when pain management drs will not see you at all

[judylabrador]

My husband has a Primary Care Dr that told all of the pain management Drs in our area of his arrest record!  This Dr, nor any of the so called pain management establishments will see him.  He has never had illegal drugs in his system but mistakenly took my methadone (which his primary is my Dr and knew this).  My husband was let go from a PM he had for 5yrs because of this!  Now... he has had 22 surgeries in the last 25yrs.  Both hips 3 times each, 17 back surgeries, and both shoulders reconstructed.  He has to much scar tissue in his back for injections.  The needle will NOT go in his back. The PM he had was giving him 80mg oxicontin 3 a day, fentora 800ms 3 a day, 15mg morphine sulfate 3 a day 15mg oxycodone 2 per day.  He gave them a sample and that is when the methadone was found...we assume he got my pills by mistake but her office manager did not care and would not allow us to talk to the PM DR!  To this day we still can not talk to her.  Anyone know how we can?  

Anyway that was Thanksgiving.  My husband had to go through hell to detox from all of this medicine and he has a heart condition to boot!  So thanks to the GP we now have no PM.  The GP will not help him becauuse of the record?  He is on medicare and medicaid. There are very few here that take the medicaid also.  So this is another obsticle.  We are baffeled at the fact that no one seems to have compassion for the people that have no quality of life!  What are we supposed to do?  The hospital emeergency rooms thinks he is a drug addict.  He has been humiliated, and treated like a criminal even though he has done what he had to do 2yrs ago and has no  problem with illegal drugs.  We have valid conformation of all of his surgeries though the PM's do not look at them either.  What is up with that?

So, if someone knows what or where to go to in NC or Virginia please let me know.

[flower12345]

Judy,

I'm sorry that your husband is going through so much.

Was his arrest record drug related?

Unfortunately, doctors can dismiss for a dirty urine screen.

Gem gave great advice. Can you keep searching? There has to be someone to help him. No one should have to live that way.

Hugs,

Flower

[geminigirl1963]

I'm sorry you and your husband are having such a time trying to find a doctor to see him.  I personally don't understand how an arrest record could/would preclude your husband from receiving care from pain management, with the exception of if his arrest was for sale or possession of either illegal drugs or prescription drugs that were not his.  If, however, his arrest WAS for drug related charges, then that very well may make his search for a pain managment doc nearly, if not completely impossible - especially with the now stricter DEA laws.

HOWEVER, even if his charges WERE drug related, and he was not under a PM contract with his primary doc - I feel there is no legal right for her to dismiss him and also tell all the other PM docs around.  The mistake was made under the PM care - not the PRIMARY care and the PRIMARY care knew about the mistake.  Of course, a botched "test" with PM can and does sometimes result in being dismissed from the practice and it can also make it very difficult to find another PM doc.

My best advice is to keep searching - I would start with a new primary doc and then have that new primary doc recommend a new PM doc.  And once you do find a new PM who is willing to see him, hand carry all the test results, doctor notes, etc., from his surgeries and make the new doc look at them while he/she is in the room with you and your husband.  Also be 100% honest with the new doc, both about your husband's arrest record and the mistake with teh methadone - alwasy better to be open and honest from the get go rather than have something show up or a question come up later.

Where do you currently live?  I live in Virginia - where in VA would you be willing or wanting to travel to?