New here, read many posts, inspired me to write my story

Background: Was in a car accident 1/8. This impacted my sciatica nerve. Has caused lots of foot pain since then. The only treatment is time. Hopefully the nerves grow back, but they grow slowly.

I was supposed to meet with a pain management specialist yesterday. This appointment had been made 2/5 or so. More than a month to get in. MY PCP knew of this appointment and told me that the prescription I got from him would be the last. He was turning any prescriptions for pain over to the pain management Dr and any prescriptions for nerve stuff to the neurosurgeon I have. I arrive there 15 minutes early. I know that there are usually massive amounts of paperwork, it's better to check in and show that you are ready and excited about treatment.

The receptionist says to me, "Do you have your paperwork?"

"What paperwork?" I reply?

"The paperwork we sent to you."

I am now confused. "I have not seen any paperwork from your office. I have not had any communication with you, since the referral was created and the nurse called your office."

The office manager walks over. "Well, the computer system says that we sent it to you on February 26."

I sigh. "OK, I never saw it. But, that's why I came early, can I have the paperwork and fill it out before I meet the doctor?"

"Oh no," she says. "We won't see anyone without the paperwork completed. Can we reschedule you?"

"Umm, I've been waiting for these appointment for more than a month. Is there any way that I can maybe fill out the paper work now?"

"No," she says. "We can't see you if the paperwork isn't done when you come into the office."

"Did you send it return receipt?" I question. "Is there any record that I received this paperwork? Any record that it made it into the mail?"

"It says it in the computer and we rely on the computer," she states. "If it says we sent it, you should have it now."

"Look, my Dr has said that he won't write me any more prescriptions. That's why I am here. You aren't going to see me without paperwork that I never saw? Seriously?"

With a pained look on her face, she bitterly speaks, "I can reschedule you. We cannot see you without this paperwork. Those are your options. It is our policy not to see a patient who arrives without their paperwork. This is stated in the packet we sent you." (She didn't make the connection that because I never received the paperwork, I never knew about this policy.)

Stunned, I look at her. I wonder, how could someone who works at a pain management office be so uncaring? I wouldn't want to be treated here if it was the last pain management clinic around. "I do not want to reschedule," I tell her. I turn to leave.

My father had made the drive down to see me. He is concerned about how much pain I am in and wants to make sure that I am OK. He was looking forward to this appointment to decide on what a path of treatment could look like. When he came down I was loopy from a heavy dose of Lyrica. I could see that the way I talked was frightening him. It was going to be nice to have a meeting with a doctor who could treat me more effectively than a PCP and it was going to be nice for him to see that I could get better.

I met him at the door of the doctor's office; I was heading out, he was coming in. "What's going on?" he asked.

"They won't see me," I said. "They say I don't have paperwork filled out. I never received the paperwork they sent. But I can't go in."

He is stunned and follows me back to his car. Right as I go to get in all of my troubles fill my mind. I am going to have to go through Opiate withdrawals tonight AND be in a tremendous amount of pain. The only other option is to go to an emergency room where I can sit for several hours, get treated like an addict trying to scam pills and maybe get a script, but feel like less than a human. I won't let that happen without a fight.

I stop halfway into the car and reverse direction (not easy on crutches). I tell my pop, "I am going to go back in there," as I crutch my way back into the entrance.

I pass through the doors and head to the admit window. "Is there an essay?" I question.

"Excuse me?"

"On the paperwork. I can't complete it in the fifteen minutes that I budgeted for exactly this type of problem. Is there an essay on this paperwork that makes it so difficult to complete? That forces a person to complete it at home?" I am speaking forcefully. I am not yelling. I am speaking in the tone of voice that people use when they want answers, when they want the status quo to change.

"Hey, she is just a receptionist. I am the office manager. You can't talk to her that way. She doesn't know what is going on? We won't see you!"

"Ma'am, I cannot get another script from my PCP. If I can't get in to see the doctor I cannot get a prescription for pain. If I don't get a prescription here I am either lying in agony at night or in the Emergency Room. I need help and you won't give it to me," as my voice raises. "You are refusing to see me and you are refusing me care." I have said all that I can. My best efforts to persuade these people are done and I have said all that I can think of to say.

"We will call your doctor and we will get you the paperwork and we will reschedule you," the office manager says icily. "That is all we will do."

"Fine," I say.

"Now please have a seat. You are blocking other patients (no one is behind me)."

"I will stand over here," I inform her. It hurts when I sit.

She shuts the glass of the receptionist window

After 5 minutes or so, someone who was sitting in the waiting room comes to the window. "Sorry man," I say to him.

"No prob bro," he replies. "Feel bad for you."

After another 10 minutes of waiting she comes back with a manila envelope. "I called your doctor, he said to come over (she does not give a time). Here is the paperwork," and she indicates what is in the envelope.

Standing at the window I open the folder to look at the paperwork for the first time. "What are you doing?" she exclaims. "You can't do that here!" Again, no one is behind me.

As I glance through the 17 pages, it quickly becomes clear that 6 or so are information, another 6 are waivers that need to be signed, 3 of the pages require a signature and initials and 2 pages actually require the person to fill something out. "This is what I couldn't fill out in the 15 minutes I specifically arrived early? This should take me 5 minutes tops!"

"Sir, you did not have it done, you cannot do it here, the policy was mailed to you!"

"Sure thing," I say as I walk through the doors for the second time that day.

The rescheduled appointment; April 21.

The most recent rating of the Doctor I was supposed to see on RateMDs.com:
This is the most unprofessional doctor I have ever encountered. He dresses slovenly, has screamed at me in his office during visits, using obscenities, and will take sales reps over client visits, leaving you to wait in the waiting room during your appointment. He over-prescribes narcotics, and then accuses his patients of being addicts, then threatens to cut them off, bringing on withdrawal symptoms. He definitely blames the patient if they fail to respond to medications that he has given. He tends to try to push the drugs from the sales reps that give incentives, regardless of their effect on his patients. Requires an office visit for all prescription refills (as do all doctors) but will then force the patient to go without medication for several days because he refuses to see them. He has mocked patients behind their back, to me, which makes me think he would do the same to me. If you can possibly avoid him, DO SO!!!!

My dad drives me to my PCP's office. There is no parking anywhere near the building, so he waits in the car while I run up to find out exactly when my doctor can see me. it is now 2:45. The entire fiasco, including the 15 minute drive back only lasted 30 minutes past when my appointment should have started. I go to the desk where they inform me that my appointment is at 4pm. Thanks for letting me know.

I go back down and tell my dad that he should probably head home. It's a 1.5 hour drive home for him.

So, I wait for a while and am finally called back to one of the rooms. The nurse comes in to take my blood pressure, pulse and temperature. Not surprising, all were elevated. The Dr comes into the room perhaps five minutes after she leaves.

"What happened at the office today?" he asks me.

"Well," I say. "The office required me to bring in some paperwork that they claimed they sent me. I had not received the paperwork. I had no notice there would be paperwork that I would need to bring in. When the appointment was scheduled by a nurse here, no one told me to watch for communication from their office. Even though I arrived early I couldn't fill out the paperwork and see the doctor. Because of this..."

"Dr O**** called me," he interrupts. "He won't see you again. You threatened and frightened his office staff. This makes me rethink our relationship."

"Wait," I exclaim. "He said what? At no time was a threatening or frightening to anyone. I spoke forcefully, but I was upset. He wouldn't see me. At no time did I act threatening and at no time did I verbally state threats."

"Well," the doctor said as he folded his hands on his belly, "I just know he said that the the staff felt threatened."

"What exactly did he say I did," I questioned.

"He said that you were impolite."

"Huh? I realize I am a law student, not yet a lawyer, but no reasonable person would interpret impolite as threatening. Many people are rude, it would be ridiculous to say they were threatening me," amazed at what he just said.

"They also said that you were unprofessional," the doctor claimed.

"Unprofessional? I was not there in any professional capacity. I was there as a patient. A patient they wouldn't see."

"Yes," said the general practitioner. "He also said that you announced to the waiting room that they refused to treat you."

"I didn't say anything to the waiting room directly," I quickly said, denying his claim. "I said they were refusing me care and refusing to treat me because they were refusing to treat me. I may have said that loudly enough for the waiting room to hear, but I didn't speak directly to the waiting room. The only non-staff person I spoke to was one gentleman who came up to the window. I apologized for being in his way."

Continuing, I questioned, "Did they claim any verbal threats? Did they claim any threatening actions? I am on crutches. I stayed on crutches the entire time I was speaking to someone. Dr. O**** came into the office area twice while this exchange occurred. He also left. If I had been acting in such a threatening manner, why would he leave? Wouldn't he have told me to shut up?"

"I don't know," the doctor responded. "I wish I could have been a fly on the wall. What I do know is that this incident has changed our relationship. Coupled with your lack of sleep, I cannot help you anymore, unless you meet with a Mental Health Professional. I feel that you may be Bi-Polar and/or suffering from Delusions of Grandeur. Insisting on treatment in the way you did is not proper. I will write you a script for a week, which will give you a chance to talk to someone. If you do, I can see you again."

Dumbfounded I pick out the easiest flaw in what he just said, "Doc, even if I do, we are on Spring Break next week. You won't be here."

"Oh, then I guess I will write them for two."

So, I then had to go into his office, call the mental health hotline for the school and set up an appointment for a "Triage Session." Tomorrow morning at 8:30, I can look forward to speaking with someone who will say I have problems even if I don't. Mental health people are like substance abuse people: You either admit that you have a problem or you're either in denial and have a problem.

What a day.

oddibemcd

OMG!!!  You must know that I have steam and lava shooting out my ears... I cannot stand it when something I say or do is blown out of proportion and I can't make anyone believe me!! It's like you're in a different world or something and everyone else is speaking a different language and no matter what you say it's wrong.

 

OMG!!! I had to say that again.  What a bunch of jacka*^$*!!  I am so sorry that you had to go through that..in pain on top of that.  And to have your Dr. side with them is just a slap in the face.  He knows you better then that...

 

It seems to me that you need to find another PCP anyway, one that can refer you to a decent PM Dr.  This is all a blessing in disguise even though it may not seem like it now.

 

My thoughts are with you...And Welcome to the Nut House!!  Just kidding, but you will def fit in with the rest of us.

 

Me.

Thank you all for your kind words. Yes, one of the first things I did was to call around until I found another PCP (Primary Care Physician) that was accepting new patients. My dad, who has been a great help during all this, managed to find a pain psychologist who will see me after I obtain a referral, which I plan to do when I meet with my new doctor. I was hurt that the doctor who I had been seeing every week since I came back to campus didn't even listen to me. If he had fully heard both accounts and passed judgment, I could have understood it. Instead, he had already made his decision when I walked in the door. I am on a fairly substantial regimen of opiates. Currently I take 20mg oxycodone ER 3X day, 5mg oxycodone IR 6X day and 10/325 hydrocodone/APAP 6X a day. I would hate to think what cold turkey would have been like. I have been on some form of opiates every day since the accident in early January. I just think the doctor at school is used to 19 year old kids who have hangovers. When I first met him he told me that he prescribed oxycodone maybe three times a year. He's already written me 5 scripts. He hadn't heard of Roxicodone (or the generic equivalent) which blew my mind.

The problems I have moving forward are:

1) Meeting with the psychiatrist. There are many wonderful people in the mental health profession. I am worried I don't meet with one of those. Even though I am not going to continue to see this Dr, I am going to have to have my records forwarded. I am sure there is already a notation about the incident in my chart. If it's compounded by a refusal to follow medical advice, I am sure any doctor I have in the future is going to be very wary of treating me. So, I am going to meet with the psychiatrist and hope that he/she realizes that I reacted like any reasonable person would have when given such a frustrating scenario.

2) It seems as if any pain management people I am set up with will require a contract. Standard clauses are that only the pain management doctor gives pain meds and that the prescriptions are filled in the same place at the same time. Well, I am in school. My summer job is two hours away. If I am set up near school I have a problem. If I am set up near work I have a problem. I am leaning towards setting someone up near work. Hopefully by the time August comes I am off heavy duty medications and I've already burned my bridges at one of the two pain places in the little city where my school is.

To Hello Kitty: I see that your goal is to go back to school and become a nurse. I wanted to tell you that I have been able to continue law school with my problem. It's been tough and there have been times I wasn't sure I would make it (heck, still not positive), but if you really want it and you try, I bet you can do it. Plus, its nice sometimes to have other problems to focus on. Best of luck.

Hi Odd,

 

I too want to welcome you to Healing Well. If you have read any of the posts you found there is a whole lot of people on here in the same boat you are, chronic pain. You could not have found a better place to hang your hat. Everyone tries to help each other out, whether its a shoulder to cry on, vent, someone to talk to, just need an ear to have someone listen, but most of all understand chronic pain

 

I was totally floored when I read what happened at the pain mgts office. Totally uncalled for on their part, but you know it may have been a blessing in disguise. After you wrote what you did, on rate the dr, thats darn sure one you want to avoid like the plague, so something good came out of that. One thing I would do if possible is copy that rating and drop it off at the old PCP's office in an evelope marked personal & confidential. I would also make an extra copy for  myself and if that incident should ever come up, I would say this is what I found out about this dr after he refused to see me and I am so glad he did refuse to see me. I am truly sorry you had to go thru this whole mess, whats worse is that arrogant PCP of yours taking the stand he did. He knows you better than that and what he pulled on you is not much different than the other one. Good riddance to both of those arrogant pompous ********.  

 

Yes, you are right about the Contract thing. All of them pretty much has this as standard office procedure. The FDA seems to think this will help weed out the pill & thrill seekers, along with the randome UA's.

 

Its a sad thing, but people talk about CPer's being depressed, no wonder, look at what you just went thru, give me a break. I could really get on my soap box here but not tonight lol. Anyway, hope you will  decide to hang out and be a part of the forum....Susie

Odd,

Wow! I too am appalled at the reaction of your PM's office! Demanding that you have paperwork with you which you never received & then not allowing you to fill out the paperwork prior to being seen is just ABSURD! It's not like we're talking about medical records, which would have had to have been faxed over or requested ahead of time, it's just a couple of forms! And you were early! Really! I also don't think that your pcp's reaction was right. Yes, he should value the opinion of another professional, but he should also value the opinion of his patient & not pass judgement until he has heard both sides of the story! Is your (former) pcp affiliated with your school? I'm in college as well (although it sounds like you are in law school?). I generally feel that the nurse practitioners & one doc that staff our clinic are good at treating simple problems, like common illnesses & minor injuries, but they aren't so helpful when it comes to more complicated problems. I'd never even dream of getting them involved with my pain issues, as I am a highly unusual case in multiple respects. Docs affiliated with your school might be more likely to treat you as a student, rather than an adult, as well.

You did mention the issue of having to use one pharmacy while living two places. Yes, I can pretty much guarantee that any pain contract you sign will state that you can only use one pharmacy. I can completely relate to your predicament. My school, where I live during the week throughout the school year, as well as most of the summer, is an hour and a half away from the area in which I live & the area where the majority of my docs, including my doc who is in charge of my pain management, are located. The pharmacy that I use is in the area near my docs. This means that often I have to drive all the way home just to pick up & fill a script, which is extremely inconvenient (I just made one of those runs tonight, only to discover that I have to return later in the week b/c they didn't have enough of one of my meds, which means I have to get a new script too, ugh). I almost changed pharmacies today to one located near me at school. I got my doc to okay it, but then I decided that it would be just as inconvenient as I would still have to drive an hour & a half to pick up the scripts! And then what about the month or two out of the year that I don't live near school?! There is just no easy way to do it. I was hoping my doc would say that it is okay for me to use both pharmacies, because of my special circumstances, but unfortunately, that is not the case. You're probably going to run into the same problem & will also end up choosing one pharmacy or another. It stinks to have to jump through all these hoops.

Oh, and welcome to HW:CP! You'll find that this is a great place for support!

Skeye

Oddibemcd,
I also want to welcome you to the chronic pain forum. I wish I could say the treatment you ran into was some wild aberration, but it's not. Sadly, I think too much of health care is being driving by black and white thinking and CYA mentality, especially by office staff - the latter of whom may be (or have been at one time) caring, but completely overwhelmed. And I think how the office is run is to an extent a reflection of the doctor(s), and also a reflection of how people are being trained these days. Still, there are caring people. You can accomplisht he same thing, but just with a caring attitude. Somewhere the ability to think, and take what should have been a simple "grey" area (your not receiving the forms) and make some minor adjustment and have you complete the forms there, well, that seems to have been lost to rigid procedures.

It's late and I'm rambling so I'll stop, but one thing I would say is that you may have to decide whether you want to be right or whether you want to just be effective in terms of how you approach a psych. eval., etc. I'm not saying you're wrong, but the doctors are already documenting some negative things, and you need to somehow show that's really not how you behave. I think it's a matter of catching more flies with honey than vinegar.

I'm tired so I'd better stop, but I did want to add my welcome!

PaLady

Wow, just wow. I really can't believe they had the nerve to treat you that way. What a disgrace. I am glad that you didn't just take it and smile and say please may I have some more. I wish you the best of luck with your new doctors!