RE: ER Fun. NOT! some advice please???

December 14, 2007

Can your gp give you a prescription for some kind of stronger pain

medicine in the meantime while you are waiting for the pain management

doctor to get your records?

December 14, 2007

I really and truly feel for you. I hope you are doing better now. I know how bad

the pain can get. It causes allsorts of bad things. BTW, if neither demerol or

dilaudid help you, what does? I thought those were the highest end of the pain

med spectrum. I really don't KNOW what you can do, but I THINK you should be

able to pick up transcripts of your medical records from your doctor. I mean,

they should place them in your hands, then you can hand-deliver them to the pain

doctor. I have always been given things like my X-rays to show other doctors. I

pick them up, give them to the doctor, then bring them back to the first doctor.

It takes a bit of running around, but it is a sure thing. That being said, when

I switched PCPs, my old PCP was meant to send my records to my new one. I filled

out all the paperwork and paid a fee. My new doctor got only the record of my

final appointment, nothing else. This despite at least a dozen phone calls from

me. I had a THICK folder at my old doctor's, 10 times thicker than the one I now

have at my new doctor. Also, my old doctor refused, apparently, to send my

records each month to my psychiatric care facility. I signed the release for

those as well, he just wouldn't send them. He also refused to cooperate with

them when it came to prescribing for me. He was just an all-around A--H---!!

Luckily, my new doctor did get copies of my med records from WA, they're just

missing the three or so years I spent with the A--H---!!! He told me that Doctor

A's records weren't that important, he just filled in the gaps by 'interviewing'

me. I was able to get my hospital records for him, as well as the records from

my rheumy. If it had been important to him, I would have insisted Dr A give me

my records right then and there. They ARE our records. We are entitled to them.

We paid for them, at least the visits. AND I paid a $25.00 fee to have them

transferred. I would have been (and still am) curious to see what they wrote.

This is probably why they never sent them to my new doctor.

I am praying that this mess will get straightened out and you will get to

feeling much better very soon. Asthma is not to be fooled around with. Please

let us know how you are doing.

Peace and Love

Caroline

> Last night I had a BAD night. I was in so much pain I actually had

> an asthma attack. I started to go into shock so my mom called an

> ambulance. I kept telling the ambulance drivers... this is because I

> am in pain. I get to the er. Bear in mind, this is about 7 pm. When

> a doctor FINALLY drags his butt over to me, I am explaining about

> the pain, which on a 1-10 scale, was a thirty seven. He is

> like " Fibromyalgia? Riiiight... we'll get you some loritab. " Dude,

> Ive been on loritab so long that it wont do anything for me. Demerol

> either. It just doesnt help. So what does he do? Gives me demerol

> and zofran. Then they didnt care about pain anymore. Finally I had

> to tell them. You will not get my breathing right until you get me

> some relief. A few shots of dilaudid later, they are like " well...

> we have maxed out what we can give you. Want us to admit you? " I'm

> like... " why? What can anyone upstairs do that you cant? " the Dr is

> like " well...uhh...nothing... " I am like " Then no. I want to go

> home. You cant help me apparently. " I was stuck on that stupid

> gurney (which to someone in a bad flare is like hell on earth) until

> 1 am. They sent me home with an inhaler and some tylox. Something

> else that doesnt help.

>

> Meanwhile, they are all like " well why arent you going to a pain

> management doctor IF its this bad? " Because up till 2 days ago I

> didnt have insurance. they are like " well, if what you say is true

> and its this bad, I would think you would figure out how to pay for

> it... " Look, I dont make 6 figures a year. I cant even work because

> its that bad. No insurance=no medical treatment. Thats the bottom

> line. Pain care doctors usually dont bill. usually they want payment

> up front. I cant do that without insurance. They were just like " Uh

> huh...yeah. " Like they didnt believe me.

>

> The pain care doctor I have been referred to wont let me book an

> appointment until they get my records. My records have been faxed to

> them 3 times. They claim they dont have it. What makes this fishy is

> that my records were in the same transmission as the referral forms,

> and they have those. Just no records. They have jerked me around 2

> weeks now. I told the lady " I am in severe pain. Please help me.

> What do I need to do? " she was like " see if they will mail us the

> records I guess.. that will take about a week, maybe 2 for them to

> get here and be processed. " I am like " that wont work. I am in

> enough pain to be crying now. " shes like... " everyone that calls us

> is in pain ma'am. Sorry. " and hung up.

>

> What do I do here? My gp is the only doctor ive been able to see in

> a few months. I dont have money to bounce around doctors until I

> find another that will refer me. My rheumie wont even return calls

> when I ask for a referral unless i come in for an appt, and i dont

> have money for that. I have talked to the GP's office, they said

> they are trying to figure out what the pain doctors office's issue

> is, but to no avail thus far. My gp is a good doctor and their

> office is helpful, but busy. They said they are still trying

> though... but how long do I have to wait? The ER cant even help me

> and they are skeptical to even refer me because i think they think I

> am faking or just a pill seeker. Yeah. I am Faking a pain induced

> asthma attack and going into shock. Yeahhh....

>

> Please... any advice is welcome

>

> --Suzanne

____________________________________________________________

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December 14, 2007

You can threaten them with the state medical board... that's what i

had to do back in 2005 to get my records from my ob/gyn to my gyn

surgeon... not fun, but i got them!!!

>

> I really and truly feel for you. I hope you are doing better now. I

know how bad the pain can get. It causes allsorts of bad things. BTW,

if neither demerol or dilaudid help you, what does? I thought those

were the highest end of the pain med spectrum. I really don't KNOW

what you can do, but I THINK you should be able to pick up

transcripts of your medical records from your doctor. I mean, they

should place them in your hands, then you can hand-deliver them to

the pain doctor. I have always been given things like my X-rays to

show other doctors. I pick them up, give them to the doctor, then

bring them back to the first doctor. It takes a bit of running

around, but it is a sure thing. That being said, when I switched

PCPs, my old PCP was meant to send my records to my new one. I filled

out all the paperwork and paid a fee. My new doctor got only the

record of my final appointment, nothing else. This despite at least a

dozen phone calls from me. I had a THICK folder at my old doctor's,

10 times thicker than the one I now have at my new doctor. Also, my

old doctor refused, apparently, to send my records each month to my

psychiatric care facility. I signed the release for those as well, he

just wouldn't send them. He also refused to cooperate with them when

it came to prescribing for me. He was just an all-around A--H---!!

Luckily, my new doctor did get copies of my med records from WA,

they're just missing the three or so years I spent with the A--H---

!!! He told me that Doctor A's records weren't that important, he

just filled in the gaps by 'interviewing' me. I was able to get my

hospital records for him, as well as the records from my rheumy. If

it had been important to him, I would have insisted Dr A give me my

records right then and there. They ARE our records. We are entitled

to them. We paid for them, at least the visits. AND I paid a $25.00

fee to have them transferred. I would have been (and still am)

curious to see what they wrote. This is probably why they never sent

them to my new doctor.

>

> I am praying that this mess will get straightened out and you will

get to feeling much better very soon. Asthma is not to be fooled

around with. Please let us know how you are doing.

>

> Peace and Love

> Caroline

>

> > Last night I had a BAD night. I was in so much pain I actually had

> > an asthma attack. I started to go into shock so my mom called an

> > ambulance. I kept telling the ambulance drivers... this is

because I

> > am in pain. I get to the er. Bear in mind, this is about 7 pm.

When

> > a doctor FINALLY drags his butt over to me, I am explaining about

> > the pain, which on a 1-10 scale, was a thirty seven. He is

> > like " Fibromyalgia? Riiiight... we'll get you some loritab. " Dude,

> > Ive been on loritab so long that it wont do anything for me.

Demerol

> > either. It just doesnt help. So what does he do? Gives me demerol

> > and zofran. Then they didnt care about pain anymore. Finally I had

> > to tell them. You will not get my breathing right until you get me

> > some relief. A few shots of dilaudid later, they are like " well...

> > we have maxed out what we can give you. Want us to admit you? " I'm

> > like... " why? What can anyone upstairs do that you cant? " the Dr

is

> > like " well...uhh...nothing... " I am like " Then no. I want to go

> > home. You cant help me apparently. " I was stuck on that stupid

> > gurney (which to someone in a bad flare is like hell on earth)

until

> > 1 am. They sent me home with an inhaler and some tylox. Something

> > else that doesnt help.

> >

> > Meanwhile, they are all like " well why arent you going to a pain

> > management doctor IF its this bad? " Because up till 2 days ago I

> > didnt have insurance. they are like " well, if what you say is true

> > and its this bad, I would think you would figure out how to pay

for

> > it... " Look, I dont make 6 figures a year. I cant even work

because

> > its that bad. No insurance=no medical treatment. Thats the bottom

> > line. Pain care doctors usually dont bill. usually they want

payment

> > up front. I cant do that without insurance. They were just

like " Uh

> > huh...yeah. " Like they didnt believe me.

> >

> > The pain care doctor I have been referred to wont let me book an

> > appointment until they get my records. My records have been faxed

to

> > them 3 times. They claim they dont have it. What makes this fishy

is

> > that my records were in the same transmission as the referral

forms,

> > and they have those. Just no records. They have jerked me around 2

> > weeks now. I told the lady " I am in severe pain. Please help me.

> > What do I need to do? " she was like " see if they will mail us the

> > records I guess.. that will take about a week, maybe 2 for them to

> > get here and be processed. " I am like " that wont work. I am in

> > enough pain to be crying now. " shes like... " everyone that calls

us

> > is in pain ma'am. Sorry. " and hung up.

> >

> > What do I do here? My gp is the only doctor ive been able to see

in

> > a few months. I dont have money to bounce around doctors until I

> > find another that will refer me. My rheumie wont even return calls

> > when I ask for a referral unless i come in for an appt, and i dont

> > have money for that. I have talked to the GP's office, they said

> > they are trying to figure out what the pain doctors office's issue

> > is, but to no avail thus far. My gp is a good doctor and their

> > office is helpful, but busy. They said they are still trying

> > though... but how long do I have to wait? The ER cant even help me

> > and they are skeptical to even refer me because i think they

think I

> > am faking or just a pill seeker. Yeah. I am Faking a pain induced

> > asthma attack and going into shock. Yeahhh....

> >

> > Please... any advice is welcome

> >

> > --Suzanne

>

> ____________________________________________________________

> FREE 3D EARTH SCREENSAVER - Watch the Earth right on your desktop!

> Check it out at http://www.crawler.com/earth

>

December 16, 2007

I'm so sorry you had an awful experience, Suzanne. I don't have any advice,

but I will pray for you. Sometimes the ER docs can be really stupid.

Remember we care and are here to listen.

Jeanne in WI

> Last night I had a BAD night. I was in so much pain I actually had an

> asthma attack. I started to go into shock so my mom called an ambulance. I

> kept telling the ambulance drivers... this is because I am in pain. I get

> to the er. Bear in mind, this is about 7 pm. When a doctor FINALLY drags

> his butt over to me, I am explaining about the pain, which on a 1-10

> scale, was a thirty seven. He is like " Fibromyalgia? Riiiight... we'll get

> you some loritab. " Dude, Ive been on loritab so long that it wont do

> anything for me. Demerol either. It just doesnt help. So what does he do?

> Gives me demerol and zofran. Then they didnt care about pain anymore.

> Finally I had

> to tell them. You will not get my breathing right until you get me some

> relief. A few shots of dilaudid later, they are like " well...

> we have maxed out what we can give you.

December 16, 2007

Oh, that's good advice, Caroline. Suzanne, you have the right to keep a

copy of your medical records for yourself, even. Then, it is your

perogative who to share them with.

Jeanne in WI

>I really and truly feel for you. I hope you are doing better now. I know

>how bad the pain can get. It causes allsorts of bad things. BTW, if neither

>demerol or dilaudid help you, what does? I thought those were the highest

>end of the pain med spectrum. I really don't KNOW what you can do, but I

>THINK you should be able to pick up transcripts of your medical records

>from your doctor. I mean, they should place them in your hands, then you

>can hand-deliver them to the pain doctor.

December 16, 2007

I understand that completely. I can't take Vicoden ES until I'm blue in the

face. well, not literally blue, but. anyway, it does nothing for me anymore

and the doctor doesn't seem to believe it because that's what she orders. I

end up taking more trying to get some relief and then I'm out of it and am

scared to death to ask for anymore because of the obvious drug addict it

will show me to be. NOT, but that's how the doctor's think. It's

ridiculous.

Tigger (Ruth) in Rhode Island

_____

From: Fibromyalgia_Support_Group