Early Apt?

If you've had any tests done recently it could be to discuss that.
Otherwise, my best guess would be that it's a meds check.

Could be to discuss results, could be for another one.

Why are you freaking out?

As long as you know you have done nothing wrong I would not get too worked up, thats not good for you anyway. Sure, it is is a surprise to say the least but I think you will be ok. One thought perhaps is on the day of your drug testing had you taken any OTC meds before having the screen done?

Try to not worry so much, I feel sure if it were something that has the drs concerned you would be seen even sooner. Take care.

Susie

   Dear Donna,

     No worry! Going in early can be a good thing. You already have a full plate, so no need to weight down your busy work load with unneeded stress! It could just be something simple he may have forgotten or he might want to try something new. You never know.

*warm hugg*
      dani

Surprise doctor visits ould mean alot of things. Mostly it could be something in your urine test like other's have said, and they wanna go over the results with you. If they asked you to bring in your meds, it could be a count, also sometimes they do random UA tests and maybe your name got pulled up (it's usually always random and is nothing personal). Sometimes people who abuse their meds will make sure that their urine is clean at appointment time and think they can abuse during other times, so maybe they just wanna make sure that your still following the rules. If your UA test did come back for something positive that you didn't take, then ask for a retake or a blood test, or maybe it showed that their is too little meds in your system and they need to check how your metabolizing......or like others have said, your doctor is leaving on vacation, or maybe your doctor found out some new treatment that could be good for you and wants you to try it....

Just being your medication in with you to show them that you have what you should have, and just in case, write a list of EVERYTHING otc and prescription that you took around that time, maybe something you took made your UA show back up positive for something that you didn't do. I have a list saved on my computer from another sight that shows everything that can make a UA show up positive for illegal or not prescribed drugs, it's a HUGE list. If you doctor says there is something there, then ask me and maybe I can e-mail the list to you so you can look up everything you took...

Just stay calm, if you did something wrong then you would of gotten a letter explaining. Just take a deep breath, and remind yourself that your doing everything your suppose to so nothing should be wrong...

-kitty

Thank you guys for all the info, I am feeling a little better now... But I am still thinking it might have something to do with the UA. I had no idea how in depth they were... Maybe it was the OTC cold medicine I took or something...? If there is something wrong, or whatever, I will DEFFINATLY ask to have another one done!! But your right, no sence in worring myself over this when I cant do a thing about it right now anyways.... I guess I will just save all my anxiety for tomorrow, right b4 the apt. lol
Thanks so much guys!
This is why I love you all!!

Donna if you took an OTC cold medication before this screening, by all means take that with you to this appt . Very good chance it messed up the screening. Usually when a UA is done they ask what medications you take including OTC. Sounds like they will do a pill count.

Take care.

Susie

I wouldn't panic over being short one pill. Talk to your doctor. Maybe he has some suggestions about how to prevent that from happening in the future.

It is very important to follow the rules to keep both you & your doctor from getting in trouble, but PM's usually aren't in the business of playing "gotcha" with their patients who are typically very good & make a tiny mistake.

All I can say is "be honest, be honest, be honest". Trying to cover something up or make up excuses will only lead to trouble. If you're short, fess up. Apologize. Don't let it happen again.

I get worried too, though. The very first time I came up short was the first month that my PM implemented a universal testing policy. I totally panicked. He asked me what happened, how much I had in my system & what I was going to do to keep it from happening again. I had a few extra tests for a while, but now things are back to normal.

It's up to each PM how to handle those kinds of things, but usually honest patients who make a one-time mistake are shown mercy. Conversely, I've yet to see someone get caught, lie about it & come out okay. Just take a couple deep breaths, be completely honest & trust your PM to show a sliver of humanity. If this is your first mistake and s/he freaks over one pill, you're probably still okay to find another PM -- though you should expect to be watched a bit more closely.

take care,
frances

Just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you and to let you know that I wish you well at your appointment today. Be sure to let us know how it goes.

Donna, I'm sorry that this has turned out to be a slightly bigger issue now. If you gave them another sample right then, should they not get the results within a day or two, if ordered stat? I'm sure it would be normal, and your doctor would realize you don't need to see an addictions counsellor.

Even if you do still have to go see one, I'm sure before the first visit is up that the counsellor would know you're not in need of their help, and that would be the end of it.

Please don't give up. I know you must be frustrated beyond measure, but try to hang in there. You need to keep your pain treated and I don't think you really want to try and find another doctor to handle your file, do you?

Good luck Donna...I'm praying this all turns out just fine for you, and you'll have everything back to normal soon.

Hugs,
Pam

That is very strange that it could come up with a level of zero. Perhaps the lab messed up when running the test, or mixed up the samples, or something like that. Or is it possible that the test was done right before it was time to take your next dose? Though even if that was the case, I'd think it'd still show a little bit in your system. But these really are just guesses, since I don't have experience with this. My doctor hasn't had me do UA's yet. The strongest med I take right now is Vicodin, so perhaps they usually don't do this until you switch to something more powerful.

I'm so sorry you're having to go through all this. You don't need all this stress on top of the pain you already have. I'm sure they will figure out that this is all just a big mistake.

Do you check the markings on your pills? I've been given the wrong pills in the past -- and morphine & methadone in doctor's scribble can look somewhat similar. Plus even if they read the script right they could have gotten the pills confused. As some dosages, the pills are both round and white with a score mark down the middle.

You can type in the name of your brand/generic and "pill identification" in a Google search to find out what your pill dosage is supposed to look like. I'd check the ones in your possession. At least make sure you currently have morphine pills in your possession.

Plus Susie's info about making sure you label the container before leaving it is very important. They're usually unlabeled when I get them, but I make sure to seal & sign it before going back to wash my hands. I don't care if they give me a hard time; it's just too important for them to get things mixed up.

I will say that it's not the worst idea to go to the addictions counselor. That person can be a good advocate for you. My first PM was sure I was faking the pain to get the crappy Ultram that he prescribed. He gave me fake shots & sent me to a pain psychologist/addictions specialist. The psych guy actually defended me to the PM -- told him that I had no indications of an addictive personality & seemed like someone who would benefit from more treatment. When he found out about the PM giving me fake shots he told the PM that if he did that again he would report him to the ethics board b/c there were more responsible ways to determine if someone is really in pain. So I guess I'm of the opinion that you can visit the addictions guy & explain to him your situation, how you take your pain meds, how you feel about your pain, etc.

good luck!
frances