Need suggestions on what I should write to doctor that calls me an addict?

Hi everyone. It is 4:30 in the morning,?& I am wide awake from my pain. Sorry in advance if there are any mistakes in this message; I am writing it on my phone as I am curled up in the bed in a ball.

Thanks to everyone that has been providing me with support after I wrote my last post. I have stage 4 endometriosis and adenomyosis, and despite 8 surgeries, my pain has only increased with time. My current family doctor has been extremely judgmental of me and my pain, often calling me am addict. Also he greatly discounts the disease. He has made frequent remarks that women only need to take one Advil for menstrual cramps. Also he has said that my bowel endometriosis does not exist,despite what my surgical records say . As a result he almost always refuses to give me my diarrhea medicine, and the result of that is I have missed a lot of work from my diarrhea.

Anyway this doctor talked to one of my endometriosis experts at the National institutes of Health about me last Friday. She told him that my disease is severe and he needs to find someone immediately to prescribe my medications if he refused. Yesterday morning, my period began, & my pain and diarrhea were severe. I was crying from the pain when he called me, & he told me that I'm a drug addict and that my NIH doctor had turned me into an addict. That really upset me because this NIH doctor has been awesome and an advocate for me. He kept repeating over and over that I was an addict and refused to listen to me when I told him my pain was real.

I will be seeing a nurse practitioner from another practice on Wednesday, & I pray their office isn't as judgmental. I go to the pain specialist in September. I'm through with this doctor

I really want to write him a letter though, and I am turning to all of you about what I need to say to him. If a doctor treated you like that, what would you write to him?

I'd really appreciate everyone's feedback. Another dynamic in this is that he has refused to prescribe any of meds, and one med I take is diazepam. I'm worried the NP will also refuse to give me a script. The last time that happened I ended up in the ER from seizures. I want to fire this doctor,, and I want to write him a powerful letter. Any suggestions on what I should write?

Thanks everyone. Al of you are the best.

Luvdogs, I too think you are spinning your wheels trying to get meds from a GP and NP. I would think if it were me I would go to my OB/GYN and explain what is going on and ask her to refer me to a pain mgt dr.. If you have seizure problems then you should be seeing a neurologist to handle this situation. If all else fails, then try doing as Vickie suggested and go to a teaching hospital.

In your post back in February you said your GP was rxing Lortab and he made it very clear he was not going to continue giving it to you. You said you had an appt with PM r but was not sure if you were going to keep the appt. Did you keep the appt or cancel it? Knowing this, I am surprised the GP has continued rxing anything.

I am not sure what good it will do to write the dr a letter other than getting it off your chest how he made you feel. Good luck.....Susie

I would write the letter... wait a week, read it again and then if you still feel so strongly (and are comfortable with how it's worded) send it. Sometimes simply writing it all down just makes you feel better.

My ob/gyn didn't prescribe meds for my endometriosis as a rule... it was usually just leading up to or right after surgery that they gave me meds. I saw a pelvic pain specialist and that was my first time even learning what pain management was. I was so confused when he gave me a contract but I learned how things went very quickly. He's still part of my team but I now see a general pain management specialists because my Pelvic pain specialist is only in the office two tuesdays out of the month.


I'm glad you are seeing the specialist. If you learn any tricks, let me know! I'm always looking for ways to alleviate pain or growth... since my hysterectomy I no longer have adenomyosis but my endometriosis grows so quickly I've had surgery almost every other year (and one time in consecutive years) to clean it up. I truly feel for you.

Good luck with the doctor's. Don't give up.... someone out there is willing to help you. I wouldn't bad mouth your OB/GYN to the new doctors you see though. They may form a biased opinion of you that is unfavorable. Docs tend to stick together.

Hello, I am sorry you have been through so much nasty uncare. After you are completely finished with this quack, and please see a pain management doctor, they understand much more, most of them anyway.

Back to the quack, I would advise him/her that you will be contacting the AMA concerning his/her lack of compassion and the words, "First do no harm". Sounds to me like he did alot of harm and caused you alot of harm.

Good Luck,
Kathy/nini

A letter you write most likely will not be read by the doctor and certainly will not end up in your file. You can request a copy of your records and you can request errors be corrected but you cannot generally submit letters to be added to your file.

I don't exactly know how you are feeling, but I had some issues with some GPs a few years ago...they would always start the conversation, "You do know this is a street drug, right?"

Personally, I wouldn't write the letter to be sent to him...finding a way to report his care somewhere official would be better, as I doubt you'll get to him. I bet it'll reinforce his idea of what he thinks you are as he probably treats others the same way he treats you.

hi

Just wanted to say Endo. is real...I went with surg. and med's too. finally my ob said enough and talked to me about a hyster. I was done having kids and said let's go for it.  The pain is two much.  My husband was on board as well.  Best decision I ever made.  Has that route come out yet?

Best of luck to you.  I was 36 years old as well.

I think most of us have had a dr tell us this we all have a story to tell .my regular dr is pretty good and ive been with the same clinic for over 20yrs the other drs in the clinic know me pretty well .so when my dr goes on holidays I usually don't have a problem getting my meds .

till one of the old drs left and a new dr come into the practice my reg dr was on holidays so I booked in to the first available dr thinking it wouldn't be a problem ...wrong I got he new dr and when I went into his room he asked what can I do for you I said im here to get my scripts refilled like I do every month he said no probs lets bring up the screen and see what your on
. that's when the fun started he said straight out your a drug addict / seeker and I want no part feeding your addiction I replied how about reading my notes and giving me a examination before been so judgmental . apparently wrong thing to say lol.i said my reg dr has prescribe these neds for my pain control im sure he knows what he is doing . I was told nobody lives in that much pain for so long .
he started going on about I should think about rehab and the pain is prob in my head and not real anyway .the conversation started getting a bit heated by then and luckily one of the other dr's who knows me stepped in and tried to explain the the first dr that I indeed need the meds I was prescribed and he should write the scripts again he refused so the other dr took me to his room and said the other dr behavior was not acceptable and when my dr returned from holidays there would be a meeting my reg dr owns the practice as well anyway the other dr wrote my scripts up and I left but I was so angry and hurt and in shock a little as well as ive never gone anywhere else trying to get meds ive followed my drs instructions and done everything he has asked from me .
a couple of weeks later my dr phoned me when he got back from holidays and apologized profusely about what had happened and it will never happen again when I asked why he said they had fired the other dr as I wasent the first person he had done this too and he has made a note on my file that my meds are to be written up by any dr in this clinic with out question .

ive had no problems since and this was a couple of yrs ago now but I still get angry when I think about it .we are trying different dosages now of my butrans now to try and find a level that works not much success there at the moment tho my dr is looking to get me accessed by a pain clinic to try and get on top of my pain levels once they find something that works it gives my dr the authority to write up what they recommend so heres hoping .

but there are drs out there who's views are so outdated they should just retire and play golf or go fishing in my view there is no place im medicine for uncompassionate drs or just simply rude ones . I told the dr who called me a addict I hope you or one of your family members never have to go thru and live like I do cause you wouldn't last a week before writing something up to help you cope .

end of my rant lol but dr's that are everywhere all around the world