Wellness

[Reba055]

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@sfnative wrote:

@Lindsays Grandma@Poodlepet2@KarenQVC@Q4u@CatLoverDogsToo@LTT1@hckynutjohn

Dear Friends,

I don't know who I've missed and apologize profusely right now, if you are missing from the above list.

First, I do want to bring to your attention the fact that I asked for the thread to be closed for further commentary, per one of the kind people above: she explained it here and included the language verbatum.

You're all correct.  There were quite a number of smart alecks over there to the extent that from the get-go, I was rolling my eyes and kicking myself for ever starting the darn thing.  That's why early on I told one poster my IQ and also indicated I knew the difference between a placebo effect and the real deal.  Geesh!

But most of all, I'd like to thank all of you for your most kind and intelligent words.  Many of you spent quite a bit of time and thought into your pieces and that means something extra special, believe me.

This "interim" Internist also bashed my Neuro several good ones, telling me that he should have me off this med and should have me 50% off another med(!!!)  What this ijiot fails to use his head for is you don't mess with anyone with seizure disorders, of which I have 2.  Just simple don't mess with meds.  Period.  What I hope will be the upside to this is that I have an initial eval with a new Internest mid-May.  She went to UCLA through Residency, then joined the Air Force and spent years with them.  She's now in private practice.  Having recently retired from a Navy position, I hope we can get along and trust she can be more open and intelligent than the person I've recently seen.

All of this has occurred because it was finally published that my previous and wonderful Internist simply had it with what the bottom line has become for physicians in the 21st century.  So, I went searching for a new Internist, only to discover that in the interim patients with medicare and Blue Cross/Blue Shield PPO are unwelcomed and unrecognized patients.  Internists now want Medicare Advantage ONLY patients.  This means that there is a co-pay at every PCP visit and who knows what balances remain down the road if and when something major occurs.  We simply won't go this road.  Our current combo, with the exception of PCPs/Internists, is fabulous.

I agree with so much of what everyone has said about controlled substances and why those of us who need it are in such a pickle.  Though I'm taking a minimal dose, I'm now branded a "drug abuser" and "drug seeker."  Oh, and found out yesterday that my previous Internist's office in forwarding records, deleted all references to Dr. L. having prescribed Oxycodone in the past.  It's simply not there, so am glad to have Walgreens on my side.  Am going to make sure I make a trip to Walgreens to see if they can print out a record of the oxycodone prescriptions since we've made the move from CA to OR.

With an appointment with a new Pain Mgmt doc coming up in the later part of May, I believe he'll probably be turning to alternative pain control medications, which is fine with me, as long as they work and leave my brain alone.

Thank you all for offers of help and advice.  This has meant so very much, especially at this late hour, when I finally decided I could not go to bed until I had check on the status of the original thread, only to find the new one started by "Lindsays Grandma."

Bless you all - Rebecca  XXX

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@sfnative Just so you know, if you create an account at Walgreens, you can print a copy of all your medication history. 

[sfnative]

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@Poodlepet2 wrote:

@sfnative, you need to talk to a lawyer: I am sure you know this, but IT IS ILLEGAL TO DELETE MEDICAL RECORDS- unless the patient has not been seen for seven years.

IT IS ILLEGAL TO WITHOLD MEDICAL RECORDS.. 

Begin by contacting your County Medical Society-and make sure this goes all the way to the State....I have never heard of such audacity in my life!

Have you spoken to Blue Cross? About two years ago, the Blues dropped a huge number of doctors in their network....and a year later, invited some of them to come back. They should be able to help you find another internist-but to be safe, I would seek out a physiatrist for the simple reason-and I don't know if California is one of these states- in many states unless you are fellowship trained in physiatry or in a field such as oncology, rheumatology  etc, you can no longer prescribe narcotics within a certain schedule. Here in Florida, you can't even get Ambien from a family practice or internal medicine doctor. 

You are gracious in saying there were smart Alec's in your original thread- as others here said, we chose not to respond because we probably would have been banned-for life!

Hugs,

Poodlepet2

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@Poodlepet2

Hi PoodlePet2,

Thank you for such a caring and kind response.  I've copied some of your post, to make it easier for me to insure my response.

Withholding medical records:  When this interim Internist indicated there was no information contained within the transferred patient information from my previous Internist regarding oxycodone, I couldn't believe it.  "Yet another practice in the state of Oregon I've got to address."  Have been ruminating on this since.  Thank you for providing a direction.   I'm also going to go to that previous practice and speak with them big time, as well as contact my Congressman.  Will make a last visit to the online site where an evaluation was provided of my previous Internist: I'll be able to add a remark about incomplete medical records transfer.  Making that public won't do that practice any good.

Note:  We no longer live in California, so cannot comment on current state law relative to protection of patients rights.  Things seem to be changing there daily, per the guv.

Am aware of what went on with Blue X/Blue Shield.  At the time, this did not have a bearing on me whatsoever.  The issue now with anyone on Medicare is that Internal medicine practices are cutting back on the bucks required to process patient charges: it costs them more to process ME to Medicare first, then to Blue X as secondary, than it does to simply indicate that if you want to be a patient you MUST have Medicare Advantage, only.  If they would take me as a patient, they will get a much better return than with Medicare Advantage. However, they are content to bill Medicare Advantage, after collecting a co-pay (which I don't pay) and bill the patient for the remainder, if it exists.  The frightening part of Medicare Advantage is in cases beyond a simple procedure, simple surgery - we're talking major surgery, major hospitalization - a skilled nursing facility - etc.  How many write-offs can a practice or entity absorb?  In the not-to-distant future, there will be a point of no return, as what occurred when docs signed up with every HMO on the planet in the 80s, then realized what that situation boiled down to.  The docs lost tens of thousands and, in some cases, millions of dollars, and some retired, due to mishandling schedules and practice funds by ill-educated HMO staff.

I do have a new PCP (an Internist) who I see for a new patient eval in mid-May.  It is a Family Practice, not an Internal Medicine Practice, hence the acceptance of Medicare and Blue X/Blue Shield.  After having called every single Internal Medicine practice in the city in which I live, plus some across the Columbia River in Washington, it would appear that aside from the person I'll soon fire, this new doc is perhaps one of the few who will accept me as a new patient based on my insurance combo.

Being a Friday, I'm not going to start on any of this today, as it seems that the state of Oregon begins their weekends early: lots of 4 day work weeks and just darn lazy people.  Very difficult to reach anyone.  Mondy will be the day!

In the interim, I'll make my begging visit to Walgreens.  Want to speak with either of the pharmacists in order to obtain a record of my prescriptions with dates of purchase. 

Thanks, again, for great advice and kindness.  I will get back to you, as things move forward.

XXX

[sfnative]

@Reba055

Reba!!!

Thank you!!!  Yes, I did create an online account, but haven't used it much.  Honestly, did not know I could do this.  Cannot thank you enough for letting me know about this great resource!

[151949]

An anesthesia doctor I was friends with once told me - when I get a long convoluted story that is difficult to follow and makes little sense I instantly become suspicious it is all made up. Then I look more closely at that patient for involuntary reactions to pain.

[mzlg]

Thanks @hckynut, for making the previous comment readable. 

[KarenQVC]

I don't understand what the big deal is about a person taking one pill a day forever.  What harm does it do?  Why all the gotcha attitude?  No one should have to live in pain.

[loveschocolate]

@151949, enough already!!!! So you are a retired nurse, yada, yada, yada. So am I. But I don't see M.D. behind your name. Good grief. 

[sfnative]

@151949

OK, here I go.

Whatever it is that that doc told you, let me tell you this:

1.  You don't know my medical hix and cannot, therefore, come to any conclusions.

2.  The Internist I have seen ONLY 2 times has spent 90% of my appointment time in my face about his qualifying me as a drug abuser and drug seeker.  He has not sought to have a cogent discourse on my medical hx.  He is, therefore, extremely incompetent.

3.  The Internist I have seen x2 is in LOVE with the Massachusetts doc hired by the state of Oregon to come out here and clean up the drug adled population which has plagued this state and continues to do so.  What this MA doc did was to make it next to impossible for ANYONE to receive a prescription for a drug such as the one I take once per day with breakfast.

4.  I don't drink.  Never smoked a joint.  Never pushed an illegal drug into my system, nor took one in pill or capsule form.  Don't smoke.  What I do have is more than moderate pain and often severe intractable pain.  Now, imagine yourseff with this pain in your entire lumbar spine (spondy, facet syndrome, osteophytes, DDD, 3 bulges, mod to sev stenosis) with muscle spasms; involvement at T8, C6-7; CRPS-Moderate both forearms and hands; chronic migraine (33+ years); surgical error damaged insertion of ITB L; surgical error damaged sural + tibial nerves (50% loss of strength in L LE and foot w/shooting nerve pain and paralyzed L foot; and the beat goes on.  There's a lot more.  Am not going to to any further...

The time I spent working a floor, I was constantly barraged with questions: "My patient presents with this and that - what should I tell Dr. Smith when I call him?"  Pretty darn good at diagnosing was I, so I know when I'm up against a lost cause.  Those are people who simply look down on the world from their perch on high and throw dictums about as if they were the last words of the Almighty.

[151949]

@sfnative  I was going to write an answer to you but , instead I'll just say best of luck to you in your search for a doctor.

[151949]

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@151949 wrote:

@sfnative  I was going to write an answer to you but , instead I'll just say best of luck to you in your search for a doctor.

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Oh yeah , BTW - if you are really a nurse you'd know that one of the first things you learn in nursing school is - nurses never diagnose. You present the symptoms and that is all.And any nurse who doesn't know what to tell the doctor when she calls him needs to give up her license and get a job at Mc Donalds.