This just gets better and better here.
On my last request for medication it was during the holiday weekend. I left a message with the nurse as usual. Now they already give me only 40 pills for a 7 day stretch that needs 42 ..but so be it. During the last phone call I stated that I might as well make this an official request for my 40 pill script on Friday (3 days forward) so that we could avoid the same scenario next Monday (me out of pills and she wanting 48 hours notice).
This finally triggered a light bulb in either the surgeon's pr nurse's head and they wrote the script for 50 instead of 40. This would allow 1+ days leeway in getting another script.
I get a call from the nurse saying that the doctor requested that since I was being treated with steroid shots by another practice, that they take over my pain management.
Given my experience with the ER giving me too few meds before my first appointment with the surgeon, I asked that we first verify that I have enough medication to make it to my appointment with the group giving me my shots. She stumbled and hemmed and hawed. She asked, "haven't you gotten any relief from the shot?". This was the FIRST inquiry into my condition. Only when I was attempting to assure that I had enough pain medication. She could have not cared less before then. Truth be told the shot did improve my condition, but not to the point of not needing 24/7 pain medication. 50% of torture is still suffering.
At this point I had had it with this "anxiety of silence" and blurted out, quickly, "Don't put yourself to any trouble. I'll move on and be done with you. Have a nice day!" and hung up.
I got a letter from her office telling me that she wasn't going to treat me anymore due to my rude behavior.
Now this is really interesting. With my first visit to office that gave me the shot (post shot follow up) the doctor was very concerned and attentive, referred me to pain management specialist and offered some highly effective alternatives to narcotics.
Over the entire span of my "care" from the surgeon's office I had not been asked ONCE how I was coping with the pain. There was never any discussion of "we normally like to limit the use of narcotics and attempt to use alternatives" ..nope. No interest in my challenges and limitations ..not one inquiry or showing the least bit of interest in how I was doing. I was left to my own means to cope with those things and she couldn't be troubled.
..and I was "rude"??
She's very fortunate that I wasn't someone more prone to depression in the midst of despair. The condition that I was in, if left untended, would surely have thoughts of suicide going through your mind.
I'm preparing a well thought out response to the surgeons letter and hopefully will insult her properly for what I interpret as medical malfeasance and depraved indifference.
..but this also puts me in a catch 22. The surgeon was the affiliate of the steroid shot people. That is, if surgery is required, they have no one to refer me to.
The obstacle course just keeps building itself in a reactive manner to my situation.
Right now I'm doing much better. If not for the prohibition on blood thinning agents (aspirin, etc.) since I'm getting a second injection (Tues), I would almost be narcotic free.
Now "much better" doesn't mean "great" other than miserable is great compared to tortured. I still can't sleep in my bed nor sit on a hard chair ..nor walk too far without paying dearly for it, but I can "not suffer too much" with the current tools at my disposal.
