topic Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!! in Community Chat

Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

RINGER — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 20:45:30 GMT

I am not going to go into a lot of details except to say that I had a heart to heart with my doctor and told him I don't call his office unless I am in pain and would appreciate it if he would call in a med to help....fast forward--a week ago got 2 shots in elbow was in a lot of pain and it came back again so called the office requesting pain med. I DO have vicodine he prescribed for my back issues but don't want to take them and even discussed possible meds he might put me on so I thought he would call one of those discussed. NEVER heard a word but the office said IT TAKES ANYWHERE FROM 48 to 72 HOURS TO get a response!!!

I spent a long time trying to find other RA's in our area that isn't difficult to get too (we are seniors and driving in the DC area is awful) and no luck.

DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE RA DOCTORS TREAT THEM THIS WAY?? Pain has subsided but I am still ticked beyond belief so I have decided when I* see him again I will get a prescription I can have ON HAND because I cannot get a response and once again CALL THE JERK OUT for his poor patient relationships!

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

ahoymate — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 20:54:22 GMT

My experience it can take pharmacies 24-48 hours notice to fill prescriptions if the MD's office needs to call it in.

The stress is not helping your RA. Getting a prescription while U R in the office to have on hand is a good idea. If U feel this way about him, JERK, I would find another MD. Part of the MD/patient relationship is good rapport and good bedside manner.

Best of luck 2 U

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

Lacey1 — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 21:03:26 GMT

You may not want to hear this but is your doctor concerned that you are abusing your pain meds? This is a very common problem. You are already prescribed a narcotic pain med. What was it that you were hoping that he would prescribe? It sounds as if you were hoping for a stronger med than the vicodin.

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

NoelSeven — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 21:07:08 GMT

My rheumatologist and internist are always offering me pain pills. They give me anything I want, but I think that's because I have a history with them and I always try to tough it out by myself.

I don't do well with pain killers. I have lupus and those of us with SLE sometimes get unimaginable pain.

Here's what I found out, but it may not be right for you... We can take two Ibuprofen and two Tylenol at the same time. One medical source says the combination is as good as Vicodin for some people.

I'd suggest you not try it until you talk to your MD first. Ibuprofen is an NSAID, so you want to make sure it's OK for you. It works wonders for me, especially because Ibuprofen also helps with the inflammation.

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

glb613 — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 21:17:58 GMT

Why don't you have a supply of pain meds? I have RA and have pain medication on hand in case I need them. I've never heard of not having a supply when RA can flare up without warning.

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

kittymomNC — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 21:32:45 GMT

I'm sorry this is happening to you. I don't have RA, but my brother does, and I know how painful it was for him before he got on the right meds.

But the reason I'm commenting is that it's not just RA doctors who do this. As some of you may have read on my posts, my son has cluster headaches, which cause excruciating pain for an hour or so one or more times each night for months...sometimes they happen during the day. The last bout lasted 4 months. He has a couple of different kinds of meds given to him by his neurologist, who is a headache specialist. The first time he had them and saw this dr he was going to prescribe oxygen, which some people on the boards have said is the only thing that helps, but the headaches stopped for almost a year. Then they started again. When he calls their office and asks to speak with the doctor for just a minute about his meds, or trying something different, it takes them at least two days to call him back. If he hasn't been to the office in a while, after it takes two days for them to return his call, they may say you need to make an appt. Then he makes an appt, goes in, and the doctor just says "take your meds".....really??? He has asked about another med that was prescribed before, and the dr says he doesn't need that. He gives no suggestions about any alternatives, and has not suggested the oxygen again.

We live in an area where there are four major hospitals, one of which is in the top 10 in the country, and a majority of the doctor practices have been absorbed into that system, so we're supposed to be able to get some of the best medical care available. But I'm sorry to say, it's not that easy.

WE'RE LOOKING FOR A NEW NEUROLOGIST!! Maybe you should start looking for a new RA doctor?

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

151949 — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 22:04:13 GMT

I would say if this doctor has already given you a Rx for vicodin you do not have an emergency situation at all, that would require he make an exception to his normal practice for you. You are not his only patient - what do you think he is going to order for you that would be better than Vicodin?

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

151949 — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 22:05:12 GMT

On 8/2/2014 glb613 said:
Why don't you have a supply of pain meds? I have RA and have pain medication on hand in case I need them. I've never heard of not having a supply when RA can flare up without warning.

She said he had given her a Rx for vicodin.

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

loveschocolate — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 22:48:45 GMT

I believe 48-72 hours to get a response is poor practice. Find another doctor.

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

Kachina624 — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 23:33:09 GMT

People expect to get the same level of personal service from a medical provider that they might have gotten 50 years ago. Times have drastically changed folks, and you are now pretty much just a number. With so many more people being covered by insurance and Medicare (baby boomers), doctors are absolutely swamped. There are not enough hours in the day to see patients, let alone make calls. I have my doctor's email address and when I do have a serious complaint, I contact her that way and she can have a nurse take care of my request. I've only ever used it once. I'm very careful not to abuse this. You might ask your doctor if there is an expeditious way to contact him.

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

RINGER — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 23:44:19 GMT

On 8/2/2014 happy housewife said:
I would say if this doctor has already given you a Rx for vicodin you do not have an emergency situation at all, that would require he make an exception to his normal practice for you. You are not his only patient - what do you think he is going to order for you that would be better than Vicodin?

The vicodin was given 2 months ago after having an MRI and him saying I had one of the worst looking backs he has ever seen and wanted me to get an epidural. I told him no the the epidural as would use that ONLY if I needed it and had had shots in the past some of which took, and some did not. He prescribed the vicodin for the leg that I could hardly move but thankfully worked itself out.

I was hoping he would order A MEDICATION THAT WAS PRIMARILY FOR POLYMYALGIA WHCH WE DISCUSSED IN HIS OFFICE! I DO not WANT to use any NARCOTICs UNLESS I HAVE TO. Thus the call (remember I just saw him 4 days ago and was injected with prednisone and maybe methotrexate?) which helped for 4 days and then I was miserable and could not hold a saucer in my left hand and trying to put on a bra was a joke.

I totally agree I AM NOT HIS ONLY PATIENT but had I not had a heart to heart with him on how hard it was to get feedback from his office or him and no prescription, really ticked me off. We will see if he calls Monday, but this is NOT OVER YET AND I LOOKED all over our area for another set of RA specialist and the only other ones are in an area we just cannot drive to easily--when you live in the DC burbs, the traffic is a nightmare and we are in our mid 70's and can't do like we used to!

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

hckynut — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 23:44:30 GMT

Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

That is one of the few specialists in medicine that I have not seen. Every doctor is a person just like in any other profession. Any doctor that treated me in this way would quickly be my former doctor and I don't care how many there are in our area. I will give a doctor maybe 2 days to respond in some way to me, but 72 hours? Nope.

If a doctor is concerned about how a patient uses narcotic prescriptions he should use his voice to inform the patient be it via telephone or face to face.

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

RINGER — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 23:46:15 GMT

On 8/2/2014 lacey1 said:
You may not want to hear this but is your doctor concerned that you are abusing your pain meds? This is a very common problem. You are already prescribed a narcotic pain med. What was it that you were hoping that he would prescribe? It sounds as if you were hoping for a stronger med than the vicodin.

Nothing is further from the truth as I only used ONE vicodin when prescribed and wanted to stay away from ANY NARCOTIVC

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

RINGER — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 23:50:36 GMT

On 8/2/2014 hckynut said:
Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

That is one of the few specialists in medicine that I have not seen. Every doctor is a person just like in any other profession. Any doctor that treated me in this way would quickly be my former doctor and I don't care how many there are in our area. I will give a doctor maybe 2 days to respond in some way to me, but 72 hours? Nope.

If a doctor is concerned about how a patient uses narcotic prescriptions he should use his voice to inform the patient be it via telephone or face to face.

John I don't believe for one minute that he is concerned about a narcotic prescriptio which I have plenty of and just not used but one--(go to my current post and maybe I can tell you what I had hoped he would give me which I don't believe is a narcotic)we talked last week about 2 meds he may end up putting me on (not at once) so I was hoping he would call in something about one of them to AVOID narcotics that would help.

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

NoelSeven — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 00:04:20 GMT

On 8/2/2014 RINGER said:
On 8/2/2014 lacey1 said:
You may not want to hear this but is your doctor concerned that you are abusing your pain meds? This is a very common problem. You are already prescribed a narcotic pain med. What was it that you were hoping that he would prescribe? It sounds as if you were hoping for a stronger med than the vicodin.

Nothing is further from the truth as I only used ONE vicodin when prescribed and wanted to stay away from ANY NARCOTIVC

Then maybe you should read my post.

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

Irshgrl31201 — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 00:20:33 GMT

48 to 72 hours is standard time concerning prescription refills and requests. All of my doctors messages have that stated in the voice mail. I rarely have to call them for anything because I make sure I keep up on that just in case it does take a while for them to get back to me.

It looks like you may have to bite the bullet and take the vicoden until he calls one in for you.

Why didn't you ask him for this non opioid medicine when you were last in there? I mean you know you will have times that you will have pain so even if you weren't in pain when you last talked to him you should try to anticipate it, I know that can't always happen but since you discussed that med during your last visit, why didn't you just ask for it then. It is our responsibility as patients too to be proactive and not wait until the last minute.

May I ask what med it is that you are looking for? Is there a reason you don't want to take the med he already prescribed for you?

I think Noel had good advice with the 2 tylenol and 2 NSAIDS. At least give it a try if you are determined not to use the hydrocodone. He gave you the hydrocodone (vicodin) for a reason, so why not use it?

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

Kachina624 — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 00:57:22 GMT

Vicodin taken prudently and according to direction is not going to make you an addict. If you are in pain you should take what he prescribed. I always have Vicodin on hand for pain I occasionally have, but rarely take them. The only thing they do for me is relieve pain. If I need one, I don't hesitate to take it.

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

lilypadfrog — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 02:24:36 GMT

RINGER, this hit home for me. My 28 year old daughter has RA but had to go to several doctors before she found one who actually did labs to confirm the RA markers. Current doctor can take 2 to 3 days for a call back, but at least he believes her. Daughter gives herself weekly injections of Enbrel, I believe. Every so often when the pain is too much, she goes to the ER for an infusion of toradol. I tend to wonder if the problem lies with the fact that pain isn't immediately as easy to identify as, say, a broken ankle.

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

Shorty2U — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 02:35:22 GMT

Im sorry for your pain. I hope that you get relief. I have a pain team since 2001 and many spine issues (the entire spine) plus hip issues.

I can tell you this, I go regularly for spine shots and check ups (almost once a month) and I MUST get a WRITTEN script each time. They will NOT call in narcotics. (other meds like muscle relaxers/prescription IBuprofen YES).

And I have gone there for 13 years so they know me well.

They don't call me back 90% of the time if I have to call them. (they have 5 offices all over). I have to call numerous times.

So anyway I fixed it myself. I never run out of meds because I don't take the entire prescribed dosage because for my last dose Im in BED, and in case I cant get there in Winter, because its annoying to go almost monthly. So I am now ahead 2 bottles of EACH of my meds from doing this.

So in answer to your question, do they do this? YES. Its not the Doctors fault its the staff. People don't do their job anymore. (And I reported the staff TO that Dr to no avail). The only Dr's "office" I go to that I have NO issue with is my family Dr. They do their job.

Best of luck to you, I know its horrible to be in pain.

Re: Is this the way most RA doctors act or is it just the ones I have!!

chrystaltree — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 03:55:19 GMT

48-72 hours is standard. Perhaps you are not aware of the fact that your doc had other besides you. And many have problems much more serious than yours. Besides, you had something to take if you chose to. Certainly, tell him how you feel. But he isn't going to promise to be at your beck and call 24/7 .