Pain and Narcotics

I cannot believe the state of pain control in this country.  It is driving me batty, and tonight I’m quite pissed as I hear of more than one person close to me suffering because of inadequate pain control.  Why?  Because opiates are being so abused that doctors are afraid to prescribe them for fear that they’ll be shut down.  There is no doubt in my mind that prescription drugs are being abused.  However, I see personally with my own two eyes too many cases of people in legitimate need being made to suffer.  Surely there is a happy medium somewhere, and those with real needs can have those needs met?  I myself would have been totally and completely screwed with regard to pain relief for a progressive and terminal disease, had it not been for the intervention of my very awesome PCP who has known me since before I was sick with said disease and knows that I’m not abusing nor selling my meds.

Today the case closest to me is my dad.  Now, my dad has spina bifida, a mild case, but it’s something that has always given him trouble and is easily verifiable.  He’s had multiple spinal surgeries and fusions and implants and all sorts of things, and has been on pain killers for years and years and years.  He’s not asking for an increased dose, a change in medicine, or anything other than the same routine he’s been under for the past five years or so (with his pain under control and him able to work part time).  However, today in his town they shut down another four doctors and one pharmacy and Dad’s doctor is running scared and not wanting to prescribe anything narcotic any more.  Who can blame him?  So tonight I listen to my mom cry as she takes my dad to the ER because his appointment was today and his doctor refused his refill, and she’s worried that he’ll be labeled a drug-seeker at the ER and even that will not bring him any relief.  She’s probably right too, they don’t have access to Dad’s history and records and all they see is another guy coming in complaining of back pain and asking for oxycodone, 10mg please because that’s what I usually take.  Sure buddy, let me hook you right up here!

I think that is so fucking irresponsible of my dad’s doctor and I am so pissed for him, but he is old school and army and respectful of authority and he won’t raise a fuss.  Instead, he called back and begged and they agreed to see him for injections on Monday and they will give him a small script then to hold him over, but that will be the last one.  And Dad has about zero chance of finding another doctor there willing to prescribe for a new patient, because to do so at this point in time would be like shooting oneself in the foot.  It’s not like he started himself on these meds all those years ago.  And I see no reason in the world why a person like him (or me!) should suffer simply because there are dumbasses out there who choose to abuse the things that bring relief from pain.

I hope the ER brings him some relief, at least for the short term.  I have no idea what the long term solution is.
I forgot to mention, in my pissed offed-ness, that the doctor refusing said narcotics is in fact a pain management clinic.  It is not a primary care physician or anything, oh no, because the first thing suggested to me was “Tell your Dad to get to a pain management clinic!”  He’s already there, and that is who is refusing him.  😦

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Adventures in Doctoring

So I went to visit my new PCP today, and what an experience that turned out to be!  I have never seen such a place.  It was more like a legal drug dispensary?  I don’t know how else to describe it.  I went in, and had to wait forever, and then was instructed that I could not see the doctor without consenting to a urine drug test.  I told them fine by me, but they would find in my system at least a couple of restricted substances that were prescribed to me and taken as written.  They said fine, and I peed in their cup, which was apparently sent away for testing and will be returned some time within two weeks.  Then they put me in the room (with the 2 youngest kids) where there was, of all things, a DENTIST chair.  Yes.  I said, “Hmm, interesting” and sat in one of the regular chairs in the room.  The nurse explained that the doctor just bought said dentist chair because he hopes to get into teeth whitening.  Uh… okay?  He is actually a doctor, right?

Well, after three hours and an exam that basically consisted only of said “doctor” listening to my lungs, I was offered a script for my antidepressants for today, and told that I’ll have to return in two weeks for my pain killers to ensure my drug test is clean and to get the records from my other docs to make sure I’m not double-dipping.  Awesome?  It took three hours for this, and he will only write scripts for a month at a time (last PCP was 3 months but laws may be different in WV for all I know), so once per month I have to go sit for half the day just to have pain relief.  It is a sucky system indeed that we have here.  I can see the need for it, but when you are so sick as I often am, you just do not feel like jumping through the hoops.  If there were not kids here who depended on me, I’d probably rather lie in bed and cry than deal with that shit many days.  I guess I should be thankful the kids keep me going.

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