horrible pain doc appt

had my monthly appt at pain clinic.  saw new pa for some reason.  he came in and was ruse...basically interrogated me like i shouldn't be there.  tried to tell me about crohn's disease, the disease i've suffered with for 22 years...he told me pain meds are not indicated as treatment for crohn's and i shouldn't need meds....maybe he can come sit on the floor next to me next time i'm doubled over piuking in pain ***hole.  he told me i really just needed to get rid of my entire intestinal tract.  WHAT?  made me feel like crap.  i asked for the pa  normally see and he came in and was much better.  i'm screwed though.  i've been having a BAD flare and the dose i'm on isnt cutting it right now.  i was hoping for a temp bump but he let me know that thanks to the dea they are arbitrarily cutting everyone to  pills a day max.  no matter if its a back ache, cance or something like crohns.  the stupid dea is causing drs to not be drs.  they're runinng scared.  so thanks to all of the junkies abusing pain meds for fun and really screwing those of us who legitimately need them to get through the day with work and our kids.  g=d darn.  sorry for the rant.  i'm livid right now though.

I've been there. I feel for you.. I really think these doctors really need to evaluate there PA's they have working for them and not just hire a person with a license. Most of these PA's were in the medical field prior to obtaining there PA degree and now they are playing GOD..That same situation happen to me once at my Pain center. My left hip had just collapsed about a week before my medication follow up appt. and my regular PA was out and I was seeing a new PA and I told him that I used extra methadone and this guy went nuts telling me I needed help and why am I trying to kill myself by taking more then prescribed. I am risking a heart attack. I just listened and about a week later I spoke with the doctor who started the pain management practice and went over what happened. This PA wrote in my records that I was drug seeking drug addict. well the doctor removed that from my chart and made sure I was never to see that idiot ever again. This is a place that I have been going to for 4+yr's..I've never had a problem again..
Whoever told you that the DEA is limiting the amount a prescriber can write is wrong there is no restrictions on Cll drugs. they are using that as an excuse to cover themselves..

Can I just ask what a PA is? Are they doctors? I have heard the term a lot in pain management but don't really understand just what they do. We ont have PA s in the UK!

Sorry you are having so many problems. Pain Management in the US can be a bit of a nightmare it seems. It's not great here but we don't have to jump through hoops to get pain relief. Neither do we have drug tests, I would hate that. And on top of that you have to pay because you are in pain, that seems so unfair too.

Hope you get it all sorted out.

Take care

Jane

I've lucked out with PA's. The one at my ortho's office and at my PM's office are both very knowledgeable. At the pm office I have a monthly appointment with the Dr. If problems occur in between appointments(surgery, increased pain) I see the PA. He adjusts meds as needed. If things have really gone downhill he pulls in my dr.

I think PAs are like everything in medicine-hit or miss.

Hi.  I chose a pm clinic because I wanted to see the doctor there who did a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic and got very high reviews from patients as well as chosen by a very reputable magazine in my city as one of the best doctors in the city.  At first, I had to see a PA there as the doctor I wanted to see was booked up for a couple of months.  This PA took me off of the Soma I had been taken and put me on Robaxin (which the doctor there later said was "junk") and had me on the bare minimum of meds.  I saw this PA several times and he never adjusted any of my meds even after I had a procedure there which didn't help.  Anyway, finally when making my monthly appt, the doctor I wanted to see was available.  He looked at my MRI and CT results and said something like "I can't understand why you are on so little medication."  He adjusted my meds and now and I feel like my pain is finally under control.  What I do now is schedule my appts 2 months in advance so I am able to see him.

bump...just looking for some ideas...look for new doc? try new meds? darn i have no clue.

…I wholeheartedly agree with bytegirl, and appreciate her reply here! I won't allow treatment like that either, and will certainly express my feelings clearly….and if they cannot treat me like their mother, then they won't be treating me. I will say however, that giving a Dr respect will go a long way, and whining, instead of just stating the facts of ones health will help also. Get to the point, ask for their opinion, and let them treat you. If it's any less than this, then seek another PM/PCD. Above all, don't let a DR disrespect you just because they wear a DR's badge. The same goes for PA's and so forth.

SE

See what I dont not understand at all is why do people become pain specialists who do not want to help people in pain???????? My ex husband has chrons, he had horrible pain all the time as well as monthly migraines with trips to the ER for demoral shots. He was on hydrocodone for the pain. I will say due to a colon cancer scare he did have a iliostomy and he feels like normal now and wishes he would have done it a long time ago. But its a huge life change and you need time to think it over, also even if you do it there is no chance your chrons will not some day come back. So until you decide to make that decision they need to treat you pain. Im sorry your going through this

thanks Ryobi and alsoinpain. i think its amazing that some docs (including some of my gis) dont think that pain is a symptom of crohns!!!!! ***??!?!? now i have to admit that the pain is a relatively new symptom for me. i have had crohns for almost 23 years but the pain only surfaced about 3 years ago now. but its been a costant since then...pretty much a 5-6 all day long and then when i have to go to the br it shoots up to a 9 or so --- puking the pain is so bad. surgery is definitely becomming an option abbiet one i am terrified of and want to put off as long as possible although from what ive heard you definitely want to do this on your terms and not bc youre rushd to the er and have to do it as emergency surgery. yes the dea has docs rnning scared. i guess we all just really need to hope there are still pain docs out there that believe in certain courses of treatment and dont think were all there to pick up pills to sell on the street. ive heard all these stories about people waiting in parking lots to buy/sell- i've never seen it and the practice i go ro is the biggest in AZ by far. the waiting room is like walmart- BUT these people are either really sic or really good actors...i'll give them the benefit of the doubt. i think we need to pressure lawmakers and the media to turn the debate and start focusing on how all of this negative attention is hurting us, legitimate patients who cannot find docs, meds and relief due to the dea needing someone to push around since they cant win "the war on drugs" and justify their existance. so they beat up on the helpless pain patients who are taking LEGAL drugs that are LEGALLY prescribed by LICENSED DOCTORS and supplied by LICENSED pharmacists...ok i'm going to stop now bc i could go on and on. yes i'm pissed. I hope you all have a wonderful night. it's 2 am and this is already the 3rd time ive woken up bc my gut hurts so bad...but since the doc cut my meds back at the last appt i need to conserve...i should not have to debate whether i should take a pill or save it...this is BS

Well for starters, most pain medications destroy your nervous system and if you Fibro and CFS like me, that's a BAD thing. They act like that because of Doctors who are Drug Dealers and don't give a you know what about your actual physical health as long as they get their kickback from the pharmacuticals. Also if all you are looking for from your Dr.'s is drugs, drugs and more drugs, you might have a problem with addiction. Yes, there are diseases that never go away and our so called modern medicine can't treat them but its not because their untreatable its because they aren't getting paid to do anything but give out dope. Yes I know I'm in the minority here but I want TREATMENT not drugs, so sue me.

OMG. I just don't get some of these doc. I have been to at least six different ones and none of them understand how much pain I am in.

spinal soldier i need to look up the chronic patients bill of rights and the WHO pain treatment ladder. i have not heard of either and as a chronic pain patient i need to enlighten myself. the PA that I saw the other day said the DEA is putting tons of pressure on them and they have no idea when they are going to walk through the door. It's astounding to me that patient care is now dictated by beauracrats with guns rather than MDs with sphygmomonometers (sorry love that word).