zoe11
Journeyman
Reged: 11/04/03
Posts: 87
Loc: Other side of the moon
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I hope that I'm posting in the correct forum. Anyway, I went to my quarterly visit to my pain doctor. He told me that he had gotten a threatening letter from the state regarding his practice. It rather freaked me out, and he could tell, so he had his nurse go get the letter and show me. It was true. The state I live in had sent him a letter telling him to rethink giving people with chronic pain strong pain medication. I got worried, but he said that they talk about things like this at their conferences. He told me that he runs an ethical practice and doesn't give pain meds to people who don't need them. Still, I was very unsettled and asked him what would happen to me if he could no longer prescribe. He said that I would have to go to my primary care doc. I told him that my primary care doc would not give me pain meds and that was why I was seeing him. This is concerning to me. What do you all think?
Z
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Greycie
Old Hand
Reged: 07/08/03
Posts: 461
Loc: Pacific NorthWest
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Hmmm... my thoughts are that, as long as he has an M.D. and is your established pain specialist (and I emphasize specialist) I wouldn't give it too much thought. Until it's against the law, which I don't forsee happening, I wouldn't really take it as a serious concern.
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"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire
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voyager
Old Hand
Reged: 04/17/03
Posts: 413
Loc: United States Virgin Islands
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zoe, did he give you any indication as to why they sent him the letter and what state do you live in??
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elleonheels
Stranger
Reged: 02/16/04
Posts: 21
Loc: Texas
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This past summer--a few months before my mom died--her PCP who practices in Gulfport, MS (near Biloxi) had his Rx pad snatched away for one year for overprescribing.
He was a great doctor, took wonderful care of my mama during her last months and never gave her anything stronger than 7.5 hydros, usually #30 a month. He didn't run a pill mill, just a patient base consisting mostly of older folks, all of whom loved him for his sweet nature and compassion.
He just cared too much. That's all.
Elle
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"Never doubt that a group of citizens can change the world."
Margaret Mead
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zoe11
Journeyman
Reged: 11/04/03
Posts: 87
Loc: Other side of the moon
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Thanks for the responses. Yes, my pain doctor specializes and is licensed, certified . . . all of the above in pain management. He's an anestesiologist (sp?????) with 3 years extra training in pain management. He put me through an MRI and a very thorough physical. We tried the epidurals -- yuck! I take a low-dose long acting pain medication. I'd just hate to go back to hydro, as I feel like a new person now. He was not worried at all or so he said.
I live in Washington and go to a pain clinic in a larger city in that state.
I told my doc about this site for support, and that I've read on it that other pain clinics have been closed down.
z
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voyager
Old Hand
Reged: 04/17/03
Posts: 413
Loc: United States Virgin Islands
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It sounds to me like you are doing really well. As i am certain that you know, you are one of the LUCKY FEW that has someone she has faith in.
Count your blessings and keep us informed.
voyager (david)
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night_shade
Threadhead
Reged: 08/26/03
Posts: 907
Loc: The State of Hockey
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Zoe-
As long as your doctor is only prescribing long-acting narcotics for people with clinical evidence of severe pain, and s/he utilizes opioid contracts, I wouldn't worry overmuch.
When my PCP was asked about my methadone prescriptions (prior to the pain management doctor taking over my care) he simply had to supply medical evidence of need and they left him alone.
In my case, MRI results and 12 years of successive failed treatment options back up my need for long-acting opioids.
It sounds like you have substantial medical evidence of need and so I wouldn't be too concerned.
It does seem odd that your PM doc would not only tell you about the letter, but show it to you as well. I wonder why he did that?
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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
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