Hang on guys, I'm really on a rant, so this may be a little long.
As I've probably posted about this previously, in addition to my chronic pain issues with my back, knees, and migraines, I've had a mysterious stomach pain return. I orignally had an illusive GI bleed about a year ago. I spent several days in the hospital, and after the usual tests, the GI doc decided the problem must be in the area of my gastric bypass, which they actually couldn't get to for investigation. Thus, they gave me some meds, and the problem eventually went away.
Well, it's a year later and the pain is back worse than before. I tried to manage it for a couple of months, but it just kept hurting more each day. I went to the ER for the intense pain, but I was told as a "CP" patient, they wouldn't treat me for pain. Excuse me, but this is a new "acute" pain issue...but that fell on deaf ears. My PCP sent an appointment request to my GI doc, but I couldn't see him for almost two months, but I could see a nurse practictioner in three weeks. Saw her, and she scheduled me for an endoscopy with the doctor about three weeks later. That was two weeks ago. She refused to prescribe any pain meds, saying that my PCP had to handle any pain prescriptions. HE was hoping the GI people would handle the pain meds for my stomach pain. HOT POTATO once again. I got a upgrade from Lortab to Percocet by my PCP, but he made it very clear that this upgrade was only temporary. The difference in my quality of life between Lortab and Percocet is like night and day. The Percocet has allowed me to actually do some housework that I haven't been able to do in months. I really need to stay on the Percocet. However, my PCP also refuses to write any refills on a pain prescription, so I have to go through a big hassle every week. I needed to get a refill last week, when my PCP was out of the office. I also needed a new Atenolol prescription at a higher dose, a monthly prescription. The on-call doctor wrote out the two prescriptions and I had to pick them up from the doctors office. Well, running low on the perococet, which was 30 pills, prescribed to take 1 or 2 every 4 hours, I stopped by the doctor's office today(in case there was any hassle) to get a refill prescription.
This is where the incompetence gets ridiculous. I explained the situation to the office clerk, who took a message and said she'd take it back to the doctor. Well, the chick took my chart to my PCP's nurse, who glansed at the file and told her the prescription was not up for a refill yet. When the chick at the desk came back, she told me the percocet was a thirty day prescription. I told her how it was prescribed, and she countered that the thirty day prescription was for one pill per day. I told her that it didn't make any sense and asked if I could talk to the nurse. She went back and checked, then reported that the nurse was tied up with patients. I was so thrown by the craziness, I forgot about getting the two prescriptions last week, and that they must be mixing up the two prescription instructions into one. This chick basically said there wasn't anything else she could do, so I'd have to schedule another appointment with my doctor, but she didn't think that would make any difference.
I was absolutely livid. I have an acute pain situation on my hands, and won't get it addressed for another week by the GI Dr. I need another percocet prescription to keep me going until then. I'm going to have to call my DR's office first thing in the morning and get another appointment to handle something that should have just taken a couple of minutes dropping by the office today. I'm so sick of people that can't get the gyst of a situation, and can't even read the information in a chart correctly. ARRRGGGGHHH!!!! I am so sick and tired of having to fight all the time, just to get enough meds to exist from week to week. I don't understand why I have to go through this every freaking week. Being in pain is enough of a bad situation to deal with on a daily basis, but I just shouldn't have to fight with my DR all the time just to have a minimum quality of life. I'm at my wits end, and on top of everything, I ended up getting a migraine.
Some days I just don't know how much longer I can take all this struggle. I'm just so tired of feeling rotten all the time, and just when I think things might start to be getting a little bit better, I get totally smacked down again. You know, getting a decent level of pain control shouldn't be such a ridiculously hard thing to do. There are so many people here that on lucky to be on much more potent pain medications, I just don't understand why I have such a hassle with some fairly pitiful percocet. Heck, it's not like I'm making a fuss over some serious Oxycontin or Fentenyl patches. The b:tch at the DR's office told me to take some tylenol. She's lucky I didn't slap her across the face.
CALGON...TAKE ME AWAY!!!
Leigh Ann a.k.a CRANKY1(in a major way)