I'm looking into two treatments myself
1 IV KETAMINE INFUSION THERAPY
2 Neurostimulator
Or she might look into a pain pump...not sure what doctors would be willing to do given the situation.
Praying she gets some kind of help
The most I keep hearing (including from her prior Dr) is to find another Pain Management Dr....but as said by the new Dr "Judging by whats in her file they cant prescribe her pain meds nor will any other Dr"
I'm not sure why she would be blacklisted in such a way and what hoops she would need to jump through to see it resolved
All I can do is keep at it and give her the numbers of other Pain Dr's and hope she finds one that is sympathetic to her situation
Have your mother document the event. Help her to keep this report objective and factual. I realize this is an emotional event but now is a time for clarity so that truth can be discerned.
When you're happy with the letter, send it to the existing doctor with the request that your report be added to your medical records. Then request a copy of your medical records.
There is no reason why another pain doctor can't treat your mother -- not all pain doctors are biased and intimidated by the "chilling effect" that regulators have created in their "war on drugs."
This situation is way out of hand and America will wake up to reality in the near future. For not, it's a matter of doing diligence. Your side of the story, if true, has as much validity as this doctor's misunderstanding of the situation.
Follow through, keep searching, and you will find help for your mother.
Best wishes.
Thanks for the advice!!
But will they actually add the letter into the medical records, or is there more to it....the way some of these Dr's are acting I can see it being a struggle even for something as simple as that
Your MIL has a long history of being in pain management with nothing like this ever happening before. I don't know if they would have listened to her or if she would have called her pain Dr the minute she realized she had medication missing.
I'm really glad Philnoir answered your question. He is extremely knowledgeable about pain, pain management, medications and the laws.
How unfair that they waited to tell your MIL that they were letting her go when they knew she would be without any of her pain medication. That's just not right.
Do keep up your search for another Dr. Philnoir is right, there are still some Drs out there that truly care and are not afraid of these ridiculous new laws.
Please keep us up to date on how everything is going.
You make the request in the letter -- if they choose not to, Then you write the state medical licensing board and file a complaint against this doctor, You tell the board that your mother was left w/o treatment when the doctor knew she was physically dependent, and when you tried to set the record straight, they refused to add your note to her records.
You include the note and send it to them.
All of these letters must be written in proper English, in chronological order with dates and the names of witnesses if any, and a complete lack of emotion. You and your mother are angry, but what you are trying to do is conduct business with either your doctor, or with the medical licensing board.
Don't lose your cool, but don't take any crap either.
So far she is still going to see this new Pain Dr. who said that he was not going to prescribe her meds over the phone....but on the brightside she did have to go to the ER due to extreme pain and they gave her some Pain meds there, and after hearing her story directed her to another DR
So she has an appointment with the new DR soon and we will see how it goes
I'm really sorry she ended up in the hospital. See how well these new laws are working? They are not. Your MIL is having to go through this horrible pain and it ends up costing so much more to go to a hospital. This was most likely covered by your MIL's insurance? Just to walk through the door of a hospital it can start at $500 and go up from there. That's not including treatment. I hear about this happening to a lot when people are let go from pain management. They just can't take the pain and end up in the hospital. I'm really glad they gave her a prescription. It's getting to the point that even hospitals will not prescribe pain meds. I took my nephew in for an accident he had and after x rays it showed he had a cracked rib. They told him to take Tylenal and send him on his way.No, he has no history of drug seeking and is not in pain management Thank you for updating us on your MIL's situation. When will she be seeing the new Dr? Has she thought about seeing the one the ER Dr recommended? What ever she decides to do I truly hope things work out for her very soon.
So far she has am appointment with a new pain clinic that was recommended by the ER Doctor....she goes on the 3rd...but given her situation...I wouldnt be surprised if she has another ER visit before then
Hopefully everything goes well and she can get her meds back....if not then the search will continue
Don't know what kind of meds she has, but if they are scored to be broken in half, like Percocet (not OxyContin), then cut in half, and use a half dose until she can make the new appointment. This will help put off withdrawal symptoms.
If they are not scored -- like OxyContin, which are designed to last for 12 hours, if she can make 18 hours between pills, she'll save 1 pill a day. If she can only go 15 hours between pills, then she saves 1 pill every two days -- you can do the math.
Best of luck with this. While opioid withdrawal is not treated as a medical emergency, it puts the body under tremendous strain, and should be avoided especially by people with heart and lung disease, and the elderly.
While waiting for her appointment I have been reading similar cases thru this and many other forums with virtually no success rate atleast in the past 2 years
Im still holding out hope with this clinic and will continue to search if its a bust....but it is kind of dissappointing to see so many ppl almost perminently turned away
You're correct -- this is a terrible problem in today's pain community. Many of us who are now elderly and using opioid medications for many years are being cut off / BANG! Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
The pressure to do so comes from non-medical forces -- regulators who claim to be "public servants" protecting our best interests. They are causing more suffering and death than any prescription opioid.
This bureaucracy has already spent over a Trillion US dollars on the so-called "war on drugs" without much to show for it.
Over the past few years, they have changed to a strategy of "war on pain medicine prescribers". If they can't stop the flow of drugs into the country, maybe they'll continue to receive funding by busting a few docs who write too many "feel good" scripts. As for people in pain -- who cares?
Make no mistake. This is all about money and protecting a bureaucratic empire.
People are working to change the system back into compassionate medicine.
Unfortunately a bureaucratic empire is difficult to dismantle, and medicine is today, a business -- big business. Patient care has taken a back seat to corporate profits in America, which is why American medicine has fallen from #1 out of the top ten best medical systems in western countries. Pain medicine in America has become a laughing-stock to pain professionals in other parts of the world.
Explore groups like the National Pain Foundation, US Pain Foundation, Stop the Drug War, and other advocacy groups. Send them a little money. Find out what's going on.
Best wishes to you both.
I think you have received some good advise from those writing to you. Now about your son, hold him accountable for the pain and problems he has causes you. Keep him from another opportunity to do the same. But, no matter what it takes hold him accountable.
It was not the original posters son that took the medication. It was his mother in laws son who did this. I agree though that he should be held accountable. I'm not sure if anything can be done unless he was seen doing this.
I know her biggest concern right now is her meds being restored...and if this incident will hang over her for the rest of her life
As for her son...he is not in the picture anymore but as it seems....the damage has been done
Atleast for now
While your mother probably does not wish to file a police report on a relative, having her add a notarized letter explaining the situation to her medical record will go a long way.
In the mean time, have your mother by a drug safe. Mine weighs 200 pounds and is bolted to the floor.
Turns out she hit a dead end :(
I just wanted to say that was the best advice one could give in her situation. Things really have gotten out of hand and pray things will get back to normal soon.
Where do you live? What city?
Oh no! I'm so sorry. Was this with the new Dr she was trying to see? If so, she needs to restart her search for another Pain Dr or clinic.
How sad that your MIL did absolutely nothing wrong and she's the one being punished for it.
The only answer might be to file a report against her son. Whether anything comes of this or not, we don't know. At least her report will be on record and it may help her get back in to pain management.
Please keep us up to date on how everything is going.
It turns out she was turned away from the recommended clinic due to her having too many problems
They advised her to go back to her original doctor, but all they want to do is injections which they even said that it would take too many injections in too many areas to even make any kind of improvement
Which would still leave her in pain and eventually dismissed altogether by the original doctor, due to they're refusing to prescribe what actually works
I'm still searching but its getting harder and harder :(
Maybe you should turn to the media -- see if they want to pick up a story about how local doctors have no interest in treating the suffering of an elderly patient in pain.
My other suggestion is to try a city hospital with a pain clinic.
I agree with Philnoir.
I am so sorry your mil was turned down at the new pain clinic. It makes no sense that they don't want to treat her because she has too many issues. Why are they even a pain clinic? They should know how to treat pain patients that have more than one issue. This is just ridiculous in my opinion.
Your mil has a very long history of being in pain management with no problems, until this happened with her son. That was in no way her fault and now she's the one being punished.
There has got to be another pain specialist or clinic who will see her. Have you been able to start the search again?
My own primary Dr is treating me. She knows I'm trying my best to get a diagnosis and she knows I'm suffering with this pain. She told me it's so unfair for any pain patient to have to suffer needlessly. Thank goodness I have her!
Most Drs are so afraid of these new laws. It's why many of them are dropping patients or will not take new ones. I understand their fear but like I said, your mil most likely has tons of medical records proving she is in need of pain treatment. Also, she has a perfect history for so many years while she was in pain management.
Don't give up. Keep researching Drs and clinics and eventually you will find someone who will take her as a patient.
I'm sorry for the long post. I just feel so bad for your mil knowing she's in pain and suffering so bad.
I wonder if it would help if she pressed charges against her son even though he's out of the picture now?