Cibleed
Stranger
Reged: 09/23/03
Posts: 4
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I finally got insurance again. And decided to go to the doctors office. This is the first time visiting the new clinic.
So I tell them I have had neck pain for about a week and a half, And i mean it hurts really bad, I can't even turn my neck or anything without feeling extreme pain.
So I get there wait an hour in the lobby, and I get a 2 sec neck exam. I told him that I was talking tylenol 4 to reileve the pain. I told them that I got it from my mother. He told me to take alieve, and get physical therapy. WTF!!! I can't move my Best if kept off the board neck, I can't drive well or do anything. This is so retarded. Not even an x ray, not even any pain meds. And yes, I don't have any more tylenol 4 otherwise I wouldn't be going to the doc. I wish they would give me an x ray to rule out a pinched nerve or something but no... And the physical thearpy place doesn't even pick up the phone.
What should I do? I want to go to the doc again, and allieve DOES NOT HELP. I am thinking of going to urgent care tomorrow at a different place.
Any suggestions?
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drew684
Stranger
Reged: 11/08/03
Posts: 22
Loc: California
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Hey there, interesting you should bring up Urgent Care. Two of my co-workers do exactly that. They both suffer from killer migraines, and their regular Docs don't do diddly for prescribing meds. So they go to Urgent Care after hours and get their scripts from different and more compassionate Docs.
Good luck~
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Cibleed
Stranger
Reged: 09/23/03
Posts: 4
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Seriously, he gave me a 2 second exam.
It was like he stood up and sat back down.
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prettyday
Threadhead
Reged: 02/09/03
Posts: 790
Loc: Coastal Sage Scrub
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Ok, first off, don't say you got anything from anyone else...even your family...I am so sorry, that experience sounds terrible; all that and no relief. Yeah, I would go back and say, "I am open to all therapies and methods; just please release this pain because it has been constant and acute for 'x' amount of days.
Or just go to the ER, unfortunately.
You know, a stiff neck is not always just tension. Did they do any blood work?
Do you have a fever?
Not to scare Hades out of you, but there is one disease that that is a bad symptom of---spinal meningitis? Is that it?
Go back. Find out. Do not volunteer information unless asked.
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"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." -Emilano Zapata
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potatoboy99
Permanent Fixture
Reged: 02/04/03
Posts: 1100
Loc: Still Here
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The doc sounds like a lazy jerk, cibleed. But unfortunately I think prettyday is right, it's not a great idea to let a doctor know you're taking prescription narcotics that you don't have a prescription for. Even a hint of drug-seeking is enough these days, to send the docs into a DEA inspired panic.
And yeah, get yourself to the Emergency Room!
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redhill
Banned. Flames, offending others
Reged: 06/02/03
Posts: 278
Loc: Hell on Earth, for now
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Some doctors suck, and have become nothing but DEA cops in white coats, or even worse, fire and brimstone ministers who need to save you from the dark side. The situation is sickening, and it's going to get worse for a while.
But my suggestion would be to keep looking for the right doctor, and if the pain persists, ask for a referral to a pain clinic. When you're in pain, you deserve relief, even if it is with the help of those evil narcotics.
Pain clinics are usually very strict, and it's their job to be suspicious for a while, but at the same time they are not judgemental, they recognise the value of pain drugs, and they usually come through with a fair amount of effective medication.
Cheers,
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gage
Member
Reged: 11/27/02
Posts: 136
Loc: south central U.S.A.
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hello, you might save yourself time, suffering and copays bye just useing a good op// i certainly understand how doctors can be so spooked about even writeing for pain meds/but i sure dont understand about him or her not even
sending you for an xray!!!
my wife has neck pain feom a fall and i sure know how it can hurt!!!best of luck, gage 
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night_shade
Threadhead
Reged: 08/26/03
Posts: 905
Loc: The State of Hockey
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That sounded exactly like the "adverse" exam I got from the insurance-paid doctor I had to see after a nasty car accident many years ago. The doctor I saw took his hands to my head and FORCED it to bend and turn (without telling me in advance his intentions) and caused more pain and injury to the area. He then proclaimed me a hypochondriac (never mind the positive nerve tests administered by a different neurologist) and other verifiable medical evidence to the contrary.
The point is that there are some real jerks out there--just as in any profession. It's possible that doctor had a bad day, a fight with his wife, was cut off in traffic, etc. and took his impatience and intolerant attitude out on you. Unfair, but it happens.
You have the right to seek a second, or third, opinion. If you have insurance, I would definitely make another appointment and try with a different doctor.
It may be helpful prior to the new appointment to keep a pain diary. PAIN DIARY (Acrobat Reader format)
Bring it with you so the doctor can see what you have tried and what the results were. Make sure you say you have tried NSAIDs like Ibuprofen (800mgs per dose), Orudis (ketoprofen) or naproxen (Aleve)...Don't forget the good old standbys like Tylenol and aspirin. Perhaps even Tylenol PM (as a bedtime dose.) I'm not suggesting that you have to actually use all of these, and of course, don't say you used them all at a time. Mix it up a bit. If the doctor asks about the pain diary, just tell them your mother suffered from whatever and her doctor recommended it to her, who in turn recommended it to you.
It really is a game, sometimes. You have to follow the rules, but you may not always win. Keep trying. There ARE good and compassionate doctors out there. Keep in mind that if you go in expecting a narcotic and don't get one, you may be setting yourself up and may even be giving yourself away to the doctor. Try to go in with an open mind (I KNOW it is difficult) and as a previous poster suggested, offer to try "anything" to get rid of the horrible pain and get the actual medical issue resolved ASAP.
BEST OF LUCK!
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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
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Dasani
Enthusiast
Reged: 10/29/03
Posts: 286
Loc: FL
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Cibleed, please take some of the advice that these great people have offered you. Especially the one about finding another doctor and getting a "thorough" exam, just to rule out something more serious, like Meningitis(which by the way has been popping up all over the country recently, but it is usually accompanied by other, more severe symptoms)I think we have all, at one time or another, come across those docs that are too chicken*$ to perscribe you a medication that will be effective at relieving your pain. It seems that they are more concerned with their license than they are with treating and caring for their patients. It makes you wonder why they call it "HEALTH CARE". Because of docs like him, they should change the name to "HEALTH IGNORE", because it seems that way to me sometimes. Good luck and please go find another doc. Make good use of those insurance premiums you pay. Sorry so long guys, I just needed to vent.
C 
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midnight
Enthusiast
Reged: 12/09/01
Posts: 271
Loc: u s
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Cibleed, Please don't give up trying to find a new doctor. i went thru something similiar with my neck. several doctors later, i finally got one to give me an mri & cat scan. and there was a lesion there on C7. So that at least i knew i wasnt crazy after all!And at least then they knew i definately had a problem and i got to see a neuro -surgeon who did surgery to remove it.
keep looking, it could save your life.
good luck
midnight
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Purple
Enthusiast
Reged: 07/15/03
Posts: 232
Loc: Midwest
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Like the other posters said, you just have to keep trying to find someone who will treat you. Unfortunately we have to 'jump thru their hoops'. I have been there done that. I have a neck injury that flares up from time to time. That doctor should have done tests or sent you for an xray, cat scan etc. Do not settle for his diagnosis. I am tired of hearing that we have to just suck it up! And never, never say you have taken a pain med from someone else, red flag right away. Make an appt with someone else or go to a clinic or ER. Best of luck to you.
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Cibleed
Stranger
Reged: 09/23/03
Posts: 4
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Hello people, Thanks for all your suggestions.
I went to urgent care, and the doc was way better, He took x rays to rule out a bunch of stuff, he actually did an exam where he tested to see if I had a pinched nerve. He was a really cool doc.
He prescribed Cyclobenz and Vioxx.
It seems to be working well.
Thanks everyone.
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ML63
Member
Reged: 02/08/03
Posts: 135
Loc: Upstate New York
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Quote:
I finally got insurance again. And decided to go to the doctors office. This is the first time visiting the new clinic.
What should I do? I want to go to the doc again, and allieve DOES NOT HELP. I am thinking of going to urgent care tomorrow at a different place. Any suggestions?
If your insurance is anything like mine, you can forget getting the meds you need or having them paid for. In my case, I see a specialist for my injury. To see him I must get a referral from my PCP. The specialist said "No hydro for you! Ultracet!", and that was it. My PCP read the specialist's report and took my head off because I tried calling him to get stronger meds. Because of the referral thing, any doctor I see must be approved by my PCP and my PCP receives back complete records from them all. Even if I did manage a proper referral to see yet another doctor and got stronger meds, my PCP would find out rather quickly. He'd probably accuse me of "doctor shopping", and in a sense, he'd be right. After all, my intent would be to keep seeing doctors until I got what I needed. So instead of going through any more of that, I decided that an OP was the only option. These days I go for an exam every so often, and then promptly hand over the records to my OP to keep them updated. My advice is simple. If your insurance works like mine, don't keep asking for meds through doctors that are affiliated with the insurance company or you'll be labeled a drug seeker. It almost happened to me. Find a doctor outside the loop or read up on the DB boards and find a good OP. It stinks that you'll have to pay out of pocket, but it's better than suffering. And of course, you'll always have a lot of friends right here that are in exactly the same situation.
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Flavia
Journeyman
Reged: 01/29/03
Posts: 65
Loc: Baja Oklahoma
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Cibleed,
I totally empathize. I'm a prisoner in my own house because of a horrible experience I had with a pain dr.
I told my daughter: The quality of people you have to deal with in everyday business nowadays is abysmal. All you can do is go to another dr. I did, and I found a GREAT one.
Keep trying until you find a good one...  Flavia
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In this day and age, you need a crutch to get through life. If you don't, you are dead, in a
coma or seriously mentally impaired.
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prettyday
Threadhead
Reged: 02/09/03
Posts: 790
Loc: Coastal Sage Scrub
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I am happy for you!!!! I am sad for me...my body just keeps betraying me and now the pain is spreading to the bones in my knees (again; happened from birth) and up my neck and in my shoulders. I tried to take Vioxx and then other days profen, or proxen or Anacin...now my stomach is ripped up along with my diverticulits and my doc yelled at me (gently.)
What do I do? I am so full of life and passion and causes and thanks to pain meds my face is not all twisted. I am getting my looks back. Sound shallow? I don't care.
I know my insurance hates me by now-Sweet Heaven help me if I lose it; no one will ever touch me again.
I don't even care what I have anymore. I am sick of hearing my own voice and talking to the top of my doctors head for 160 seconds.
I am not stupid. I can see the groundswell of fear that the DEA/AMA is sending out to these guys; meanwhile I remember that the Senate gets immediate care at Walter Reed Naval Hospital (one of the best in nation...)
I sent a reassuring post originally and I am glad it helped, but I am so sick of a doctor's visit being a job interview or an exercise in how to feel dismissable instantly.
Oh well, that was my whine for the day. Time to tough it out. I will win, you know. It has never been the other guy still standing, and I will beat this too. I just hope I still have some good character, some honor at the end of it.
Intractable pain does not ennoble me. I regret that.
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"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." -Emilano Zapata
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2muchpain
Enthusiast
Reged: 10/07/03
Posts: 274
Loc: USA
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Will your insurance plan allow you to find a more sympathetic PCP? You don't have to mention the problem with the meds. You just need to find one with a better bedside manner.
Best of luck to you. I know what you are going through. Luckily, my PCP is one in a million.
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lnd4508
Old Hand
Reged: 06/23/02
Posts: 437
Loc: USA
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My PCP totally misdiagnosed a very painful condition in my foot and gave me Vioxx and a few hydro. Well, they pain got WORSE! So I call for more hydro and NO. So I went to a specialist who said I had something completely different, gave me a cortisone shot and utlrasound therapy and x20 hydro. She said that Vioxx (one of the most expensive anti-inflammatories out there) would never help what I had and told me to stop doing the silly exercises he had me doing with my foot and to come back the next week. Sometimes I think primary docs just want to pretend they know everything about everything. Fortunately insurance enrollment just came up and I changed mine IMMEDIATELY! Unfortunately the new plan requires your primary doc to refer you to a specialist. Glad that was not the case in this instance. I feel your pain...literally. There is someone out there to help you. You just need to look. If you do choose to use urgent care, take your list of primary docs and ask them to recommend one. That's sort of how I chose mine. I asked my ob/gyn to refer me. I have a new patient visit scheduled for January.
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antique
Banned
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 215
Loc: east coast
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prettyday, I may have mentioned this before, but you are an excellent writer! BTW, I am sorry you're in so much pain.
It seems to be nearly impossible to find a doctor who will simply take the time to listen to what you have to say about your health much less spend a little time trying to figure out what is wrong. I know that the insurance industry has a lot to do with this, but ultimately, the responsibility lies with the doctor to give proper care to their patients. When you get a good doctor, it's like winning the lottery! And I'm not even talking about their willingness to prescribe pain meds. It's ridiculous!
I usually just try to find a good doc by word of mouth and trial and error. I've noticed that when someone recommends a good doc that doc is usually not accepting new patients. If you can afford it, it's a good idea to find a good alternative med practitioner as well. JMHO.
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mindy
Journeyman
Reged: 09/23/03
Posts: 57
Loc: Northwest
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Urgent Care can mean spending a longer time in the waiting room vs. a Dr.'s office, but in my experience, they go through the tests necessary to help you. I have gone to one a few times and received x-rays, and pain meds to help out until I could find a regular Dr. to help out. Sometimes if you say that you are in the process of searching for a primary care Dr., it makes them feel as if you are trying to solve the problem. They are great because they are similar to the ER, but not quite as busy. Before you go just make sure your insurance will cover it- I didn't check once and had to pay out of pocket. There is a chain where I live in Washington called Healthsouth and if anyone has access to one- I recommend it.
It is very frustrating when all you want is some simple relief and the Dr. is checking his watch to make sure he won't be late for his tee time. As for disclosing that you have been taking your mom's Rx- bad idea. All I do is suggest what has worked for me in the past and let the doc do the rest. For some reason it does not pay to be honest and say that you have used someone else's medication. Go figure. Good Luck if you haven't already found a better place to go!
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prettyday
Threadhead
Reged: 02/09/03
Posts: 790
Loc: Coastal Sage Scrub
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I just read this, I wanted to thank you Antique for the compliment. I really need to keep a hope that I have something I am good at no matter what, and that helped a lot. I have gone back to the doc since; I am just getting shuffled and I wish there was a way to get a brain MRI at this point; maybe they would know more then.
I started working again with the public for the first time in years--all scared every day, but happy too; unfortunately, new surroundings are not making the pain go away. Well, I have a lot to do, so I just posted this to say, just because I am not here every day does not mean I stop wishing the best for all of us and a solution that treats each of us to a pain-FREE existence!  
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"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." -Emilano Zapata
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