure is around 190/118, pulse fluctuating widely, his glucose is bouncing from 42-300+, and he is dehydrated. If he would go to the ER I would take him BEFORE I have to call an ambulance or a hearse for him.
It makes my migraines, bilateral torn rotator cuffs (2 failed surgeries) and shoulder spasms, 3 deformed vertebrae and multiple degenerated disks (almost 7" lost height), no cartilage in my right knee, heel spurs, arthritis in my hips ankles and wrists, and multiple mylenial sheath gaps resulting from two major auto accidents that totaled multiple cars and a severe mugging seem insignificant.
Thank you for letting me vent to someone who understands what it means to be in this much pain. I would not wish this on my worst enemy - except the (self-censored) at the CDC and certain 'nationally recognized pain experts': they should have to face chronic pain (without any idea if or when it might end) for at least a few months under the draconian conditions they have foisted onto the chronic pain community. THEY deserve it!
Our former PCP of many years was a blessing and cared about keeping our pain down to a functional level - she was willing to do effective chronic pain management and had increased our doses slowly until we were at least able to do our own grocery shopping and tolerate riding in the car without being in agony
UNTIL ...
The physician's group she is with hired a really BAD self-proclaimed pain management 'expert' in early 2016 - He only believes in getting everyone totally off narcotics as quickly as possible. He managed to get the physicians' group to agree that ONLY his office could prescribe any C2 or higher. Then he actively campaigned to have our former PCP (and others who had chronic pain patients) barred from being PCP for any CPM patients. Our PCP was transferred to a sub-specialty we do not use (maternity).
We were referred to the quack's office and a new PCP in late March 2016, & our first pain management appointments were in mid-May. My spouse's health is extremely fragile so his first appointment with the new PCP was in late May: Mine is not until early October!
At our 1st PM appointments our opioids were cut drastically - my hydrocodones (1 to 2 10/325mg every 6 hours) & morphine IR 15mg for break thru by over 2/3s, and my mate's morphine ER (100mg +60mg every 8 hours) and oxy (10mg) every 8 hours for break thru were cut in half - abruptly, without warning and without tapering. We both went through severe withdrawals, barely getting out of bed except to go to the bathroom to pee, poo, and/or vomit for over a week, moaning and crying from pain. Two weeks later they cut them again, prescribing physical therapy for me (one session was all I could tolerate, and spent days in pain so bad I was incontinent) and a dangerous combination of other non-narcotic meds for him that his various other specialists (cardiologist, endocrinologist, neurologist, nephrologist, rheumatologist, and others) have forbidden. By early June I got no more narcotics and my spouse was getting only ONE dose of 60mg morphine ER per day! We are supposed to get by with just OTCs at label doses, even though we are both in tears almost all the time - even when dozing from total exhaustion. By mid-summer the physicians' group had closed the quack's 'pain clinic' due to 'too many justified and documented formal complaints to the authorities'.
When my spouse called to request a new script for that one daily pain pill last Tuesday, the new PCP decided he should try Fentanyl 50mcg patches instead - - - and nothing else. Within 4 hours of applying the first patch he was light-headed, nauseous, and moaning so loudly from pain that he was heard over the phone two rooms away. That night he was so dizzy that he fell, vomiting all over himself and the floor. When the PCPs office finally returned our Thursday morning call mid-Friday afternoon we told them he was getting NO pain relief and how bad the side effects were, they replied "Change you patch as scheduled."
He is diabetic with severe neuropathy, has HSP, IGaN nephropathy, COPD, and a host of other issues - and has not been able to keep ANYTHING down since Tuesday including his warfarin, metformin, etc. His blood pressure is around 190/118, pulse fluctuating widely, his glucose is bouncing from 42-300+, and he is dehydrated. If he would go to the ER I would take him BEFORE I have to call an ambulance or a hearse for him.
It makes my migraines, bilateral torn rotator cuffs (2 failed surgeries) and shoulder spasms, 3 deformed vertebrae and multiple degenerated disks (almost 7" lost height), no cartilage in my right knee, heel spurs, arthritis in my hips ankles and wrists, and multiple mylenial sheath gaps resulting from two major auto accidents that totaled multiple cars and a severe mugging seem insignificant.
Thank you for letting me vent to someone who understands what it means to be in this much pain. I would not wish this on my worst enemy - except the (self-censored) at the CDC and certain 'nationally recognized pain experts': they should have to face chronic pain (without any idea if or when it might end) for at least a few months under the draconian conditions they have foisted onto the chronic pain community. THEY deserve it!
I can't tell you how sorry I am that you and your husband are going through this.
If the "quack" Dr was in that much pain for just one day with no relief he would understand.
I went a little of what you're going through.Everything was going fine with my primary Dr treating my pain. Until everyone in her office decided they would no longer treat CPP's. She did give me one more refill and recommended 3 pain Drs. I was really lucky to find one on my own. He's been great.
Your story makes me want to cry. Drs are forgetting, first do no harm. That's exactly what's happening to you and your husband. With him being diabetic he has to eat but when you're vomiting from pain and withdrawal you can't eat.
I recommend that you find pain Drs that take your insurance and start calling them. You may have to see a couple of Drs before you find one who will put you and your husband back on your regular meds.
The war against drugs is failing miserably. It's hurting people like you and your husband who desperately need pain medication. My husband has written our state representative.I sign petitions every chance I get. We have to fight to get the treatment we need.
Please make a call to your insurance company. They will have a list of pain Drs. You should not have to wait until next month to see someone. That's just not right. Please keep me up to date on how you and your husband are doing.
If the "quack" Dr was in that much pain for just one day with no relief he would understand.
I went a little of what you're going through.Everything was going fine with my primary Dr treating my pain. Until everyone in her office decided they would no longer treat CPP's. She did give me one more refill and recommended 3 pain Drs. I was really lucky to find one on my own. He's been great.
Your story makes me want to cry. Drs are forgetting, first do no harm. That's exactly what's happening to you and your husband. With him being diabetic he has to eat but when you're vomiting from pain and withdrawal you can't eat.
I recommend that you find pain Drs that take your insurance and start calling them. You may have to see a couple of Drs before you find one who will put you and your husband back on your regular meds.
The war against drugs is failing miserably. It's hurting people like you and your husband who desperately need pain medication. My husband has written our state representative.I sign petitions every chance I get. We have to fight to get the treatment we need.
Please make a call to your insurance company. They will have a list of pain Drs. You should not have to wait until next month to see someone. That's just not right. Please keep me up to date on how you and your husband are doing.
Tuckamore has many good links wrt this issue. And yes, our gov and elected politicians are not our friends - both republican and democrats, they are both rats. They are our worst enemies - and they have their own, independent medical coverage. Opioid therapy is not going to last much longer, as has existed for the past decade or so. How it evolves depends on us, and we need to speak up and make sure our friends/families do so as well.
I really miss Tuck!
I really miss Tuck!
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I miss Tuck too. Every time I come here I hope that I'll see her. She's done so much for this forum. Hopefully we'll see her her again soon. Much love to you fntn.
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