I AM GOING TO THROTTLE THE NEAREST PERSON WITH AN MD!

[MakinIT]

I am so tired, I hurt, I'm tired of doctors arguring over my pain relief. I have been calling my regular doctor's office everyday because I don't think my script of morphine is effective anymore (like I'm tolerant) He is callling my pain doc, pain doc want reg doc to make decision cause he knows me. Meanwhile, my uro is staying out of it. Then, get this....about 2 1/2 weeks ago I called my uro on call and spent about 20 mins discussing my meds with her and my valium script...she said to take 'em 3 times a day instead of two. problem is, for got to get a script until it hit me last week. I knew I'd run out before my next one was due so I called and they sent a script over to the pharmacy. My pharmacist said the insurance would not pay for any until Saturday because I should have some left, despite the explanation I had about starting the 3x per day almost 3 weeks ago. I'm out of valium tomorrow and pharmacy wont even let me pay cash for a few even though I have a valid script. UGH. What am going to do!!!!!????

Weekend was a blast. My 8 monthold cat had a fight with a cyclone fence and lost. He shredded his skin from left shoulder to wrist and took 40 stitiches, and a drain tube. They did emergency surgery Friday and offered to keep him overnight but I had already spent 250 bucks on it didn't think I could afford it. MAN...I was up all night Friday witha disoriented and in pain cat. I did have pain meds for his so he finally feel asleep at 6;OO, right before my daughter got up and wanted oatmeal. so, I made oatmeal and proclaimed that none should bother me until at least noon. So, other than the every 15 min interupptions with whom was whose room, and whose drum playing during the tv program was "annoying" , I was left alone. Ahem. Ain't being a mom grand?

Talk to you soon.....

Tracey

[vm]

{{BIG HUGS to you!!!!!!!**** grouphug Boy, I sure hope things settle down and you can get the meds you need. Can your doc talk to the insurance company about the script problem?

[ICNDonna]

Your doctor is going to have to rewrite the prescription with the increased dosage. Otherwise the insurance will not cover it --- and since it is valium, your pharmacist has to pretty well follow what the prescription you have says. I suggest you call your doctor and ask for a rewrite.

Sending an encouraging hug,
Donna

[Dixiefireball]

i'm sorry about all the trouble you are going threw. I hope your cat is going to be find but as far as your medicine Donna is right the drug store has to do what your doctor tells them I know you are trying to get them to fix it I wish you the best of luck ((((((hugs))))))))

[MakinIT]

The nice insurance co let me pay cash for 10 pills to get me through the next few days until the insurance company thinks I'm at the correct point in my valium usuage. aint that sweet? at least valium isn't expensive. I don't understand how this is working except that since the official date of RX for 3 times a day is last tues they assume i have enough left from my 2x per/day script. (stupid bean counters). What they are failing to understand is my doc and I came to this decision 2 or 3 weeks ago via phone conversation and forgot the stupid script. Wouldn't it be nice to just make these decisions affecting people's lives. Meanwhile, have heard nuthin regarding pain meds frommy docs..guess it's time for my daily nag call. GOOD GRIEF....Then I get this huge packet from SSD wanting me to fill out everything from how well I wipe my bottom to what I do all day and have 2 other people complete a novel about how this disease has changed my life and also give the shrink I see a form to fill out. (the shrink is the only one getting paid to fill out the form) He gets 60days to turn his back in...therest of us get 14....geez.
I'm assuming my other docs must've gotten the same forms.

Thanks for listening to my rant. you all are awesome. No one else really understands, my husband gets this glazed over expression in his face when I try to explain how I feel, my friends try the ol' "lets just distract her"...I used to be a party person so they try to get me to drink but I won't so I'm a party pooper and ready to go to bed by 9 o'clock.

bless you all with whomever you believe blesses you! I hope you are warm and and feel good now.

Tracey

[Julie Smith]

another valium story...............

last week my uro decided not to refill my valium because he told me to see a pain dr. Well, I draggged my feet on making appt.then there was a long wait, was hard to get in and in the mean time I ran out of valium. when I called uro. for refill nurse said no.. I called again a few days later and spasms and horrible pain and she said dr. said no- see pain dr. i told her when my appt. was and asked for just enough to get me through. I could NOT believe my dr. who i though was wonderful would have me go with out for 2 wks.

ok... so anyway I called my family dr. who called in valium to get me through the week until my pain dr. appt. so... I go to drugstore sat, to pick up and they tell me they can;t find and i'll have to come back mon. well.... i say what do you mean? my dr. called in thurs at 4pm it's now sat, where's my medicine? so finally clerk tells me they see perscription, but not the hard copy.. so basically the pharmacist screwed up? yep they say. i say well where the heck is it? they say they'll look but since night pharmacist took order they have to wait till he comes in, unless i want them to call him. i say, YES call him, of course he didn't answer phone. so then i ask to speak to the manager and by this time i'm really really ****** off and wondering if they are thinking i'm another busch situation getting drugs. The manager stands by the story and says if she can't reach pharmacist she'll page my dr. and she can let me know if she can have it ready in about 20 minutes. ok, so sure enough 20 minutes later she calls and says they found it and she apologizes. when I picked up there was no charge because of the aggravation..... wow, what a hassle that was..........

[MakinIT]

Wow...that's the pits...I get almost hyperventilative about delays in some of my meds...(morphine and valium esp. ) and these docs are so laissez-faire about it. Very tired of it. What's funny is the last time I had a doc appt. we talked about how rude his nurses that answer the phone (hot line nurses) and how he wants to be accesable. However, no one ever can ever let me through to HIM personally ...that's the main doc who gives me the morphine. Even if I ask them to leave a note for him. But he is a good man, his office staff just sucks.

Tracey

[mayray518]

I understand how you feel but at least you get painkillers. In 1992 when I got IC they would not give me painkillers under any circumstances. They didnt refer you to pain management clinics then. One doctor told me I was "really a secret drug addict". At least they take pain of IC seriously now.

[Tami Stambaugh]

My doctor always figures out how many pain meds. I need a day then writes it for enough for 15 days with 1 refill. The last time I went to get my script filled I looked at the bottle and it didn't have a refill on it when I knew my doc. had put one. I called the pharmacy back and he said no he didn't put a refill on it and I said I am sure he did sure enough he looked and said well your right he marked it in a different spot. He also said he would change it in the computer----I hope I don't have any conflict when I call the refill in. I hate even gettin pain meds. filled-----I feel like I owe them some kind of explantion especially since I go to church with them. Why is that??? Does it bother anybody else??? Have you ever wondered well I wonder if they are talking about me when I leave??? Just curious???

Hope all is well,

Tami

[rachelm]

Tami,
I understand what you mean about feeling guilty. I've decided though that if it gives me my life back I have no reason to appologize. It's not like we are walking around like a bunch of zombies on drugs. I always take them as directed even when my fiance tries to convince me that the dr. said I could take one 15 min. early.

Tracey,
My pain dr. is good too but his nurse is terrible. She will never return my call and seems very apathetic about the seriousness of my situation. I explained to her the other day that because she didn't respond promptly my uro had to send me home with a potent B&O RX so that I wouldn't land in the ER for the 2nd night in a row. I can sometimes get her if I call over and over again for 2 days and just by chance she answers. I asked her if there was a better way that I could let her know that it was an emergency other than leaving a message on her voice mail and wiht the secretary since that didn't seem to work. She said no that I was doing it right and that she would return my call if I needed her again. She said so why are you calling today didn't your uro give you what you needed. Ugh my uro doesn't want to be the one to monitor my pain meds thats their job but he also won't let me suffer or have to go to the ER if it can be avoided w/an RX.

I hope this helps. I'm not planning on broadcasting the fact that I take morphine when I go back to work. Surprisingly enough I think I should be O.K. to work with one every 5-6 hrs. AT home I take 2 every 4 hrs and it doesn't make me sleepy at all. My nurse said that noone should be able to stop me from taking my pain meds as long as I'm functioning reasonably well. I worry though, because I'm a teacher so I take it very seriously.

[MakinIT]

Funny you mention the explanation part of it. I found my self mumbling something to this 19 year old "technician" about IC and how I couldn't be without my meds, and she just blandly looked at me and said " you cant fill until the 21st, geez, it's only 4 days away" banghead (did'n't think I'd ever use that one but.....) So I made her call back, and they were sweet enough to allow me to the 10 I had to pay for and that run out at 4:00 am tomorrow.
You know.....I'm so stupid for not getting the script when the doc and I first discussed it almost a month ago. scream

Well, my cat, with his 40 stitches still in his arm is jumping around in the treee. The weather is so nice. smells good, crocuses coming up...he hasn't been outside for a week and was going bananas. Had to chase a squirrel. Has forgotten all about his little owie. ($300, 3 nights no sleep, pain and antibiotic meds crammed down his throat for days...he better remember it) You know they give the kitties little versions of opiate medications.I finally had time to look it up and I figured out why he spent the first 4 days a sleep. (I gave him a dose when he woke, because he cried) It's harder than taking care of a baby because he climb stuff and claws thecouch in frustration.

BYE!

[Sandy N.]

Well I do feel fortunate in the pain med area. My doctor gets on my case to take it more often.My son is also a pharmacist so he knows he better not say anything when I give him a prescription. I do not understand how so many doctors can be so hardnosed about pain meds when it comes to people with chronic illnesses. And I still can not beleive haw many doctors still are unaware of IC. One time I went into the ER. and the doc. started argunigng with me and said "YOU MUST HAVE Nephritis" No I said and finally he agreed to call my doctor. Take care Sandy N.

[MakinIT]

Rachelm: You are a teacher? So am I, special ed...with severly disabled. How long have you been off work and when do plan to go back. and what are you going to do for sudden potty attacks? Do you have high pain levels? I've decided to add to my cert a vision impairment licensure so I just consult half time and not do a classroom. :) I'm sure going to miss my kiddys and my staff. I love them dearly.

Good luck....let me know....I'm Just curious..

[franya]

God listening to you guys feels so good to know I am not alone here I a have had so many of these problesm as well. I am having a difficult time right know with this disease menatlly I feel like I can not handle it anymore so just reading what you guys post is better than any Doc could say to me. If i do not beat up a Pharmacy tech soon it will be a miracle they think we like hanging out in pain waiting for scripts that always get screwed up it is sad they know me by name and I live in a big town

Frannie

[lotsofgirls]

Frannie,
I felt like you a few months ago, but getting into a pain clinic has made a world of difference for me. I feel I have a safety net now, and I won't need to be in excruiating pain to get medical help. Do you have a pain clinic in Boston?
Cath

[YankeeCandle224]

I've had that same problem, well, problems, with no sleep and not being left 'alone' and being verbally told to change my RX and the pharmacy fills it, but the insurance wont pay...they have to re-write it, but write it DIFFERENTLY......So, if it says 3 x a day, instead of 2 x a day, then your insurance should cover it....

I needed phenergan to keep from vomiting and had run out early, and its JUST phenergan, but they wouldnt refill it unless I paid out of pocket for enough to get me by until time for the rx to run out, or about 3 days before.

Hopefully you wont have to wait the entire time and can get it filled a few days before your bottle says its time. I know how hard it is to be out of any med that you take on a regular basis, and the doctors, pharmacists, AND the insurance co should know that you just dont stop valium......

Maybe getting on the phone and talking to the ins co and telling them that instead of paying for an early rx they can pay for the ER visit you'll have to make (hopefully it wont come to that, but the ins co would rather pay for an RX then an ER visit)....I wish you the best of luck and hope you get through it all alright.

And about being a mom, and sick, and tired, and stressed, honey, I understand.......My door didnt have a lock on it, but it didnt take me but 2 weeks of living here to get one put on!!! Try resting with a fan on, it is white noise and blocks out the other stuff you really dont want to hear. I cant sleep without mine now.

Hugs, and good luck.......Sandy

oops, Obviously I didnt read all the posts, I'm glad you at least got your meds......sorry for being so long winded!

[kadi]

Hi Rachel & MakinIt
I'm a teacher too. I have an arrangement with the closest nearby teacher that if I'm flaring, he'll leave his door open & I'll wave as I run past to the restroom. Then he monitors both rooms til I get back. He's been really great about it. It's high school & this term my kids are a great group so no problems (thank God). My vice-principal said that if I have a rough class or any kids I worry about in that arrangement, to call her & she'll find a way to help.

When I taught elementary (before I got IC), the classrooms often had a door in the wall between them, so it was easy to run out because the teacher next door could stand in the space between the rooms & monitor.

Also, my doctor wrote me a "prescription" for a classroom close to a bathroom & a teacher across from a bathroom is retiring at the end of the year so I'll have her room next year:)

Glad to see other teachers here :hi:

[PikkuMyy]

Hi Kadi,

I'm a teacher too, as Tracey (MakinIT) knows. I'm lucky to be working, currently, in a 1:1 situation in a child's home, so going to the bathroom is really easy. He's a great kid (autism) and if I have to leave the room he'll wait for me (although he'll usually go and plop down on the bed instead of staying at the table:) )

I do worry about what will happen if I move to a classroom sitaution. I'm in grad school right now and I often have to go 3 times during my 2 hr 40 min class. What's funny is that I'll often try to hold it until break time and end up giving up and going. when I get back, break time is only a minute or two away but I coudn't wait that long! Now I just go when I feel I need to and don't look at the clock. If it was more frequently, I'd talk to my teachers about it but as it is, I don't think they notice or care.

I'm glad you have such a great school to be understanding about that. I think that we're lucky to be in this field. My mother also works in a school (administration) and she has health problems which they are very understanding about. I think that if we worked in another field, in offices, or something, they would NOT be understanding.

Emily

[blue]

I think Donna is right, I think you need a rewrite for the prescription!