Jenetti
10-16-2003, 10:39 AM
After waiting 6 weeks to finally see the pain management doctor, I was so disappointed in him and the way it went that i cried the whole night thru. During the visit, he left the office (with hubby and me waiting in there) at least 4 - 5 times, because there was an emergency in the office. Someone was bleeding and he had to stitch them up. Also said he might have to leave and check back with them in a few minutes.
He assumed that I was there for the fibro and that I had just found out or been diagnosed with it. I have been treated for fibro for the last two years by a great doc. I was there for my spine that has been killing me, and my doc thought he might be able to give me some shots in the spine to reduce the pain. He kept asking questions and examining me, asking me to stand on one foot, then the other. Bend over, raise your arms. He said "you say the highest pain number you get to is a 5?" I said, no, he says thats what you wrote on this form. I said, it asks WITHIN THE LAST 24 HOURS. I said im having a good day, one of maybe 3 or 4 OUT of the month. He gets up and excuses himself to go check up on the other patient.
Comes back. Says, did you know that lortab is heroine? I said, uhm no, didnt know that, but what does that have to do with the PAIN IN MY SPINE that IM HERE FOR??? I take lortab plus soma for the fibro. He gets up because someone knocks on the door and says phone to him. He excuses himself. Comes back, apologizes and says, youre too young to be taking those meds and my choice for treatment of fibro is more exercising, stretching, maybe see a pshycologist to learn how to "deal with the pain." He said Im not giving you opiates. I said IM NOT ASKING for any. He says some other doctor would immediately give you those, Im not.
I said ,excuse me,? He says I will set up an MRI for your back and set up an appt to get you a tens unit.
He wants to change my meds, from elavil to trazadone. Suggested I get off the lortab and soma because eventually i would want HIGHER dosages. I told him flat out, ive been on it for a year, and have never gone higher or abused it. If you can give me SOMETHING else that will TAKE the pain away and it not be these pills then do it. He said he give me ultracet. I laughed at him and said, sorry been there, tried that, didnt work. He said im not sending you down that road. I said what road, he says the road of addiction. I lose many patients because i wont prescribe opiates. I thought to myself you lose them because of your damn bedside manner which hes lacking terribly in as well as compassion.
All i wanted was to be treated with dignity and respect. He didn't know a thing about me and assumed automatically that i didnt know a thing about fibro. He wanted me to buy some kind of cane , cant remember what its called. To put pressure on my back trigger points, and that THAT should help. I almost lost it there. Thats when i told him flat out, I wasnt stopping the lortab or soma. He continued, thats a bad combination, used on the street to get HIGH. I said excuse me?? YOU THINK IM HERE TO GET HIGH???? Thats when i almost walked out, i should have. He finally said, if it means anything to you, as a person, i can tell you this. I have fibro patients, and i understand (BS) what kind of pain youre going thru and I WOULDNT BE ABLE TO GO THRU THAT MYSELF.
As a doctor, tho, I cant /wont feel right ordering opiates for you.
HE leaves, comes back, by then im in tears of great disappointment, frustration, anger, feeling like fibro is not really a painful thing, that i must be prone to low pain tolerance. He did mention that. After an explaination of what fibro is, as if i didnt know, he looks at the clock on the wall and says, I really have to leave. My receptionist will make your MRI appt and set the appt with the tens unit operator to show you how to run it. After your mri come back and we'll see where WE can go from there. You may have a legitimate reason to have to take the opiates for your back pain, but for the fibro, i dont recommend it. But go ahead and stay on the lortab and soma if you want. Im NOT TELLING you to stop them. What the heck was he saying THEN???? I came home, feeling like a whiner. Like I had been made to feel that my pain, is not really painful. That fibro is not really that serious or that all i had to do was "get a better look on life".
I felt belittled, and so let down , disappointed after waiting for so long for help. What do i do now?
Sorry for it being so long, i havent been depressed, in over 20 yrs, even with living thru pain every day for that many years.
Jen
[This message has been edited by Jenetti (edited 10-16-2003).]
He assumed that I was there for the fibro and that I had just found out or been diagnosed with it. I have been treated for fibro for the last two years by a great doc. I was there for my spine that has been killing me, and my doc thought he might be able to give me some shots in the spine to reduce the pain. He kept asking questions and examining me, asking me to stand on one foot, then the other. Bend over, raise your arms. He said "you say the highest pain number you get to is a 5?" I said, no, he says thats what you wrote on this form. I said, it asks WITHIN THE LAST 24 HOURS. I said im having a good day, one of maybe 3 or 4 OUT of the month. He gets up and excuses himself to go check up on the other patient.
Comes back. Says, did you know that lortab is heroine? I said, uhm no, didnt know that, but what does that have to do with the PAIN IN MY SPINE that IM HERE FOR??? I take lortab plus soma for the fibro. He gets up because someone knocks on the door and says phone to him. He excuses himself. Comes back, apologizes and says, youre too young to be taking those meds and my choice for treatment of fibro is more exercising, stretching, maybe see a pshycologist to learn how to "deal with the pain." He said Im not giving you opiates. I said IM NOT ASKING for any. He says some other doctor would immediately give you those, Im not.
I said ,excuse me,? He says I will set up an MRI for your back and set up an appt to get you a tens unit.
He wants to change my meds, from elavil to trazadone. Suggested I get off the lortab and soma because eventually i would want HIGHER dosages. I told him flat out, ive been on it for a year, and have never gone higher or abused it. If you can give me SOMETHING else that will TAKE the pain away and it not be these pills then do it. He said he give me ultracet. I laughed at him and said, sorry been there, tried that, didnt work. He said im not sending you down that road. I said what road, he says the road of addiction. I lose many patients because i wont prescribe opiates. I thought to myself you lose them because of your damn bedside manner which hes lacking terribly in as well as compassion.
All i wanted was to be treated with dignity and respect. He didn't know a thing about me and assumed automatically that i didnt know a thing about fibro. He wanted me to buy some kind of cane , cant remember what its called. To put pressure on my back trigger points, and that THAT should help. I almost lost it there. Thats when i told him flat out, I wasnt stopping the lortab or soma. He continued, thats a bad combination, used on the street to get HIGH. I said excuse me?? YOU THINK IM HERE TO GET HIGH???? Thats when i almost walked out, i should have. He finally said, if it means anything to you, as a person, i can tell you this. I have fibro patients, and i understand (BS) what kind of pain youre going thru and I WOULDNT BE ABLE TO GO THRU THAT MYSELF.
As a doctor, tho, I cant /wont feel right ordering opiates for you.
HE leaves, comes back, by then im in tears of great disappointment, frustration, anger, feeling like fibro is not really a painful thing, that i must be prone to low pain tolerance. He did mention that. After an explaination of what fibro is, as if i didnt know, he looks at the clock on the wall and says, I really have to leave. My receptionist will make your MRI appt and set the appt with the tens unit operator to show you how to run it. After your mri come back and we'll see where WE can go from there. You may have a legitimate reason to have to take the opiates for your back pain, but for the fibro, i dont recommend it. But go ahead and stay on the lortab and soma if you want. Im NOT TELLING you to stop them. What the heck was he saying THEN???? I came home, feeling like a whiner. Like I had been made to feel that my pain, is not really painful. That fibro is not really that serious or that all i had to do was "get a better look on life".
I felt belittled, and so let down , disappointed after waiting for so long for help. What do i do now?
Sorry for it being so long, i havent been depressed, in over 20 yrs, even with living thru pain every day for that many years.
Jen
[This message has been edited by Jenetti (edited 10-16-2003).]