Pain Dr. Problems

I have been going to my pain Dr. for 10+ years. I was one of his first patients.
He has been treating me for chronic pain all these years. I’ve passed every pee test 100% mainly because I follow the rules and I dislike any form of Pot.
4 weeks ago I had an accident (A fall where I did a 360’and landed flat on my back) and busted the cartilage that holds the thoracic ribs to the spine. Also the thoracic ribs pushed into my sternum ripping the flesh between the ribs (and possibly breaking the cartilage In front also (only Xrays were taken (ordered by my family Dr.) so we don’t know all the damage that was done).
I called my chronic pain Drs. office to see if I could set up injections. They declined and said I would have to meet with the Dr. (Telemed call during Covid). That would be another 2 weeks away.
Today he finally called and I was able to set up the injections in a couple of days with him.
A few hours later though his nurse called and said the Dr. had changed his mind and he would do another Telemed call with me in another 2 weeks.
Like I said initially I have been going to this Pain Dr. over 10 years and we have a very friendly relationship BUT when I heard it would now be 6 weeks for the date of the accident before he would consider doing the Injections I lost my cool! I was nice but told the nurse to cancel the procedure in a stern voice. It obviously shocked her as I’m sure my concealed anger trickled through by the sound of my voice. I just told her that 6 weeks away from the date of injury was not going to help me and hopefully I would be healed by then (or at least pain free enough I would not need the injections (I really needed them the day of the
accident).
I now realize my great pain Dr. has built his business to the point that he cannot take care of his patients on a timely manner any longer. His good fortune (financially) my bad fortune (Painfully).
So I’ve learned a lesson, God forbid I have another injury that is this painful BUT next time I’m calling 911 and ask to be taken to the hospital where hopefully I can at least get relief during the worst part of the pain cycle for that injury.
Hope I didn’t ruin my monthly pain meds that he gives me because off this. We will see.
We are all at our Drs. mercy.

Certainly we are at the mercy of our drs these days. Especially pain management drs. I have to say I would also be upset if my PM dr decided to put off treatment another two weeks while I suffered in pain. I don't know what you see a PM dr for but I know I have both cancer and degenerative disc disease to deal with. I need two more fusions and honestly some days I suffer terribly. I have had enough sleepless nights to last a lifetime.

Just to vent a bit I am tired of being lumped in with those who choose to abuse their meds. I am sorry for anyone who over doses don't get me wrong. It breaks my heart to see people have to live in pain for no good reason. My prayers are with the original poster.

Susie I want to say you are a kind person and your common sense approach is a credit to you. I usually am a patient person and my faith leads me to be compassionate and conservative. I could learn a thing or two from you. You advice to the original poster was thoughtful and very well could save his situation.

God bless you all

Could you go to emergency or to immediate care facility if seve injuries they will also send you to emergency hospital..and hopefully they can advise you and prescribe meds. The laws have changed so much on pain meds ,injections ...if doctors don’t follow the law they can loose their practice. In a emergency treatment care facility they can take your pulse and blood pressure which is usually a way for testing for severe pain the blood pressure will usually be very high in serious pain ( which with the injuries you have certainly would qualify) ,and the need for pain meds where the doctors can follow protocol at the hospital and make you more comfortable. I also suffer from degenerative disc disease. I think as we age it happens and injuries along the way can be a contributing factor so certainly ask for back xrays.

Your injury happened from a accident at home? Any accident the doctors would have asked questions about the safety of your house and third degree about family members checking for abuse.....elder abuse or any kind of abuse is investigated, is a standard protocol. That’s what happened when I fell. I had recently fell down one step into my liv.rm. broke left ankle and tore the ligaments in the rt. ankle. At the hospital they took my blood pressure very high 178 is never above 130 and immediately injected pain meds ASAP before any X-rays were taken. I would imagine your injuries to ribs have got to be excruciating. Have experienced tissue torn from ribs and back/ shoulder . I could barely take a breath. I have a lot of sympathy for your injuries. Be your own advocate fight for treatment don’t get mad get what you need.

Post Edited (Chotti) : 9/7/2020 5:34:41 PM (GMT-6)

Mercy&Grace of course that’s a very good point and I totally agree. That is exactly why I never agreed to a pain contract. Do they still do contracts? Pain meds is not good for brain function taken long term as studies have shown and can enhance pain when taken long term. Whoever thought of pain contracts ...its just another way to keep tabs on the patients and docs.
Today every patient is included in a network of computer systems tracking patients files for references . Those old contracts can cause more issues for just the reason mentioned. I found years ago that light exercise, ice and strengthening core muscles eating better is very helpful. Mindfulness and learning alternative approaches and other skills coping with health issues while accepting my limitations as I age as joints fail is a common daily practice even in pain every day.

Accidents happen and new injuries and if a pain contract is involved it’s a whole different ballgame. That usually means one doctor is in charge of your health and recovery. That’s the reason I decided no pain contract for me I wanted to be in charge of my own health.
Let’s take it back to my emergency with a fall and in great pain and blood pressure sky high and I received several shots of dilaudid while waiting for xrays . I wonder what would have happened if my blood pressure was not managed and had a pain contract. Would my pain doctor be available at 2 am in the morning. There must be some type of an exclusion for administering pain meds . I think the computer systems covering patient Med records can answer all that now. It’s all in a data base for reference.

My post was a scenario if anyone is in enough pain to go to urgent or emergency then tests would back that up. The emergency or urgent care only give pain meds for 24 hours until a appt can be made to see the regular patient doc. I was weighing a decision of pain only from a injury description offering an alternative and how the system works in general. It could be a very different scenario if tests at the second facility showed reasonable injury to justify pain meds would the doctor be in a better place to help or was the original X-ray showing injury to justify pain meds . Where did the hesitation from the doctor come from ?

I just want to clear a few things up that I did not write in my post. I did not write that once a patient refuses to sign a pain contract that the doc could still treat pain. That is a legal contract and state law in many states. I said I don’t want to sign a pain contract. And gave my personal reasons. I think there is a lot of misunderstanding with what was in my post. Never did I state that opiates should never be a part of the pain plan, they do have their place, not in mine. And in my experience pain contracts have a lot of rules and they specifically state that one pain doctor with the patient/doc contract is the only doctor that can administer pain meds of any type to that patient . If a pain script is given to the patient from a different doc not the pain contract doc and accepted by the patient , then one of the rules of the pain contract have been broken and the contract becomes null and void. This will leave the patient with no one who can administer pain meds because this all goes on computer patient files forever. Everything regarding patients medical records are on computer . And that was my whole point ..why was the pain doctor hesitant to write a pain script with a X-ray showing the injury? Offering another evaluation to the injury was the whole point , urgent care or emergency. Did the injury justify pain meds? Were there other meds or issues that needed attention? All she had to do was talk to the pain doc but became upset and basically shut the door for resolving the issue at that time.
And where did Texasaaa go since posting her dilemma ? I respectfully hope the issue has been resolved and she feeling better.

This has turned into a bigger issue and my intention was expressing my experiences and offering alternatives. And wanted to clear up the misrepresentation of my post. By no means am I against pain contracts, they have their place in medicine just not in my health care. As long as patient files and all records are on computer medications, and pain contract are also available on file .

Hello all and thank you for your replies. Here is a follow up out of respect for all of your detailed and caring responses.
Fast forward from my post of 8/14/20 through today 10/15/20.

My original post I was complaining my pain Dr would talk to me via a Telemed call for two weeks much less see me for my painful injury for 2 weeks.
Eventually I did get to see my pain Dr. for injections and they didn’t do anything for my pain. He injected me three places but since most of the damage was cartilage I can only assume that is why the injections didn’t work.
Today there is still pain there and looks like there i’ll be for a long while as cartilage I read doesn’t heal fast.
I have been tested by a rheumatologist and have been put on Plaqunel and I’m happy to report that the original pain I was prescribed the pain pills for has decreased and I maybe able to get off the pain meds👍🏻 once my cartilage damage heals (Plaqunel doesn’t touch that).
Thanks again everyone.