PrivateRealm
Threadhead
Reged: 03/18/03
Posts: 879
Loc: usa
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I just need some advice, personal experiences, or any sort of feedback right now.
I am seriously considering "FIRING" my Dr. I have been going for over 2 years now for treatment. We have tried many muscle relaxers, NASAIDS, mild pain relievers (Darvocet, Ultracet), blood pressure type meds for migraines (they only caused weight gain), MRI's, X-Rays, PT, injections, etc. But, they are so crowded (State Ins.), that I only talk with them no longer than about 5 minutes. I waited last visit for 2 hours, and talked to the Dr. about 2 minutes. She even forgot, or didn't care about, refilling my scripts (including blood pressure meds).
I am just so frusterated because after 2 years, we still cannot get rid of the pain. They haven't even really told me what causes it. I wake up in pain every day. I have headaches every day that I KNOW are just gonna get worse as the day goes on. By the end of the day, I cannot tell if my headache or back pain hurts worse. I get nauseous from the pain. I don't even want to get out of bed. Sometimes I can't get out of bed to take care of my children (I'm a single Mom). If you knew that you were gonna hurt so bad, would YOU want to get out of bed???
I don't care about meds, I wish I didn't have to take any. The Hydro that I get from OP's aren't effective any more. I want my pain to go away. I feel at times like giving up, I just want to lay in bed and cry. I have no social life anymore. It takes all my energy just to work. I have been doing poorly in school because I feel so bad all the time.
I cannot remember the last day that I was actually happy to be alive, or just felt joy being around my kids. Every day is such a chore. I shouldn't have to live like this. It doesn't seem fair to be in pain all the time.
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KeriAnne~~~
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take - but by the moments that take our breath away."
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PAIDFO
Member
Reged: 02/01/03
Posts: 149
Loc: southeast
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You deserve to be treated better.I'd make another appointment and just tell the Dr to slow down and talk to me or give me a referal to a Dr that will.You must remember you are a paying customer.Thats how Drs seem to treat people(like a fast food drive thru)Well just turn off the car and demand to be treated fairly.There are Drs out there that care.Just few and far between.Good Luck...P
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"The difference between Ordinary and Extraordinary is the Little Extra"
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dsmmcm
Board Addict
Reged: 11/08/03
Posts: 364
Loc: southwest US
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KerriAnne,
First of all, are you seeing a regular PCP or a specialist? PCP's are useless for chronic headache. You need a neurologist, or better yet, a neurologist who is a headache specialist. My specialist spends a minimum of 1/2 hour with me each appointment.
You can get a list of headache specialists from the National Headache Foundation:
http://www.headaches.org/professional/press%20releases/release041902.html
There is also a very good web site by Dr. David Hass with tons of information:
http://www.upstate.edu/neurology/haas/
E-mail Dr. Hass and ask if he can recommend someone in your area.
Proper treatment for headaches like yours is essential. If you live in or near a major metropolitan area, you will be able to find someone. For sure, get rid of your current doctor.
D.
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DonBarba
Enthusiast
Reged: 04/02/04
Posts: 284
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I think the two posts above give good advice.
However, you state:
Quote:
But, they are so crowded ( State Ins .), that I only talk with them no longer than about 5 minutes
Does this mean that the insurance you have limits your choice of PCPs and specialists?
If so I suppose it could be a problem to "choose" a doctor; which makes your plight harder.
The bottom line is to "fire" your doctor and find one(s) that can give the time and consideration you require. I just hope you are not a prisoner of a bad insurance situation.
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dsmmcm
Board Addict
Reged: 11/08/03
Posts: 364
Loc: southwest US
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In fact, my insurance covers only about 40% of his (expensive) office visits. However, I figured out that I could take all of his requests for blood work, MRI's, etc. to my local hospital, that fully accepts my insurance, and get it all done for free. Same for prescriptions. Even though my doctor is not in my insurance plan, it still pays for the prescriptions,less the deductible. There are so many insurance plans out there, and they tend to be so confusing, but she needs to understand her plan. Let's just hope she's not in an HMO.
D
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parg
Journeyman
Reged: 10/07/03
Posts: 60
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have you tried Elavil??? or Xanax??? I used to get horrible migranes to the point where I'd be curdled up in a fetal position. I used dia-morphine which solved the migrane problem but created a even worse problem. I would definately switch doc's and be careful with the new doc to how much info you give out, you donot want to scare the doc or have him think your just trying to get a pain med script. I took my first elavil last nite and truthfully today I do feel alot better emotionally then I have in weeks???
Parg...
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joanne2
Journeyman
Reged: 02/11/04
Posts: 71
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Iam so sorry kerianne ,I know it is so difficult I feel the same way, I wish I had some word's of wisdom for you but I don't. Just take care of yourself and don't give up 
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Daeshay76
Old Hand
Reged: 03/22/04
Posts: 402
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I was having sort of the same problem with my doctor that i am going to now..i have state ins as well. my doctor was not doing anything for me at all he acted as if i was a "drug seeker" and kept telling me to take tyelnol and he would not get my records from previous doctor at all showing my conditions. so i went to all the scheduled MRI's and all that ad he seen what kind of problems i had in my back (i posted about it i think its 'help with MRI") still this fool didnt give me a thing..well before my last appoint i ty6ped a 3 page letter to this doc telling him if he could not help me manage my pain so i could have a life again he will need to referr me to someone that could and i also went to the local pharmacy and got a list showing all the scripts i had filled in the last year and faxed this to his office...almost a week later i went in for my appointment and this doctor couldnt of been nicer gave me pain meds and all (OC's, T3's) and told me to come back in 3 weeks for a new script for these..IMO you have to put your foot down with some of these doctors because alot of them dont care about your needs they just want the payment from the ins company. if he/she is un-willing to treat you ask to be referred elsewhere...i totally understand your situation because i am as well a single mom of 2 young boys so i know how you feel...please dont give up ...if you need anything you can PM me
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sunflower29
Member
Reged: 04/13/04
Posts: 150
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KeriAnne, have you tried any of the newer class of migraine pills? Sorry if this is a stupid question-you probably tried these long ago, but just in case you haven't, I found they worked for me like a miracle pill. I used to get migraines that would last for days and I'd end up in hospital. I rarely get those now, but when I feel a doozy coming on, I'll take one "Amerge" pill. I'm not sure if that's how they're branded in the States, but that's what they're called in Canada. The techie label is: naratriptan hydrochloride, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.
There are a couple other migraine pills like these, but this one works the best for me.
These pills are sooo expensive. About $10 per pill, probably because they work so amazingly well. Not for everyone, of course, and they do have their risks.
The pharm companies give out lots of free samples, so I'd ask your doc for some freebies. My kindly GP gave me about ten packets of free samples, with two pills in each, which was about $200 worth of medication! (Some docs aren't so bad at all!)
These pills are not habit forming but they can make you feel a little spacey and sleepy afterward. But usually you only need to take one.
I hope this might work for you as well as it did for me.
Good luck! I know how migraines can make you feel like you're being robbed of your life.
All the best to you. 
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unified
Stranger
Reged: 08/17/04
Posts: 9
Loc: usa
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Hey I love this site. I relate to what everyone is saying,but Im a newbie and have a question what does op stand for?
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hope46
Journeyman
Reged: 11/08/03
Posts: 79
Loc: CALI-DREAMIN
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OP=ONLINE PHARMACY...WELCOME UNIFIED!
KERIANNE,
I FEEL SO BAD FOR YOU! YOU DEFINATELY NEED TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!
IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING WHEN YOU GET COMFORTABLE AT AN OFFICE AND THEN YOU KNOW YOU NEED TO PACK UP AND MOVE ON...BUT YOU DESERVE TO BE TREATED A CARING PCP WHO ISN'T PUSHING PEOPLE THRU THE DOORS. THOSE HEADACHES COULD BE VERY SERIOUS AND WITH YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE PROBLEMS, WE ARE TALKING RED FLAGS*** KEEP US POSTED AND KNOW WE ARE ALL SUPPORTING YOU!--HOPE 
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peteg72
Member
Reged: 05/10/04
Posts: 174
Loc: midwest
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I feel your pain. Going through all the tests, injections, x-rays, etc. and some docs just don't seem to care. I don't think I will ever be able to put my full trust in a DOCTOR again. Been screwed over too many times. And once they make a decision, it always seems to be final, because doctor knows best!  Wish you luck and don't give up. We are all in this together.
I just read an article in one of those magazines in the docs waiting room that was about how the average time spent with a patient on a visit has gone down dramaticly in the last 20 years to about 10-13 minutes. They overbook and have to see more and more patients.
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Eeyore27
Board Addict
Reged: 07/05/04
Posts: 375
Loc: Where Misery loves Company U...
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KeriAnne,
I am sorry to hear that you are suffering with such terrible migraines. You mentioned your medical insurance being crowded. I'm taking that to mean that they won't refer you to a specialist? I would definitely fire that doctor, but that's JMO. You're always entitled to a second opinion, and why suffer when you might not have to? Look in your local phone directory and find one that your insurance will cover that specializes in migraine treatment. Hope you're feeling better soon.
~Eeyore
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~ R.I.P. Darrell Abbott 12/08/04
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fred_s
Member
Reged: 11/18/03
Posts: 158
Loc: SE USA
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KeriAnne,
There is nothing I can add to all the good advice you've recieved from the above members on the board, nor do I have experience to share with you about migraines.
However, don't give up or give in to the physical pain and mental anguish it brings you. Keep trying to find something and someone that can work for you. Truly, you have my best wishes.
Fred S.
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"One Lives But Once In This World"
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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PrivateRealm
Threadhead
Reged: 03/18/03
Posts: 879
Loc: usa
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First of all, thank you for all the advice. I am limited to who I see only in as that I need a referral for my insurance to cover it. I was sent to a Nuerologist, at a state hospital, and we tried every migraine and headache pill imaginable, from the classic and newer migraine pills, to Topomax, Neurontin, Nortriptalyne, Propanalol, Monopril, etc. I could go on and on. Nothing seems to help. I have migraines, and those are absolutely awful, but the daily headaches are worse because they are every day, the only question is how severe they will be, and if they will turn into a full out migraine. I have been to PT for back and neck pain, and the reasons for this do show up in x-rays and MRI's, so I am fighting more than one deamon. Like I said, I am not looking for drugs or any miracle pill, as hydro doesn't even work, even at high doses. The only thing that does is an IV of Valium and Demerol. I just want it to end. I have had the headaches and pain for 12 years now, every year it gets worse. My Dr. even told me to get used to it as it would only get worse as I get older.
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KeriAnne~~~
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take - but by the moments that take our breath away."
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swtangel
Member
Reged: 07/09/04
Posts: 161
Loc: Delaware
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Hey, I know your pain. I have lived with headaches and migraines for over 15 years. You may have already tried these, and I know you mentioned one of them I think but I just wanted to let you know what finally worked for me. I taked a very high dose of Depakote and Topamax both are anti seizure drugs, Topamax is on its way to being FDA approved for migrain prevention. And for the pain, the only thing that works for me is Stadol NS. It's a nose spray, that works in less than 15 minutes. For me it's even better than going to the ER for a shot of Demoral. They even gave me Stadol while I was in labor, that is how strong it is. Anyway, I hope you find some relief. I know being in pain is the worst. Take care!
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