Pain Meds and My Dilema

[farmboy]

Tweetto start out, if you arent in the mood for a long read, id rather you not, but you may wana pass this one by....

hello all, im farmboy, some of you may have known me in the past as litt, i dont post much and havent really even viewed the boards much in past couple of years so let me explain why and then ill also get into my thread.

about 5 years back, i injured my back pretty severely, as my daytime job at that point, i was a beer man, so throwin around anywhere from 50 to 100 kegs was nothing for me, not to mention thousands of cases each day. anyways, at the time, i didnt know it (i was juiced outa my mind and felt no pain), but i had herniated a couple discs which today are much worse, as theyre dehydrated and pretty much down to bone rubbing on bone, in addition, i have inpingements on my ciatic nerve as well as bone spurs on my spine, which if any of you out there have had these problems, you know it can be pretty f-ing miserable. moving on, i finished college and moved to another area where i became a superintendent and then a project manager for a national homebuilder, hence, i didnt have to use my back as much anymore, only when i would do side jobs, im in construction of coarse... a little less than 2 yrs ago, i moved back to my hometown, where i started a small general construction outfit with my brother. and so im back to using my back, fulltime, 60 to 70 hours a week, whatever it takes to get the jobs done. right now, with the terrible market out there, we cant afford really to sub-contract anything out, nor hire any laborers, so my brother and i are doing everything pretty much on our own.

when i came back to my hometown, i started seeing my old doctor again, who was my family doctor since i was probably 10 yrs old. he started me out on vikes and perks (which i failed to mention is what the doctor had me on in the other area in which i lived) which at that time worked just fine, but working construction, my back has just continuously gotten worse.

the above mentioned, though boring, is a little history to set you up for my thread which ill now try to explain.

so as i mentioned, im seeing my old family doctor again, who initially had me on vikes and perks, as well as flexeral and some antiinflamatories. but, bc my back has progressively worsened over the coarse of the last couple years, iv been taken off the vikes and perks and put on 30mg roxys 3x a day which certainly helps, but without a doubt, when im roofing or pouring concrete, i could use one every cpl hours to keep me comfortable, i take that back, actually just to make it bearable. oh btw, one thing i failed to mention, i used to be as big into bodybuilding and weightligting as the next guy on here, and would like to be again some day in some fashion anyhow, i was at 240lbs with only about 15% bodyfat, never showed, but enjoyed the hell out of it nonetheless, it was in fact my life and at that time i thought i would be a lifer, but with all thats happened with my back, i have a pretty hard time motivating myself to hit the gym like i used to, i dont eat ,sleep or really do anything anymore like i used to, and needless to say, im now down to a miserable 185lbs.. i think i look like death, its pretty sad being a 'has been', depressing as he!! actually! oh, also, please dont take this as me asking for your pitty, lol, thats not at all why im posting. also, i apologize for dragging this on so ill try and get to it...

ive been on roxys (oxycodone 30mg) now for around 6 or 8 mnths and as i stated above, they certainly dont take the pain away completely, but they do help to keep me comfortable until i can afford to get insurance again and possibly surgery as my doctor feels ill probably need when i get a little older, as of right now, at only 28, he feels im probably too young for it, though i think i have the spine of a dam 60 yr old! so just recently, a cpl weeks ago, i called into my doctors office as i do each month to request a refill, i was denied! and for those of you out there who are 100% against pain medicine, please keep an open mind here, as i am not a junkie, i need this medication basically in order to make it through the day, for me, its like a miracle drug! without it, my livelyhood would come to a screeming hault, construction is a back breaker, but its all i know and what im good at so its what i do.

bc i was denied, the nurse told me that the doctor said no, i decided to drive straight down there and talk with him myself in person, i figured that there had to be some kind of mistake, doctors arent supozed to just take patients off meds like that, especially those kind, that if going without them, a person will go into withdrawls. upon arriving, i asked the nurse or whoever she was at the counter if i culd speak with the doctor, she said no absolutely not, so of coarse im extremely irriatated at this point, i explain to her that i have major back problems and i need this medication, she tells me that i probably have back problems bc of this medication, i wanted to pull the f-ing b*#ch across the counter and put her jaw threw the back of her neck but i kept my cool and asked that the doctor call me. the storys almost over folks, i swear!

so after all is said and done, the doctor sets an appt up with me which was this past wk, so i go in and talk with him, frustrated as hell of coarse after having to go through 3 days of withdrawls and then not working the rest of the week bc we were doing a roof and i knew better than to go to work and then be laid up for a week afterwards. i come to find out (if you remember, i said he was an old family dr of mine, my mother also goes to him) that my f-ing mother told him that i was having problems and was addicted to the medication. now the relationship bt myself and my mother is an entire different can of worms that i wont bore you with, but heres the dilema, my doctor based his decision to cut me off of this medication bc of what my mother told him, nothing came directly from me, so was it ethically correct of him to make that decision based on what she told him without hearing anything from me. i told him that yes, of coarse i was physically addicted to the med, he told me himself when he first started me on it that i would become physycally addicted to it. so his final decision is to keep me off of it, and now in my perminant medical records, it states that i have an addiction problem with oxycodone. now let me back up for a second, after talking with my mother about why she would do such a thing to me, she simply told me out of her simple mouth from her simple mind, that she was worried about me and didnt want me on pain medication because "its no good for you", wtf right?! now after explaining to her that i have chronic pain that requires meds of this type, she understands, she gets the picture, even though its too f-ing late, and the damage has already been done.

was it ethically correct for my doctor to cut me off of this medication basing his decision entirely on something that my mother told him as well as knowing himself that a person becomes physically addicted to a narcotic medication of that type after a length of time? especially without any type of imeadiate follow up, knowing that i would go through withdrawls because of it. and also knowing that i work construction for a living and also have chronic pain that isnt going to just disappear without surgery or something to that nature. so what did he do next, he wrote me a script for ibuprofen, zanax, and ambien. he refuses to write me any more scripts for roxys, he tells me now that its too rough on my liver, when bf he told me id probably be on it long term or at least until i can get surgery. and the worst part about it is, i never had a problem with them, i took my 3 pills a day as i was supozed to unless i wasent working, and then id only take a pill and a half or so just to keep myself from getting sick, ive never been so frustrated in my life. now tell me, wtf am i going to do with those meds, they arent going to control my chronic pain in the least, they arent going to get me through the day when im on a roof or pouring concrete or bouncing around in a bobcat, hanging drywall, or even hanging trim for that matter, it doesnt matter much what i do, its chronic pain, its constant and consistant... now bc of this, ive tried finding other doctors, pain management doctors, family doctors, etc etc, i made dozens of phone calls, but they all require something: referrals, pharmacy records, mri reports, xrays, etc, etc, and all of which have my doctors name on them so theyll have full and complete access to his name and contact info beingst its plastered all over all of that stuff... and of coarse guarenteed, hell inform them all that he believes im an addict. i feel completely betrayed, not only by my mother but also by my doctor whom ive known for years and considered a friend, hell, ive even had him to my farm to hunt before. i am between a rock and a hard place and for the first time in my life, i have no idea what to do... this could truely ruin me! i pretty much refuse to buy the meds off the street, i cant really afford it, the prices iv seen and heard of are f-ing astronomical ($20/pill, gimme a break), not to mention why the he!! should i have to, i have a medical condition that should certainly allow me to attain these legally. if any of you read this long a$$ thread, lmao, id love to hear some input, opinions, solution, or advice, or possible ways around my dilema, any thoughts count, thank you in advance..... mods, i doubt it is, but i hope this thread isnt out of line.... - farmboy

[TheChosen1]

TweetFortunately bro, doctors have to keep tabs on their patients' health more than their ailments, and rightfully so.

During my time out of work for my occupational knee injuries, the doctor had me on 500 mg. of Vicodin and sometimes 750 mg. of Vicodin ES. I'd had experience from using them in the past but more than anything, I got to see first hand how bad people can become addicted to them like crack. In all of my 14 years of working for Eckerd Drugs, only once did I work in the pharmacy department as their cashier. The pharmacist, a very beautiful young brunette, didn't trust me in her section because she thought that I would rip off some gear that she'd have in there. LOL (Long story) That evening, a young couple came to inquire about their Vicodin refills that was dropped off earlier. The feisty woman claimed that it was for her mom, who was suffering from major back pains. But to be quite honest, she seemed very nervous throughout the entire ordeal. The pharmacist claimed to not have any in stock and suggested that the customer try another Eckerd store or even another drug store near her. The woman used the store phone to call as many Eckerds and other drug stores that she could find in the Yellow Pages. After my years in LE (while working for Eckerds), I could tell that this was obviously a druggie because she was way too anxious to find these pills. Finally the pharmacist told her that she'd put a rush on them and that the customer can come back the next day. The customer complied and the pharmacist called me to the back with her. She showed me the woman's prescription refill slip, along with someone else's, and asked me if I noticed something different about them. I pointed out that the other slip was illegible while the Vicodin customer's slip was easily legible. She explained that doctors and pharmacists have codes to communicate to each other and the customer's slip was pretty much fake.

My point is, bro, the doctor may have taken you off of them to prevent you from becoming addicted to them. Ask your doctor to put you on something else though. Let him/her know that you're still in pain. Personally, when I was on Vicodin, I asked my doctor to take me off of them in order to prevent that same addiction. At my current job, I work with a guy who suffers with his back and knees and pops 3 Vicodins every night for the pain.

[deepsouth]

TweetI don't think it was right for him to pull you off on your mothers word. He is your Dr. and he should be keeping tabs on you during your regular visits. His call to take you off was on here say not medical fact. I don't agree woth what he did, but only he can change it

[Klash]

Tweet

to start out, if you arent in the mood for a long read, id rather you not, but you may wana pass this one by....

hello all, im farmboy, some of you may have known me in the past as litt, i dont post much and havent really even viewed the boards much in past couple of years so let me explain why and then ill also get into my thread.

about 5 years back, i injured my back pretty severely, as my daytime job at that point, i was a beer man, so throwin around anywhere from 50 to 100 kegs was nothing for me, not to mention thousands of cases each day. anyways, at the time, i didnt know it (i was juiced outa my mind and felt no pain), but i had herniated a couple discs which today are much worse, as theyre dehydrated and pretty much down to bone rubbing on bone, in addition, i have inpingements on my ciatic nerve as well as bone spurs on my spine, which if any of you out there have had these problems, you know it can be pretty f-ing miserable. moving on, i finished college and moved to another area where i became a superintendent and then a project manager for a national homebuilder, hence, i didnt have to use my back as much anymore, only when i would do side jobs, im in construction of coarse... a little less than 2 yrs ago, i moved back to my hometown, where i started a small general construction outfit with my brother. and so im back to using my back, fulltime, 60 to 70 hours a week, whatever it takes to get the jobs done. right now, with the terrible market out there, we cant afford really to sub-contract anything out, nor hire any laborers, so my brother and i are doing everything pretty much on our own.

when i came back to my hometown, i started seeing my old doctor again, who was my family doctor since i was probably 10 yrs old. he started me out on vikes and perks (which i failed to mention is what the doctor had me on in the other area in which i lived) which at that time worked just fine, but working construction, my back has just continuously gotten worse.

the above mentioned, though boring, is a little history to set you up for my thread which ill now try to explain.

so as i mentioned, im seeing my old family doctor again, who initially had me on vikes and perks, as well as flexeral and some antiinflamatories. but, bc my back has progressively worsened over the coarse of the last couple years, iv been taken off the vikes and perks and put on 30mg roxys 3x a day which certainly helps, but without a doubt, when im roofing or pouring concrete, i could use one every cpl hours to keep me comfortable, i take that back, actually just to make it bearable. oh btw, one thing i failed to mention, i used to be as big into bodybuilding and weightligting as the next guy on here, and would like to be again some day in some fashion anyhow, i was at 240lbs with only about 15% bodyfat, never showed, but enjoyed the hell out of it nonetheless, it was in fact my life and at that time i thought i would be a lifer, but with all thats happened with my back, i have a pretty hard time motivating myself to hit the gym like i used to, i dont eat ,sleep or really do anything anymore like i used to, and needless to say, im now down to a miserable 185lbs.. i think i look like death, its pretty sad being a 'has been', depressing as he!! actually! oh, also, please dont take this as me asking for your pitty, lol, thats not at all why im posting. also, i apologize for dragging this on so ill try and get to it...

ive been on roxys (oxycodone 30mg) now for around 6 or 8 mnths and as i stated above, they certainly dont take the pain away completely, but they do help to keep me comfortable until i can afford to get insurance again and possibly surgery as my doctor feels ill probably need when i get a little older, as of right now, at only 28, he feels im probably too young for it, though i think i have the spine of a dam 60 yr old! so just recently, a cpl weeks ago, i called into my doctors office as i do each month to request a refill, i was denied! and for those of you out there who are 100% against pain medicine, please keep an open mind here, as i am not a junkie, i need this medication basically in order to make it through the day, for me, its like a miracle drug! without it, my livelyhood would come to a screeming hault, construction is a back breaker, but its all i know and what im good at so its what i do.

bc i was denied, the nurse told me that the doctor said no, i decided to drive straight down there and talk with him myself in person, i figured that there had to be some kind of mistake, doctors arent supozed to just take patients off meds like that, especially those kind, that if going without them, a person will go into withdrawls. upon arriving, i asked the nurse or whoever she was at the counter if i culd speak with the doctor, she said no absolutely not, so of coarse im extremely irriatated at this point, i explain to her that i have major back problems and i need this medication, she tells me that i probably have back problems bc of this medication, i wanted to pull the f-ing b*#ch across the counter and put her jaw threw the back of her neck but i kept my cool and asked that the doctor call me. the storys almost over folks, i swear!

so after all is said and done, the doctor sets an appt up with me which was this past wk, so i go in and talk with him, frustrated as hell of coarse after having to go through 3 days of withdrawls and then not working the rest of the week bc we were doing a roof and i knew better than to go to work and then be laid up for a week afterwards. i come to find out (if you remember, i said he was an old family dr of mine, my mother also goes to him) that my f-ing mother told him that i was having problems and was addicted to the medication. now the relationship bt myself and my mother is an entire different can of worms that i wont bore you with, but heres the dilema, my doctor based his decision to cut me off of this medication bc of what my mother told him, nothing came directly from me, so was it ethically correct of him to make that decision based on what she told him without hearing anything from me. i told him that yes, of coarse i was physically addicted to the med, he told me himself when he first started me on it that i would become physycally addicted to it. so his final decision is to keep me off of it, and now in my perminant medical records, it states that i have an addiction problem with oxycodone. now let me back up for a second, after talking with my mother about why she would do such a thing to me, she simply told me out of her simple mouth from her simple mind, that she was worried about me and didnt want me on pain medication because "its no good for you", wtf right?! now after explaining to her that i have chronic pain that requires meds of this type, she understands, she gets the picture, even though its too f-ing late, and the damage has already been done.

was it ethically correct for my doctor to cut me off of this medication basing his decision entirely on something that my mother told him as well as knowing himself that a person becomes physically addicted to a narcotic medication of that type after a length of time? especially without any type of imeadiate follow up, knowing that i would go through withdrawls because of it. and also knowing that i work construction for a living and also have chronic pain that isnt going to just disappear without surgery or something to that nature. so what did he do next, he wrote me a script for ibuprofen, zanax, and ambien. he refuses to write me any more scripts for roxys, he tells me now that its too rough on my liver, when bf he told me id probably be on it long term or at least until i can get surgery. and the worst part about it is, i never had a problem with them, i took my 3 pills a day as i was supozed to unless i wasent working, and then id only take a pill and a half or so just to keep myself from getting sick, ive never been so frustrated in my life. now tell me, wtf am i going to do with those meds, they arent going to control my chronic pain in the least, they arent going to get me through the day when im on a roof or pouring concrete or bouncing around in a bobcat, hanging drywall, or even hanging trim for that matter, it doesnt matter much what i do, its chronic pain, its constant and consistant... now bc of this, ive tried finding other doctors, pain management doctors, family doctors, etc etc, i made dozens of phone calls, but they all require something: referrals, pharmacy records, mri reports, xrays, etc, etc, and all of which have my doctors name on them so theyll have full and complete access to his name and contact info beingst its plastered all over all of that stuff... and of coarse guarenteed, hell inform them all that he believes im an addict. i feel completely betrayed, not only by my mother but also by my doctor whom ive known for years and considered a friend, hell, ive even had him to my farm to hunt before. i am between a rock and a hard place and for the first time in my life, i have no idea what to do... this could truely ruin me! i pretty much refuse to buy the meds off the street, i cant really afford it, the prices iv seen and heard of are f-ing astronomical ($20/pill, gimme a break), not to mention why the he!! should i have to, i have a medical condition that should certainly allow me to attain these legally. if any of you read this long a$$ thread, lmao, id love to hear some input, opinions, solution, or advice, or possible ways around my dilema, any thoughts count, thank you in advance..... mods, i doubt it is, but i hope this thread isnt out of line.... - farmboy

based on the information in your thread. Your doctor not only did something unethical but he broke the law and even though you may have thought of your doctor as a friend - I don't think he has given you any choice but to get a lawyer involved and get your records corrected and the only way to do that is to expose the fact that your doctor broke his confidentiality with you. Yes this potentially could put a blemish on your doctors record but he did that to himself and he didn't leave you with any other option.

[FUZO]

Tweetklash is right I would some how take action against your doctor and find a new one.No one will know how bad the pain is when there are serious injuries that you have unless they have had them