Hard time - long...

[Guest guest]

I just had the most horrible experience with my rh. It turned out okay

but I was so scared I couldn't even write about it even though I wanted

all your advice.

My rh had prescribed 1 dose of 7.5/500 hydrocodone per day, but I got a

horrible ulcer that that was misdiagnosed and untreated for about a

month. I literally couldn't take a mouthful of food or even water

without pain meds on board. (I lost 15 pounds in a month.) So during

that time I was taking three doses a day. Then when the ulcer got better

I went down to 2 doses.

I told him (and his nurse) all about it 2 weeks ago and they just

nodded. So I assumed he was giving me the freedom to manage my pain,

just like with prednisone.

But when I went to refill the hydrocodone (way early, I'd gone thru 4

months worth in 2 months,) his nurse said that since I was " self

medicating, " the doc would prescribe one more month at one dose a day

and then he would NEVER give me narcotics again. Plus they were sending

a letter to that effect.

I was so freaked out. I mean, I have another 40 years or so to deal with

this disease and knowing that the letter would follow me forever and

that I'd probably be denied pain meds because it would look like a was

an addict and a drug seeker scared me to death. I thought I'd have to

find a new rh and was terrified of that, too, because this one has been

so kind and nice and helped me so much.

Oh, and the nurse said to go to a pain management clinic, but I'm

already going to PT for a herniated disc and my cervical spine, but the

latter is getting worse.

So I figured I had to talk to him and I made an appt with him, only I

couldn't get in till July 27th. But luckily there was a cancellation

today. I was so afraid to go in and talk to him about it. He's a

specialist, how on earth could I " confront " someoone with so much power,

especially power over my quality of life?

But I knew we had to talk because I couldn't understand why he'd been

okay with it before and then just cut me off. I mean, if he would have

told me 2 weeks ago to stop doing it, that he didn't want me

" self-medicating " , I would totally have done what he said.

I cried for at least half the appt and told him what I was feeling and

thinking and why and how I'd been taking the hydrocodone, and he was so

nice. Early in the appt he said, " I don't want this to be a battle,

either, we'll work through it. " He explained why he'd done and felt what

he did, and it made sense.

In the end he believed me and upped my dose of hydrocodone to what I was

hoping for and ordered an MRI of my cervical spine, and we'll also be

going up on the lyrica, which is helping my finger pain a little and may

eventually help the cervical spine, too. Plus I'm gonna see if he can

refer me to PTs who know about RA.

So, I still have my trusted, kind rh and I still have pain meds. Of

course I've learned my " lesson, " I will now be SO careful.

I know so many of you have it so much worse, you can't get pain meds at

all, and I'm so sorry. So thanks for listening to my story - if you've

made it this far - even though I know a lot of you are hurting and

have much worse stuff going on. I just needed to vent and let it out.

This group is a lifesaver

Take care,