How bad have I Been?

[selenajade]

Well, I've had several rounds of bad luck and three surgeries since Feb 2009. I have OA in both knees and DJD in the spine, and I have had a large number of meds prescribed cause you know....you always gotta go to a different specialist, they do a surgery and prescribe meds, etc. Finally got the physical ailments whittled down to ongoing knee pain and now, because of a silly accident, back pain. (I fell headfirst into a tree, LOL...).

I had been going to a pain mgmt doc and I liked him a lot. He first prescribed me Norco which was not quite enough, then percocet which was a little too much.

The back injury happened during the July 4 holiday. I tried before the holiday to get ahold of the pain doc but of course he was not in those days that I called. I had a trip coming up to see my grandchildren so I had to reschedule my appt which meant I would have been out of meds before I could get back in to see him. SO......before I went out of town, I went and had the Norco refilled because I had refills on it and he did not d/c it nor did he tell me not to take it any more.

So, of course I had a feeling that I was doing the wrong thing, and sure enough, I went to see him and I was just as honest as I could be....I told him I'd had the norco refilled and I had an MRI done to make sure my back wasn't broken. (I hyperextended when I fell and felt a "pop" in my mid-back; next day (July 2) I was in so much pain it just was terrible. I told him the absolute truth, and got myself kicked out of his clinic.

Oh, Lord the ***-chewing I got! He said if I didnt take his meds as prescribed then according to the DEA I was diverting them for sale. I kind of understood but I did point out to him that he did not give a D/C order for the Norco and he did not EVER tell me to stop taking it. I think that just made him more angry.

NOW I am afraid I will be "blacklisted" forever due to this. I also feel that the pendulum has swung a little too far in the direction of caution and needs to swing back toward the middle. I dont want every doctor to know I used to take narcotics. Since I could not get in with my PCP till August, I went to a doc in my neighborhood. She pulled up my records from the prescription database and it looked HORRIBLE! As if I had been all over the entire country going after narcotics. She chilled when I told her about my surgeries, Physical Therapy and all that, but she said ANY doctor can look up records like this now. JEEZE, I'm not a bad person, it has just been one thing after another for the past few months.

My question is, how LONG will this stuff be on "my record"? How long before I live this down? What if I run my hand through the wood splitter again or do something else stupid??? Ai-yai! Or what if the protruding discs in my back herniate or do something else crazy and nobody wants me because of my RX history?

SJ

[sandee1818]

I sympathize with you certainly but you have to remember that so many do abuse their docs and their trust that when an innocent legitimate Pt makes a mistake they tend to come down too hard with the rules that are set in place. I know it is not right but until we can make out voices heard on issues like this nothing will ever change.
I have been having trouble finding a new PM doctor myself after losing the great one I had so I understand your plight completely!
Do not give up, there are understanding docs out there we just have to keep looking until we find one that will listen and take us seriously as our pain should be taken because it interferes with every single aspect of our lives.
I have been in so much pain the past couple weeks and it seems like my whole life is turned completely upside down and I do not see it getting any better anytime soon.
hang in there and keep seeking the doctor thats out there that will understand:)

[Tuckamore]

Hi SJ,

Welcome to the Pain Mangement Forum of MedHelp. You have certainly had a run of bad luck and I am sorry that you have been in pain.

Your PMP story is typical if that makes you feel any better, you are not alone. In my opinion you are better off without that PMP.  And you are correct. The pendulum for true pain sufferers has swung too far one way but we can thank the many drug seekers and abusers and sellers for that and I don't see a change for the better for the PM patient coming in the future. It's just going to get worse. Prescription drug use and abuse is rampart in the US according to the media and the truth is there are some factual statistics to back them up.

Your RX use will remain with you for years. In two year if you have an another medical accident/incident they can still pull up the narcotic records (Avoid those trees that attack you from behind).  However many physicians, just as the one you recently saw, will listen to the truth and be understanding. Of course that's provided it is not a continuing "horrible" RX record as you put it.  If you should have an accident (like running your hand through a wood splitter, gosh forbid) requiring a trip to ER they will treat you/your pain regardless of your narcotic record.

You did not say if you have chronic pain and are now wothout a PMP. I certainly hope that is not the case. Best of luck to you. Please let us know how you are doing.

Take Care,
Tuck