false negative for morphine but false positive for vicodin!!

[precious_woman]

I am really glad that I found this forum...I am currently in as state of shock over what just took place at my own pain management doctors office. I have herniated lumbar discs which have also caused nerve damage, degenerative disc disease and buldging cervical discs. I have been on morphine for about 4 years, extended release and instant release. Last month the doctor gave ALL patients a urine test and when I got there today he said "we have a problem"...I was shocked and asked "what?" He said "the results of your urinalysis are in and they came back negative for morphine and positive for vicodin, I can only write you one months prescription and you will have to find another pain management doctor"... I was shocked!! I said "No way.. there is a mistake!!! I take my morphine like clockwork!! Every 12 hours!! I get home from filling my prescriptions and I take out 4 seven day pill containers and label them with each date... I put each days dose in each date and they go into a lockbox. I have not and did not take any vicodin!!" I insisted he retest me. I know there is a mistake. He said "no, it's a $900 test" he also added "the problem is not with finding the vicodin but with the morphine coming back negative"... HOW?? I insisted to him that the lab must have transposed the two drugs... but he refused to retest me and has now released me from his care!!! Does anyone know how this could happen?? I always, always take my morphine as prescribed!! I did NOT take any vicodin because it violates my contract that I have with him!! (as well as I don't have it nor do I like it!!) I don't know what to do! I even had a tooth extracted a week before that urinalysis and did NOT accept any pain meds from the dentist because it would have violated my contract with him!! The only other things I have taken are fioricet which is prescribed by him for migraines,  "benadryl" which he told me to take every night because I never get a full nights sleep due to the pain. Also "Orajel and anbesol" for the tooth extraction pain. I am also a large coca-cola drinker!! I am literally in a state of shock because I know these results are wrong!! any help would greatly be appreciated!!!

[precious_woman]

Thank you both very much. I know... I will make it. I have been in excrutiating pain WITH my medicine after how that doctor examined me. He had me lay on my stomach and pushed on the herniated lumbar discs asking "does this hurt?" ...This was after the usual exam of bending this way and that "as far as I could" and "push my hand up" (with that dead leg)... gosh,  I thought I hurt yesterday, the pain was even worse today!!
I do have the appointment with that pain clinic on new years eve and I wil definately keep that appointment. I know it is only for a consultation the first visit. I can only hope that they will give me a follow up where they will write my scripts. ,I was hoping to stretch my meds out, but I have been in more pain than usual since that "doctor" pushed on the injured discs and it wasn't a gentle push it was as if he wanted to hurt me! He is supposed to order a new MRI, but they didn't call me with that appointment yet.  
I have been losing all faith in doctors. Which has me feeling extremely depressed but I think it's to be expected!
It gave me a bit of hope today to have my dad come home for 4 hours. Over thanksgiving he was in the Intensive Care Unit of the local hospital, he was in a "doctor induced coma" and was on a respirator because he had pneumonia and H1N1, we really didn't think he was going to make it because he was literally drowning alive. But, he did! Amazingly enough at 80 years old he pulled through. He has been in rehab since trying to regain his strength. It was great to have him home for a little bit and we had a great christmas with the whole family here.
Again thanks guys. It's so hard to keep the faith when you are treated so obnoxiously but somehow I keep dredging forward.    

[ckaye582]

You will survive this, PW, older, wiser, meaner, and with less illusions about your fellow man.  Hang in there.  Maybe a few lousy weeks BUT YOU WILL SURVIVE.

[Tuckamore]

It will get better. These are dark days for you as they would be and have been for others that have suffered through this type of incident.

With life there is hope and never forget that. We are here to support you. You'll make it through this because you are a assertive survivor.

Try to make your meds last as long as you can. I hate to tell you this but the new PMP may not provide you with a prescription on the first visit. I hope that is not the case.

The physician you saw was wrong when he said, "that's your old PM dr's problem not mine..." It should be his concern also. Are you not his patient? He certainly took your money. Where is the human element in some of these physicians? I would find another.

Never forget that these physicians are on our payroll. They are not doing us a favor. They are service providers. We hire them to provide a service, just as we would hire a plumber to fix our leaky pipes. If your pipes are still leaking after the plumber leaves your home do you continue to employ him? I would hope not. So why continue to except less than great from a much more important service provider?  He would not get one more penny from me.

Stay with us. We are here for you. And don't give up or in. You'll make it through this.

[precious_woman]

I am taking all the advice and will be writing the letter of rebuttal. Of course the PM dr never called me back. I did call his office yesterday, I was treated extremely rudely (of course) and they told me that they did get the call from the toxicologist. I asked if my PM was aware of this and she said she didn't know (sure). I asked why he was not returning my calls and she said he is out of the office until monday and she said she would "send him a message, whether or not he calls you back I don't know". The pysiatrist appointment was as bad as I expected it to be. After going through the usual painful exam and having to "try" to bend this way and that, he had me lie on my stomach and he proceeded to push on every herniated and buldged disc that I have! I was completely up front and honest with him as soon as I got there and I even told him the first thing that I wanted to do was submit a U/A. He refused. He ordered a more recent MRI (my last one was 2007), told me he will not write for my migraine medication, and when he made my follow up appointment for "4 weeks" I told him I will run out of my meds by then, he said "that's your old PM dr's problem not mine, besides I don't even know if I will write for those as you are on a very high dose".....I left his office barely able to walk, it took all I had to fight back the tears I felt so my son who drove me would not see me cry (I don't think I did a good job of that) and I am still feeling the painful effect of his examination this morning. I do also have an appointment with a new pain management clinic on new years eve. When I made the appointment they said they needed my old PM doctor to fax them a letter saying what meds he writes my prescriptions for, how many, the doses and that he will no longer be writing them. I can only pray that they will pick up where he dropped me. I am growing more anxious and more depressed with each day and each doctor. I understand that there are people who abuse these drugs and there are people who only obtain them to make a profit. BUT there are those of us who are 100% bedridden in excrutiating pain without them. Its so discouraging and I agree with ckaye582 that I wish I could walk away from it, but then I have to deal with not wanting to live anymore. You hit the nail right on the head with that statement. Because that is exactly how I have been feeling since yesterday.
thanks for the support guys,. it's all that is keeping me going right now.

[ckaye582]

I dread this stuff, as well as having to find a new Dr. and jumping through all the hoops again to maybe or maybe not have your pain issue addressed, this despite documentation up the ying yang, etc.  If you read the published papers and the periodicals, there is supposed to be a "pain protocol", and if a doctor adhered to it, there should be no problems with the law, patients, etc.  But it isn't the case, as all of us here know.  It is a damned crap shoot.  I myself wish I could walk away from it, but then I have to deal with not wanting to live any more....Rats!

[babybluecat]

I am so sorry this happened to you.  I know what you're going through.  My doctor died in an accident back in Sept. and I went to his replacement on December 7.  I am on a variety of medications, including Vicodin and clonazepam (for two years).  She said she needed to do some blood work on me and get a urine sample.  I said fine.  I had no idea she was going to do a drug screen (it didn't even cross my mind. I thought she was testing my kidneys or something!)  I've never had a drug screen before so I had no idea what was happening.  I never signed anything.  When I got to the bathroom I had to search for the cups!  Then I when I found some I just peed (sp?) in one and then realized I didn't have a pen so I just put it in the turnstile (?) to the lab area.  I know, dumb.  But I had no idea what was going on!!

Five days later I received a certified letter from the doctor stating no Vicodin or clonazopam were found in my system so she could no longer write me prescrptions for them.  I was in complete shock.  I called numerous attorneys and the best advice they could give me was to write a letter of dispute and ask that it be put in my file.  Which I did.  Then I found a new doctor.  I was lucky.  I made an appointment for two days later and told him everything and showed him the letter from my doctor.  He wrote me my prescriptions and did acknowledge mistakes are made.  The most important advice I can give you is to write a letter as Tuckamore suggested, get a copy of your medical records for yourself and your new doctor and to be completely honest about what happened to you when you see your new doctor.

I agree, I hate having this "red flag" in my medical file but as my new doctor said "mistakes are made" and every doctor truly knows this whether they decide to acknowledge it or not.

Good luck to you.