dont' know what to do now...

[Guest guest]

hi all,

I'm so angry and disappointed now i barely know where to begin. first, please

excuse my lack of capitalizing, hurts like the dickens to hit that shift key.

a while back, i had a major meltdown, in the depths of depression and despair

and dangerously suicidal. the pain and lack of hope were just too much. in

desperation i called my doc's office (we'll call him dr. c) and was told that he

could not see me due to being all booked up for the day but would i like to come

in and see dr. n who comes into the office a couple of times a month and could

see me right away.

you bet, says i and dr. n was so sympathetic and right away started saying that

she just didn't completely buy the fibro diagnosis and wanted me to see a

rheumatologist for further testing and a second opinion.

she also gave me a prescription for physical therapy. on this script she wrote

" diagnosis: fibromyalgis. diagnosis in question. could be seronegative r.a. "

i was lucky to get an appointment with dr. d, who is a clinical professor of

medicine at a major university, board certified rheumatologist, etc. i was

thrilled, maybe there was hope that i could try some of the r.a. treatments as

none of the fibro treatments has helped at all. don't get me wrong, i don't

want to have r.a., seronegative or otherwise, i don't want to have fibro either,

don't want the pain, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, none of it. but i digress.

today i am two days away from the appt with the rheumatologist who's office

calls and says, hey, we never got a written referral from your doc. i call the

doc's office and was told that dr. c had called dr. d, and discussed my case

with her and it was decided that i didn't need to see a rheumatologist, i needed

to see a pain management specialist.

what???? what business it is of dr. c's? dr. n ordered the referral and wasn't

even included in this discussion? needless to say i completely lost it on the

phone with dr. c's office.

now there will be no second opinion? no chance of r.a. treatments? just a pain

management specialist (who i have little to no confidence in, from what i

understand they are only interested in weening you off pain meds).

and where is dr. n in all this, the dr that gave me new hope, that understood

that whatever this is i have doesn't act or look like fibro? i feel crushed and

betrayed. i feel like dr. c pulled an end run around dr. n for no reason and

has left me out in the cold. what in the world do i do now??

so sorry that i wrote a novel here, i'm just so so so upset and confused by all

this. i have another appt with dr. n on the 19th but by the time that appt

rolled around i was supposed to have seen the rheumatologist and the phsyical

therapist.

what am i supposed to tell her, that dr. c put his big buttinsky nose in the

middle of all this and decided that you are apparently full of hooey? i'm sure

she'll be thrilled to hear that.

so angry, feel defeated, my hope has been pulled out from under me and now i'm

being pawned off on some quack pain management pseudo-doctor. so depressed.

now there's no hope at all.

thanks for listening to my rant. so glad that at least you all are here to

listen. i feel so truly alone and abandoned.

better days to you all

chelsea

[Guest guest]

Dear Chelsea, please give the pain management doc a try. I have been through

the same kind of run-around with different doctors, and the pain management

doc gave me hope that the others would not.

I have been tossed around a lot over the years, and I know what it is like

to have all your hopes removed with the stroke of a pen.

I also know what is like to have everything restored, and then some, if I

just bide my time with research, remain patient with the people that cross

my path, even with those who can't really help me, and pray for patients who

are going through the same thing I am going through.

You never know who may be your next hero, interested in finding out what's

really causing your pain, and willing to do whatever it takes to improve

your quality of life.

I also pray that those people who hinder the progress of pain patients, (by

being stubborn, proud, and without compassion), go work in a place where

their " talents " are appreciated!

bonnadel

> so angry, feel defeated, my hope has been pulled out from under me and

> now i'm being pawned off on some quack pain management pseudo-doctor. so

> depressed. now there's no hope at all. thanks for listening to my rant. so

> glad that at least you all are here to listen. i feel so truly alone and

> abandoned.

>

> better days to you all

> chelsea

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi All and Chelsea:

I have the greatest " Pain Clinic " Dr. of any of the Dr.s I've ever seen over my

40 years of chronic pain.  I've been with him for about 5 years and he has never

suggested I get off any of the Rx's the the Neurologist prescribes for me. 

I never asked these two people to work together, I do that part. I just keep

them playing well with others.  The neuro. does ask for copies of what the pain

clininc MD does because he adds steroids to the Occipital Nerve Blocks and

Trigger Point Injections and she needs to know that.

But I continue to have relationships with both docs. at the same time.  Just

don't ask for two doctors to give you medication at the same time, keep that on

one side only.  It has been working great for me for several years now.

Kathy in MN

Chelsea wrote:

so angry, feel defeated, my hope has been pulled out from under me and now i'm

being pawned off on some quack pain management pseudo-doctor. so depressed. now

there's no hope at all.

[Guest guest]

Mornin'-

One of the simpliest ways to bypass the b.s. mess would be to " ignore " the new

info.

Play the oversight card.

Send a message directly to Dr n saying, " Whoops, the rheumy needs the referral

resubmitted, musta been an office oversight. "

Just don't address the other doc. You do have the freedom to see the other doc.

I'm just sayin...