I’ve had some very awful treatment by medical personal… It’s disturbing to say the least. It’s hurtful and makes you as a person feel so much when it happens, feelings of ashamed, let down, anger, dispar, regret for going to the ER, and humiliation are just a few of the feelings. Well, at lest for me, maybe others feel differently.
I was having a terrible time about two years ago. It was about eight months into my journey with TN. It all started with me feeling a bit off, as if I was starting to come down with something. Over the course of four days it just got worse. Then I started to throw up. I don’t think it had anything to do with my TN. Over the course of a week and a half I could not eat or drink. Finally in the wee hours of one fine morning I could hold anything down and just kept throwing up. My husband rushed me to the small local ER. My stomach was in so much pain, and it was to the point I was just dry heaving. After numorus tests and some Iv fluids and medicines the doctor thought I was doing better and sent me home. I rested the rest of day. The next day I shakily went back to work. Through out the day I kept feeling worse. Finally I had my head down and just rocked my self. After twenty minutes of this I had enough and the pain in my stomach was back in full force. Quietly I asked my boss to take me to the ER. This time I had a different doctor. I was yelled at from the start and treated much more differently. The doctor and nurse refused to give me anything for pain. Even though my blood pressure was very high. I started throwing up in the ER. Finally after crying and begging I was given a little bit of medicine for pain relief. During this time the doctor was reading my file and test results from a few days ago. She made a new digonosis then yelled at me for not giving the medication enough time to work? And said I was lying when my husband told her I was unable to keep any of down. Then without directly telling me she called me a drug seeker and said hospital policy does not allow the ER to use any opioids. When I told her I was not looking for that but help on stopping the nausea and vomiting she flat out refused. I asked for a different doctor I was refused and then kicked out of the ER. To say the least the expirance was horrible and embarrassing on top of maddening. I had to wait another 6 day till I saw my GP as he was on vacation (he does not have a college or nurse practitioner when he is out). He saw me and saw how very ill I was and sent me to the ER in the larger city close by. In the end it was a mystery on the cause of my stomach illness and stomach pain.
The next time I went to the ER was months later, about 6 months. I was having a horrible flare with my TN, the pain had changed and was much more aggressive. My husband found in the garage cry and throwing up from pain, I had been in there all night. He quickly sent the kids over to neighbores house and then rushed me to the ER. My blood presure was very high and I had a high fever as well. I was as white as a sheet and vomiting. We waited an hour or two before we were taken back into the ER. At this point I was moaning, shaking from pain, and not really there. Again my old man began to tell the doctor on what I had and how he found me. When asked what my pain level was I held up all ten fingers. The nurse and the doctor left. My prescription history was looked at and then the doctor came back. He then explained he was a heart surgeon. That I had a prescribtion of hydromorphine filled recently and that should be enough. That we also had not contacted my GP about going to the ER, and that I should be seeing a pain doctor. Then we were told there was enough they could do for me. My husband then begged stating he did not mean to break any rules, it was 5 am when we left for the ER, that his only concern was to get me to rest, and that we were not looking for opioids but anything to relive the pain, and get me to rest. This is when the doctor stated I’m a heart surgeon she’s not my responsibility. Finally after another pled from my husband they gave me a non-norcotic to get me to sleep. After the shot I heard the nurse say to the doctor she had never heard of th. the doctors reply floored me and of course I was in too much pain to say anything. The doctors reply to the nurse whom did not know what tn was, is that it is a condition where the mind thinks its in pain but really there is no pain and no cause for the pain. The next thing I know was I had some ER staff member telling me I was a drug addict and needed to get treatment for it. The next day my husband told me the whole deal was terrible. It was suggested I was a drug seeker and addict, that I did something terribly wrong and was a criminal. I was not at all treated as I am person was a disease that is painful,but was suggested that I was faking it. Another thing that upset my husband was the doctor told him that I would not die from my “pain”, that it was not life threating, and it is not the ER responsibility to reinvent the wheel everytime I had out of control pain. To say the least this expirance was unpleasant would be an understatement.
You think that my own mistreatment would have ended there, but I’m sorry to say it has gone further. I don’t remember exactly what the actual cause or incident caused it. Another month or it might have even been a few weeks as the last horrible ER visit. Any how, my sweet husband had to speak with my GP and his staff. A couple of the nurses were treating me as if I was a drug seeker and abuser. The GP had to explain to his staff all of them that I was neither of these but in fact a patient with a very painful condition and that I was in more pain the the majority of all of the patients he sees. After this I and my husband were treated dignity and compassion. It was a little bitter swet to me. On the one side it was glreat to be treated as a person again, but on the other hand it was frustrating that my husband had to stand up for me on this.
Another two months from this I had a very awful time with another nurse. Well really she was the doctors assistant for a different doctor whom I have treatment from for TN. Again I was treated like a drug seeker and abuser. Of course it was when I needed help with getting my pain in control. It was very frustrating not being heard all the way. First i had a very horrible appointment with the physician’ s assistan, she yelled at when that she would not increase my opioid medication; I did not ask her this but rather help with getting my pain levels more in control after having some dental work done that had ended up aggravating my TN. Instead she yelled at me, warned me about the dangers of opioids, and indirectly accused me of being a drug addict and drug seeker. I left very upset and emotional about not being able to get the help I so desperately needed at the time. After another two days the pain was out of control again. I was unable to talk and my sweet husband ended up having to call and ask what to do. Somehow he talked the same nurse into communicating with me threw email to try and figure out how to get the pain levels to tolerable. However instead of emailing me back she called my cell phone which I was unable to answer. This time this nurse made the mistake of leaving her opinions and treatment on my voice mail. Now I was even more upset and emotional and scared i would be stuck in this horrible pain. Again I had to go to that doctor and point out my mistreatment and why both my husband and I were upset. My doctor was shocked to say the least and apologized to both my husband and I for his nurse’s behavior and treatment towards me. To be perfectly honest it was a bit gratifying to get the nurse in trouble. What was worse, was this was my pain doctor and not my regular GP. In the end I hoped it stopped her from treating other patients like drug seekers and drug jockeys.
So yes, I know all too well how we pain patients can be treated like. It is incredible and freighting at times. Then again there also a flip coin to everything.
That flip side of the coin being the abuse of opioid medication. The news media making splashy headlines and stories of the abuse; because let’s face it the public would rather see how one or a few more people abuse opioids and how far they will take that abuse. Hearing about how one women or man(or whom ever will take their chances and abuse medications such as Vicodin, OxyContin, Oxycoden, Hydromorphin, Morphine, or any other opioids out there. The individuals who abuse this class of medication have issued troubled to the chronic pain community with their selfishness. Groups that are pressuring the FDA to change labeling to use of opioids have sprung up. The DEA and it eat against drugs has now turned onto doctors in its search to end pill mills and to protect public against the abuse of opioids. The results have been very harsh against the pain community, with doctors afraid to either prescribe opioids or in some cases to accept chronic pain patients at all into the practice. It even goes to pharmacies resisting to fill legitimate prescriptions of opioids to patients of chronic pain. It is easy to see and understand why so many doctors are reluctant to prescribe these drugs out when you look at how zealous the DEA has been on finding, shutting down, and locking up the pill mill doctors. Even emergency rooms are changing their polices on how the deal with narcotics, however it has seemed more and more this means acussing patients of being drug abusers and drug seekers. Patients that doctor shop as well have made an impact on the new war against norcotics. Some states have even start changing their laws in response of the witch hunt against the abuse of norcotics. What really has happened is the pain community feels under attack, this includes both doctors and patients alike. Really the whole situation stinks for everyone.
Sorry this was so long, but bless you if you stuck it out and read the whole thing. By the way i have insurance this discrimation does not matter if youre insured or uninsured, at least that is what im finding. Hope you have great day the is pain free day.