jesus doesn't love me anymore

[erika]

I just got accused of being drug seeking.

I am so fucking PISSED OFF.

Here are the facts:

• I just had surgery on my breast, the nipple specifically.


• I have 20 (twenty) pain pills.


• I was issued these pills in two prescriptions, one for ten on Tuesday and then another one for ten after my surgery.


• The second prescription was written by her intern.


• The pills last UP TO four hours.


• These pills are supposed to last me until my NEXT Friday appointment with my surgeon. Not tomorrow. The 28th.

That's 11 days, 10 if you assume I didn't need any on Tuesday or won't need any on Friday.

THAT'S TWO FUCKING PILLS A DAY. PILLS THAT LAST 4 HOURS IF I'M LUCKY.

2 four hour pills a day is EIGHT HOURS OF NOT FEELING LIKE MY BREAST IS ON FIRE.
Fucking excuse me for my poor pain tolerance, but I would like TWENTY-FOUR HOURS FREE OF THAT PARTICULAR FEELING.

The nurse continually badgered me with questions asking me of my drug seeking intent when I called to say that THEIR MATH FUCKING SUCKS.

GOD I AM SO FUCKING PISSED.

Comments

[miss_invisible]

Just... what? Seriously??? Don't you have to know how to add to get through med school? Good grief.

[erika]

Apparently not!

[trialia]

*snarls at them*

Yeah, this is why my GP and I are having a discussion on Monday afternoon about the fact that 12 migraine pills will not last me a month and I need her to give me more per prescription or I'll have to repeat it at least twice a month all winter. What is it with docs who can't add up?

[erika]

I don't know! It's really frustrating, let me tell you.

[singdreamlove]

First off, Jesus does still love you. :)

Secondly, that is RIDICULOUS! I feel for you and I don't blame you one bit for being pissed. I don't get it...I really don't. A similar thing just happened to one of my friends, it was with her anti-anxiety medication, which is considered a narcotic. She is prescribed to take two a day but her prescription was written as "Twice a day - 30 pills" but not scheduled to be refilled for a month. So yeah, she ran out of her pills before the refill date and pretty much ended up going nuts...but the pharmacy couldn't do anything for her and the doctor's office wouldn't call in a refill until they saw her but they couldn't get her in right away - she was a mess.

At any rate...I hope they ended up giving you more pills even if they were accusing you of drug seeking...again, that's just RIDICULOUS!

[erika]

hee, don't worry, it's just a lyric from the song I was listening to. (But just for future reference, I'm Buddhist.)

I bet she was a mess. I hope she's okay now!

Yeah, they're supposedly giving me a new prescription tomorrow. If it's for another 10 pills I'm going to throw something, though.

[blueberry_ash]

Ugh, that sounds awful. D:

[erika]

They're SUPPOSEDLY giving me a new 'script tomorrow. If it's for another 10 pills I'm going to ... do something they won't like. REALLY WON'T LIKE.

An open letter from a doc who I'm sure figures himself as compassionate

[thejeopardymaze]

http://whitecoatunderground.com/2011/08/16/dear-patient/

There should be an #OccupyMedicine movement because of this bullshit.

I've dealt with a fair amount of stupidity from doctors who are really that oblivious and stupid, but thankfully not for post-surgery or chronic pain.

Re: An open letter from a doc who I'm sure figures himself as compassionate

[mswyrr]

That letter. Oh God.

Dear Doctor,

I notice your discomfort. I see that it is a result of my foot up your ass.

I regret nothing.

[jenrose]

I'm so so sorry you're having to deal with that.

I called my midwife and told her I was done with 24/7 nausea and was starting to lose continence from gagging and throwing up more frequently and the mints that had been helping were now causing heartburn that was making NEW and DIFFERENT nausea. And could I please have Zofran.

So she called the doc's office who has to prescribe them.

They prescribed TEN pills. 8 mg, every 8 hours, "as needed".

Well, lucky me, it turns out it works better for me to take 4 mg every 6 hours, but that's... two and a half days. At $5 per fill. If I was taking the meds as often and as much as they prescribed them, I'd be spending $50 per month on a freakin' generic.

So I got the 10 pills and called my midwife and asked for a 30 day supply.

They prescribed 30 pills.

*headdesk*. Which, if I manage to go 8 hours between 4 mg doses, will last...20 days.

So I called the pharmacy and asked them to please refill and clarify that I need a MONTHS SUPPLY, not 30 pills, and when I got there four days later... no refill. But they'll refill the 10....

THEN I called the doc directly, and they were like, "Oh, you want 90 pills, that's fine," like I hadn't already asked for that over and over again.

I get to the pharmacy... and they have 30 pills ready for me. Turns out they hadn't actually acted on the new prescription. I said, "Fine, I'll wait."

I am 30 1/2 weeks pregnant. I started Zofran at 27-ish weeks pregnant. And I am just NOW getting a month's supply. For $5. Which is how it should have been from at the very least the second fill, once we knew the meds would work.

The stupid thing? Many insurance companies limit the drug to 24 pills per month, even for chemo patients. BUT MINE DOES NOT.

If I forget to take a pill, I start gagging and if I am not careful, I will be vomiting soon after. On the med, I'm fine. Mostly functional. Only get nauseated occasionally, haven't actually thrown up on the med, ever.

The midwife hazarded a guess. "Maybe they're thinking that the nausea will go away soon?"

I said, "I've been thinking that since I was 18 weeks pregnant. AT this point, I don't expect it to go away until I deliver."

Usually with surgery and injury, I need narcotics for a few days, and then it gets to the point where analgesics will do the trick, but they always send me home with more narcotics than I'm likely to actually use. But still... They should be saying to you not, "We think you're drug seeking", but "Most patients only need narcotics for the first 3-4 days after surgery, and if you're having pain that significant five days out, we need to see what's causing the prolonged pain." And if things are healing normally but you're still having that much pain, they should prescribe the damn drug already.

All that aside... I don't know what was done to your nipple, but I know a lot of tricks for reducing burning nipple pain. #1 is to get, from the "breastfeeding supply section" (Target has it in my area) Lansinoh Soothies Gel breast pads. These are very cooling and soothing and block air.

If your nipples are bandaged, I'd wonder if a hydrocolloid dressing might help a LOT. They block air and absorb wound exudate, making a sort of self-adhesive bandage. They can be left on for a couple of days and provide much better pain relief and healing environment than gauze. Might be worth asking about.

Also, for surface level pain, i'm wondering if there's something topical you could be using?

[erika]

I read the whole comment, don't get me wrong, but damn I really want some hydrocolloid dressings now.

[jenrose]

Drug store should have them. Or grocery store. They're sold as burn dressings.

http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Tough-Pads-4-Count-Pack/dp/B005ALUMI4

They'll ship free second day if you get Amazon Mom (which you don't actually have to be a mom to get.)

[erika]

But seriously. TEN FUCKING PILLS. When you have at least 9 1/2 weeks of pregnancy to go!? WHAT THE HELL. WHY CAN'T THEY FUCKING COUNT?!

It makes even less sense when you think ... uh, Zofran doesn't even have ANY addictive potential, does it? I mean, at least with pain meds you have SOME sympathy for the people who have to deal with real drug seeking, but yours just makes no fucking sense.

[jenrose]

AND IT WAS THE GENERIC SO NO LIMIT AND COSTS $5.

Whether I get 10 pills or 90.
That required shouting.

The kicker is that I have SPD and so it fucking HURTS to walk to the car, get in the car, drive to the store, walk to the electric cart, and drive up to the pharmacy window. Would like to only do that once a month kplzthx.

[jenrose]

The ironic thing is that my primary care doc will prescribe me narcotics until the cows come home because I tell her I hate them and I never use up all my pills. I'm such a friggin' lightweight, half an oxycodone knocks me for a friggin' loop.