I am SO FRUSTRATED with my rheumy's nurse. This doc strongly feels that pain should be treated. He has worked really hard to help me.
But I missed an appointment. I was throwing up b/c my child brought a bug home from school. NO way I could ride 1 1/2 hours to see him while barfing. He would have been upset if I had.
But my ins co changed the pharmacy rules. I have to use THEIR company-owned mail order pharmacy to get pricing I can afford. Period. I can use the local pharmacy but it costs SOOO much more. (though I do use WalMart for my estrogen and thyroid meds b/c I can get 1 month for $4 or 3 months for $10 and the insurance is a minimum of $10 for 1 month and $20 for 3 months.
Anyway, the mail order pharmacy has a different brand of my pain patches. It is totally different. And the adhesive is bringing up welts on my skin. I cannot get any coverage for the brand name. Period. If there is a generic available I have to use that or they will not pay. I even went to dh's company's HR department and THEY couldn't help.
So I called the doc. It took THREE calls with the nurse to get her to understand this. She told me to get the brand name. I said I can't afford it. I can't afford the other generic b/c the mail order won't get it and the budget is tight.
I kept explaining. I also need an adjustment of my breakthrough pain meds. they just are not helping enough.
So after 3 calls they told me to take 2 of my breakthrough meds and they would send me to a pain mgmt doc.
I HATE pain mgmt docs - or the ones I ahve seen. One decided that b/c I was female and under 35 I was just a junkie. Wrote DRUG ADDICT DO NOT TREAT on the inside AND outside of my file right in front of me!!! Then refused to treat me period. I didn't even mention pain meds to him!!
The other one I saw did an epidural steroid shot in my neck. He did it wrong and i was incredibly ill for 2 weeks with a non-stop headache the likes of which I had never had. I am serious, if I had a gun I would have blown my head off it was that bad!
The doc was nice, told me I should be seeing HIM not my rheumy. But his staff had already said that 15 years of records of pain from fibro and arthritis and migraines was not enough history to justify taking up the doc's time. that is EXACTLY how the letter phrased it. Not enough history to justify taking up the doc's time.
so I am terribly afraid they will send me to one of these 2 docs. And of course I dread the "drug addict" slander - I am NOT. I don't EVER get high. ALL I want is to feel better. Not even pain free. But a steady 5 instead of a steady 7 1/2 shouldn't be too much to ask, is it?
Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. If you have any ideas to help any of this, I would be thrilled to see them. Thanks for wading through all this.
Hugs to EVERYONE!!!!!
