Hi from Brooklyn =]

I am a 26 year old nursing student who unfortunately suffered some spinal injuries in two car accidents. I have a total of 8 herniated and/or bulging discs, annular tears, spinal cord compression, the works!

I usually live with little to moderate pain, but every once in a while I have excruciating pain and it usually seems to come all at once. Pain in my neck shooting down an arm, then pain in my back shooting down my leg, and I become completely useless. Sometimes my back will spasm so badly I can't stand, or my neck will spasm forward and I'll be stuck in that position for a week. It's just not possible for me to live that way with the amount of school work I have to do. I had been managing these flare ups with Vicoprofen successfully and used Flexeril for when my neck or back would spasm (scary sight!)...recently my PCP dropped my insurance and I had to find a new one.

So I visit my new doctor and LOVE her, does a thorough assessment and physical and really seems to care about her patients. Then comes my comment "I am used to receiving medications for my spinal problems from my PCP, because I've never liked any of the pm doctors or orthos I've been to, so I just stuck with him"....she was obviously freaked out. This whole situation about doctors not wanting to prescribe opioids is understandable to an extent, I'm aware that kids are getting hooked on them, but doc, ur holding my MRI reports in your hand, I'm screwed up! I'm not a drug seeker! AND I'M A NURSING STUDENT! I'm well aware of every side effect of every drug I ever take and understand the possibility of dependence on these drugs. I don't take them everyday, I take them when I need them to function. She gives me a rx for 14 pills, this was 3 months ago. She then referred me to a PM who doesn't take my insurance, fabulous.

So here I am, without meds, and with pain. I do not want to go through a list of PM doctors, spend time making appts and going to them etc, for them to want to give me shots (which have never helped me in the past) and deny me the one drug I've found thats helped (Vicoprofen). So I talk to my long time pharmacist and he gives me the names of 2 doctors I should check out, I get home and call to find out they're PCPs, not PMs or orthos or any kind of specialist. I just changed my PCP, and I really like her, and I only get to change my PCP twice a year.

Is it worth changing my PCP just to get my meds and possibly not really like the physician? I feel so helpless right now, I just want a freaking specialist who isn't peeing their pants over having to write a script for an opioid. Any suggestions????

Thanks in advance.

Thanks Mike, my only concern is that the new PCP I'm seeing is a dream, she's the best doctor I've ever been to for sure. I don't know if I can pass that up, ideally I could find somebody who is a specialist to prescribe them to me, but I know even people going to PMs are being refused meds. The bigger problem is having to shop around for a doctor who will, because I don't want to come off as a drug seeker - which I feel like I am now! And I also really don't have the time to be going to a bunch of new doctors, I wish somebody in Brooklyn could help me out with some info on doctors, that would be a great help. I really don't want anymore shots, they've never helped me and it's just another drug in my system that I don't need.

Anyway, thanks again for your reply, hopefully I'll get to the bottom of this before I'm completely immobile...I'm sure you know the feeling!