You need to find a free or sliding scale clinic. If you have to pay rent out of $800 a month, you won't be able to afford to pay for 2 drs. And if you don't have insurance, most pain drs in Louisiana want to see you ever 2 weeks which could be $300-$500 a month before rxs. Have you applied for SSDI ? If you receive $800 a month, you have too much income for SSI even if you're found disabled. But, if you have enough work credits and you have current medical records applying for SSDI may something you should look into. Although not currently receiving treatment may go against you. Louisiana use to have state disability, where if you meet the state criteria for disability you were eligible for Medicaid. But, I believe they have discontinued that. Although it wouldn't hurt to check. Louisiana Medicaid isn't accepted at any of the pain management clinics or by any of the pain managment drs because it wou't pay for the management of chronic pain that is not cancer related. Although you may be able to find another dr who would prescribe low dose pain meds. You also may want to try LSU in New Orleans for a Rheumatologist.
I'm don't think LSU in NO has a Pain Managment Clinic. The LSU in Shreveport, or University Health as it is called now, does but they don't prescribe any opiates. So much for teaching hospitals, at least in Louisiana. Some people go to Texas for pain management. But, if you do, don't get you meds filled in Louisiana. If the dr doesn't have a License to practice medicine in Louisiana you will only be able to get 10 day worth of meds and you can't get another rx filled from that dr for 90 days. The pharmacy has to call the dr and explain to them why you can only get the 10 days.
Post Edited (Mercy&Grace) : 2/9/2015 3:23:08 PM (GMT-7)