So sick of this pain...my MD won't refill my breakthru meds, WHY WHY WHY?

[ibtracy]

:confused: I can't believe this. Here I thought I had this new and understanding doctor and when I called for JUST the breakthru med refill, the nurse said he wouldn't refill it and didn't think he would ever refill it, WHAT THE HEL*?

This past month has been one continuous flare, after flare, after flare. More like one HUGE continuous flare. I have been stuck taking more breakthru's then normal because of the vast amount of pain I've been in. I hurt so bad. The oxycontin I take wears off around 6-8 hours and doesn't work for 12 hours for me like it's supposed to. My so called breakthru med refill is only Darvocet - he won't prescribe anything stronger. I asked for Lortabs and he wouldn't give them, he said they were too much like Oxycontin. They act like I'm asking for morpheine or something.

I'm at a loss, this is my 3rd doctor who comes off as being so compassionate about my pain in the beginning, helps me a while and then BAM!!! quits in the middle of some therapy action that's been working for a while because they give up treating me. :toilet:

I THINK I'M GOING TO LOOSE MY MIND, WHAT LITTLE IS LEFT OF IT....
:help: :help: :help: :help: :help:

Tracy K.

[Dixiefireball]

I'm sorry Tracy you are still sick and in pain and that your new M.D let you down.
Maybe the drug store you are using called him? or maybe your old M.D sent him your background records and put something in them that isn't right?
in any case i'm so very sorry this happen to you.

Sending you hugs and prayers and hopefully you will get some answers and all this pain will end for you soon.
I hate to see one suffering so.
Rhonda

[Katrina]

I am so sorry. I know I would be frustrated....if you really like this doc otherwise can you find a Family Doc or something that can help you with pain relief? I sure hope you find some relief. :grouphug::grouphug:

[Elle]

I'm so sorry you're going through this right now. I've been where you are before, and it sucks. It really ticks me off when Drs think they have a right to tell us how many times per month we're allowed to be in pain. They measure out what would be an "acceptable" level of meds to prescribe - not a full month's supply, but a "this will keep her out of my hair for a couple of weeks" supply. It's so aggravating! Chances are, he probably got a "NO-NO Letter" from your insurance company who also sent a copy to the pharmacist and their governing board. That's what happened to me one time. Basically, the insurance company was tired of paying for my pain meds, so they started bombarding my Dr & pharm with letters. It scared my Uro, and he decided that I needed to "cut-back" on my pain meds to 15-20 Norco a month and rotate months with percocet so it wouldn't trigger a letter from my insurance co. Nice, huh?
I really am so sorry that you're going through this. It would be nice if we had a contribution bowl where we could send our extra meds during months we felt better so that those who are hurting more than us could use them! :biglaugh: Obviously, I know that would be illegal, and I'm only joking about doing it - but it would be nice! I'm sending you hugs...Please let me know if I can do anything to help you. :kissing:

[ICLori]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. I see this happening to more and more chronic pain patients. Basically the societal atmosphere (DEA, etc.) dictates that chronic pain patients are not to be helped anymore.

That's why, before I had the Bion and found some other stuff that helped, I wanted to have my bladder removed rather than be dependent on doctors for pain meds. I knew that I could not count on doctors to control my pain adequately. So I figured, just get my bladder yanked out, no more pain.

Blessings, Lori

[ICNDonna]

My suggestion would be to make an appointment to see your doctor to discuss pain control. If you've been taking the medications as ordered, I honestly can't see any reason for you to be cut off from them.

I'm assuming that you are following your IC diet, don't smoke or drink alcohol, and are drinking enough water.

Sending gentle hugs,
Donna

[ibtracy]

Sometimes, moral support helps more than medication. Just to know others have walked in my shoes or someone offers a suggestion that is within reach and hopefully might help. My MD takes care of the pain because my uro doesn't believe in long term pain therapy so I go to the uro for uro things, hydro/cystos, urodynamics, etc. It's messed up but I've yet to find one doctor that will take care of it all - so discouraging. I'm just raging mad today about all of this. I could understand if I abused my medication but I DON'T. If I were asking for morpheine or demerol then again I could understand BUT I'M NOT. I'm asking for some basically sugar pills, Darvocet, which really don't put a dent in the pain but it's better than not having any breakthru meds at all I guess.

Let's just hope if I call back next week maybe I'll get a diff nurse and she'll be more compassionate and have my doc refill the medications, geesh!!!!! :cussing: :ignore: :mad:

Tracy K.

PS
My little one is home today with the flu, I was up all night with her holding her while she vomited and has the poops yet too. Now today I've got a raging headache from no sleep and bladder pain and I'm still flaring horribly today - WHAT NEXT, huh?

[patricia1]

Tracy I am so sorry. I have been there, trying to find a doc that will help with bladder issue's along with pain control. It seems that most uros dont even want to touch us. For me, mine will let me have Ultram, which we all know is non-narcotic. But for me it works really well. Although I know for others it does not. But for what narcotics I get every month, come from my gyno. I get so many Lortabs a month from him. I am not gonna say find another doc because I know from past experience you are not able to find one, which is not fair to you. I know you have tried everything you can to find another one. I agree it is so aggre. when you talk to the nurse and she treats you the way she has. Are you sure that she really talked to your doc. I know alot of times nurses tend to screen docs calls and do what they want sometimes. Maybe you can leave a message for the doc to call you and talk to you. But I want you to know I care and I am so sorry this is happening all over again.

BTW I hope little one starts feeling better today. Nothing worse than a stomach ache. I cant stand anything worse and there is not alot you can do for that. Hopefully no one else in the house will come down with it....Prayers for a flare free day coming your way....

[ibtracy]

You're so sweet to care and say all that you did. You've always answered everyone of my posts. Thanks so much for always being there, you're a great person. I hope you're feeling ok.

You're right I do need a new doctor but have absolutely NO IDEA where to begin or where to start. I know there's an excellent doc down in Kansas City, Missouri, but that's like a 7 hour drive from here, not exactly handy, huh? I'm just throwing my hands up in the air right now, JUST DON'T FRICKIN KNOW ANYMORE! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
Tracy K.

Do you ever use yahoo messenger? It's a free download and we could chat and get to know one another better. Think about downloading it. I could send you an invite to use it if you PM me your email address, ok? Think about it and let me know. Also, have you heard from Shar (Dusty on the ICN)? I'm kinda worried, we used to talk everyday and now I've heard nothing from her????? :hmm:

[Sarojini]

Tracy, I'm so sorry you're having trouble with the pain medication situation again. I had hoped your new doctor was going to be the one for you, and it's sad that it has not worked that way. Believe me, I understand how it feels as I recently went through a lot of bull regarding my own IC treatment, but it eventually got straightened out -- so let's hope the same thing happens for you.

:grouphug:

[Pamela Joy]

Tracy,
Keep trying to find a new doctor. Have you tried seeing a pain specialist? My Uro is the same way as many described here, she doesn't believe in prescibing long term pain meds. I finally got her to refer me to a pain doctor. During my first visit he told me he used to try to gently educate his fellow doctors about chronic pain, but now he just says "I hope someday either you or someone you love develops a chronic pain condition and their doctor refuses to treat their pain." He says they are aghast when he says this, but as he says it's what they are doing to us. He immediately put me on morphine, both continuous release and immediate release. I'm up to 90mg 3 times a day of continuous and I have 180mg of immediate release I can take each day as I need and lately I've needed all of it each day. I called my father after the appt. and was crying with relief as I waited for my prescription to be filled! Yes, I'm addicted. We discussed it that first visit. There is a difference between addiction for a medical reason and addiction for getting high. I've never done illegal drugs, so I don't know what "high" feels like. I haven't felt anything that feels like a high since I started the morphine and my doctor says I probably haven't since I'm after the relief of pain. Keep looking, there are some doctors out there who want to help relieve your suffering, go to a pain specialist. Although I'm on disability due to the IC, my life has been better since I've started to get the pain under control. We are still searching for the right dosage and combination, but I finally feel the best medicine of all, hope.
BTW being on morphine isn't the spaced out, doped up, do nothing but drool all day scenario my Uro tried to scare me with. I do have to be careful about what I do (no driving when I take more than one dose of my breakthrough pills) but I have more of a life than when I was rolling around the bed in agony.
Good luck and my thoughts are with you. Keep trying, you deserve to live at least with less pain if not no pain.
Pamela Joy

[sunflower69]

Tracy, hugs for you. Keep looking for a doctor who will assist you with your IC. I've been there. Searching for a doctor who would listen to me and not tell me it's all in my head (I've had doctors tell me that in the past), going from doctor to doctor, undergoing test after test, enduring infection after infection, antibiotic after antibiotic, during this period I felt like I was banging my head on a wall. I kept on searching and I found my current uro, a wonderful doctor, supportive and compassionate and her nursing staff are the same. I am forever grateful to my uro and her staff for they've done so much for me and I can never thank them enough. These kind of doctors and nurses are out there. Keep strong, keep believing, and don't give up hope.

[ibtracy]

:) After some education and showing him some IC pamphlets and books on pain control, he refilled my Oxycontin and Darvocet for breakthrough pain so after a few days of sheer crabbiness, shaking, the runs I got back on my medication control and have my meds here when I need them. :woohoo: I still get scared that he won't continue refilling them??????? Only time will tell, right?

Thanks for the suggestions and support, I appreciate it, really I do. That's what is so great about this site, is the amount of support you get when you really need it. It's wonderful! Thanks to you all. :grouphug:

[ErinBear]

Hi Tracy,

I'm glad you were able to get more meds for now, but sorry you were in that position to begin with - it sounds really terrible. I wonder if you can try talking with the pain management doctor about your oxycontin dosing regimen next time. With longer-acting medications, such as oxycontin and MS Contin, I understand it is pretty common for folks to start feeling the medication subside earlier than the prescribing guides say. I used to take MS Contin in the past, for a different condition, and it is technically supposed to last twelve hours, but it never did for me, either! So what my doctors and I worked out was a lower dose, to be taken every 8 hours. In my case...and for many other people...this works out much better. I don't know as much about OxyContin, but I wonder if it might be worth asking your doctor if the same approach could work with OxyContin? Then you might not need as much of your breakthrough medication, and you'd feel better in general, as you wouldn't be going through "mini-withdrawals" each day when the medication isn't working properly. I know that's a yucky feeling.

If your doctor agrees to it, you might be a bit uncomfortable the first day, as you get used to the new dosing schedule, but I would think it might be good in the long run. It might be worth asking about.

Take care,
ErinBear

[Sarahbug]

I am so sorry about your pain!!!!!!!Has this new doctor seen your bladder? MY docs thought I was crazy or maybe a drug addact at first then he wanted to take a look inside once he blew up my bladder he was horrified. My intier bladder was ulcerded and my nerve endings had eroded away....... He now gives me anything I ask for it is maybe a good idea to not give up..I know what the pain is like..I would make another app. with him as soon as possible ...I wish that I could know how bad you feel.. Have you ever had to go to the er???When I can't take it anymore I have my husband load me up and I get iv meds for a day or two untill i am more incontrol..I am truly sorry for your pain..........I hope you get help soon.

[ibtracy]

Thanks so much. Your replies and support are appreciated more than you know. I don't know where I'd turn if it weren't for my ICN friends. Thanks again. :grouphug: You're all angels :angel:

Sincerely,
Tracy K.

PS
Getting a little better....or at least seeing some improvement today anyway. Fingers are crossed.

[~*~Christine~*~]

Congrats on getting them refilled! :woohoo:
I still get my mommy to ask for my pain meds ;)