Please Help - I'm Falling And Don't See Any Help In My Future (Top voted first)

I'm a 50 yr old grandma with end stage renal failure! With that being said I also have chronic pain, slipped disc, a bulging disc, neuropathy, severe nerve damage in my neck and down my shoulder, severe hip pain in not just one but both hips now. I have been on pain meds for about 15 yrs....And always feel like I'm being judged every time I walk in the doctor's office! I figured I would change docs and started with a new clinic. The first few months was ok I guess...Then whammmy, he said I'm discharging you at this time because you came back with a positive drug panel for "6 mam" which I have learned is heroin! I have not ever seen nor do I have a desire to see it or do it!!! But now I am without a doc and my meds have run out. I stretched what I had for as long as I could! Now I'm kinda freaking out! I'm in severe pain, I'm a damn basket case (crying at the drop of a hat) just really depressed and lost! I'm always in pain anyway but my medicine made it easier for me to deal with it! I dont know what to do and need help fast!!!!

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I'm sorry for what you're going through! A couple of questions: Did you challenge this doc's statement re. Your alleged heroin use? Did he perform a second test? The possibility of a false positive is high. In any case, you need to get a hold of your medical records from this guys office. You're entitled to them - they're your records. See what he documented. I believe there is also a way to check a lab's records as regards their accuracy rate. Get some documentation to back yourself up and go see another doctor. Don't give up on this! Hang in and stay tough!

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It may be that an individual doctor is reluctant to deal with you because of professional liability or potential legal exposure. My thought would be to send a clear statement to one or several of your local medical groups laying out your physical/medical situation, with a copy to your state and federal political reps. Your situation is clearly distinguishable from that of a junkie. One would think that neither the profession or the government can just turn their backs on you. My best wishes.

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Anytime the government gets involved everything turns to s***. Keep your hand out of my medication which I need for RSD a nerve problem that causes me severe pain and there is NO cure.

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I have had both hips replaced, my knee is nest, hen my back needs a fusion operation. I had five reconstructive surgeries over a twenty-five year period. I have problems with my my spine and bulging discs and was told by the "pain doctor" Someday soon I will need a fusion. ,I have had bone spurs removed from yhe heals on both feet anf I am in coinstant pain. I the Government takes away my only way of functiioning (pain medication) I will be forced to go to he streets for pain releif. These people play God and I am fed up and have taken all the bull#### I am going to take. What are we supposed to do? All my above mentioned medical ailments are documented with MRIs and x-rays. I have had about all the crap I am going to take from our Politicians who play God and get what ever they ask for (pain medication) legal amphetamines etc. It's time for a big change in this "land of the the free" You tell me what to do!

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Thanks to the pillbillies we that are in severe pain can not get any relief. I suffer from RSD which has no cure the docs just have to manage the pain with meds. It is getting harder and harder to find a doc to prescribe meds. Some days I hurt so bad I just want to end it all. Thank you politicians for screwing up my life in order to protect the heroin addicts.

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have you thought of medical marijuana? might help. I think I would go back to that clinic and ask for a redo on the panel that said heroin was in your system. It is most likely a mistake. Your local paper might find a story in that. good luck to you. I have many of your problems without the renal failure and just wish the best for you. I also suggest walking. any time spent doing that will definitely help you to feel better. get out of the house and try a walk around the block.

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I am a 70 year old grandma. Here's what I suggest. Re-think what you're going to do about your problems. In my case, I discovered my problems couldn't be addressed and solved until I knew what they were. I could only begin to find the answers to what was going on - in the whole, not the specific part, of whatever was most horrible about my problems. We want to solve our problems, not relieve the symptoms. Go to a more creative medical problem-solver. The kind that look at the whole of you and helps you according to you. Individualized medicine.

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It is tough being in such discomfort while at the same time trying to solve a complicated situation. "...i called about 10 more pain doctors and they basically sd the same..." - I recommend you avoid banging your head on the same wall and focus on conserving your precious work time and effort and try to accomplish much with the least effort. When I suggested below that you contact medical groups I had in mind for example your state office of the National American Medical Association. Also run a Google search on pain management and doctor referrals. Prepare a succinct description of your condition and circumstances that can be emailed to all of these folks and have a friend or family read it for effectiveness. Copy your local state and federal politicians and also send it to newspaper editors. Your goal is to reduce the continuing discomfort asap, so you want to think it terms of effectively shotgunning this to all that might help. Good luck!

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Yay, the lab is actually being sued for 250,000 for falsifying records...I have my kidney doctor getting my record be cuz they will not return my calls...and yes I most certainly questioned the test, but it got me nowhere!

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I am NOT going to talk about me. 1. Call a suicide hotline. You are very close to the edge and you need someone to talk to. 2. Try to get OFF the pain pills. When you take pain pills for long periods of time, they stop working and a needle prick feels like you've been stabbed. It's a vicious cycle. Increase your magnesium intake. Magnesium helps reduce pain. Make sure you get at least 100% of the recommended dose. 3. Red flags go up with doctors when you change a lot. Find a referral service and get a FINAL doctor. 3. Be patient with yourself. It is depressing to be in constant pain and you don't feel like starting over with a new doctor. Pat yourself on the back for surviving. Finally - if you didn't take heroin - find out how you could have gotten a false+. If you did, you better quit before you go to a new doctor. Many states require the testing.

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I need to add a correction about the age of 90 that I stated in my below response. I apologize..... and I want to say again (before I might be judged harshly) that I am in NO WAY passing judgement or any ill will in my statements..... but, I just see several "possible" solutions to the problem. And don't forget... you can't go into either office like a raging bull! You need to be calm, and sincerely ask for help and suggestions about where do you go from here... I am in a wheelchair from being crushed by a horse.....so I know pain. I wouldn't be here commenting if I were not living it! Some days, I think it would be easier to just do an amputation from the waist down. I liked the advice from someone below about a malpractice attorney, and I also liked the advice about keeping in touch with your primary care doctor. Although I have just found them to not be comfortable prescribing the medications I need, I would still keep them posted. As for the person that recommended "yoga". That is a good one!!! If it is working for you.... then God bless to the highest. But...for others, it's just not quite a possibly right now.....each person, their own thing, in their own time..... Again, I really wish you the best. I don't know how I got so fortunate to be honored with the pain doctor I have now..(well, I have been going to the same damn place since my first riding fracture at age 9. I am 45 now. And yes, sometimes his assistants can act a little b****y! But, they know nothing of my history except what they see in my records. And quite simply, I just could care less how b****y or judgmental they can be. Let ONE of them live the life we do! I can assure you, they would be walking the same path. And as one of my doctors said "nothing in life is certain...so the people who judge you, just pray that nothing ever happens to put them in this situation". Because one sunny day I walked into the barn, and a trail ride later I was being airlifted to the hospital!!! That certainly wasn't penciled in on my "to do" list that day. Bless, and find comfort soon.

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yes i have but i dont like the feeling smoking does to me.....

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I hurt all the time my lower back and shoulders and neck I get a tingle feeling in my left leg and it goes numb. At times my lower left stomach gets a knot feeling where I can't move. I told my doctor but all she does is sends me for blood work. Any suggestions

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thank you for all the responses...and i sd i have 2 more drug screens that have come back negative....and you wanna know the real kicker i calleled my family practice doc that also has a doc that prescribes subutex and they are gonna treat me for my pain there but not with what i really want or have been on, but at this point im ready to give just about anything a shot.!!!!
i am aso it touch with pain network editot and he is checking into what can be done about this situation....

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I suggest that you seek treatment for the depression-- it is likely to help with pain as well. You need a support group. Please call your insurer for a referral for pain control. I agree a holistic health provider is the best option

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Rochelle, you might consider going to an orthopedic doctor that specializes in problems of the spine. Also in recent years, there have been many practices of anesthesiologists that also deal with pain emanating from the spine. One of those practices may be beneficial to you. The tingling and numbness you're experiencing in your legs may be due to a problem in your lumbar spine that is compressing or irritating your sciatica nerve. The sciatica nerve is the largest and longest nerve in your body and runs from your lumbar spine all the way down both legs. Either one of these type of doctors, provided they specialize in the spine, should be able to help you with your neck and shoulders plus your lower back and legs. If you can get help with those, it would take care of most of your problems. I will warn you, these type of problems don't always get better quickly. So be patient, it will be worth it. A note about your neck and shoulders: often these problems are merely caused by tight muscles, although they are so painful you would swear it has to be far more serious. I spent 15 years in terrible pain after a head-on automobile collision. Once I got really serious about doing the appropriate exercises, pushing myself well beyond the point of pain, only then did my pain subside and has not returned many years later. You should be able to find neck exercises on the internet, but if not, ask your primary care doctor to provide you with some. Good luck to you.

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Yes they did do another drug panel on me but will not return my calls...and my kidney doctor even requested my records and what they sent him was the one i already had and showed to him, so they are going to call and fax them again and specify all of my records! thankfully i didnt have to go thru withdrawals...they sent a script in for it, but i didn't even get that for 3 or 4 days cuz i didnt want to be on it and be accused again of doing illicit drugs!! I just want to clear my name of these awful accusations!! And YES i also do other things to help with my pain, its not just the pain medicine!! i take many vitamins, use heat, ice so on..... i dont know what good it would do for me to report them they have that right not to treat me!! And yes i realize there are people dying from overdoses but they are dying from illicit drug overdoses and that's not legal...so i don't know why i or anyone has to suffer becuz of some *****! i have never failed a drug panel in the 10 yrs i have been going! Never missed an appt....and always had my bottles with the correct medicine in them, that's why i don't see why i am not getting punished!

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I think you need a pain management dr. Or clinic. It depends on what state you live in. I believe Florida is much more lienient. You need help and I hope your nephrologist can help you find a dr. You shouldn't have to suffer.

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Djangel, I don't know about a lot of what you have going on, but it shouldn't be all that difficult to resolve your constipation, although it may take some time based on your description. Unfortunately, a lot of the medicines that do really good things for us sometimes have side effects like constipation that's just one more thing to deal with. My husband has had terrible, terrible trouble with constipation caused by medicines he has to take. He has compared trying to have a bowel movement with giving birth. I felt really sorry for him because he suffered with this for such a long time, trying all kinds of remedies that didn't ever give him much relief. There is a product on the market that worked miracles for him. You may want to give it a try, it's called Miralax. For someone that's as backed up as you, it may need to be used once a day every day until bowel movements begin to happen. By the way, a doctor just told us it is safe enough to use every day if needed, but certainly verify that with your own doctor. After bowel movements begin, you can reduce the frequency of using it to every other day or less often depending on how you are responding to it. If your constipation is caused by medicines you have to take, you'll probably need to continue to take it two or three times a week, again that will depend entirely how your body responds. I don't know why you have the problem, so I suppose it's even possible that once you get things moving again, you may not need to use anything at all. I sure hope that's the case so you don't have to continue suffering through this. I know it's terribly uncomfortable. Good luck.

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Djangel, you stated that the mass in your intestine was "poop", so that is why I told you about the Miralax. Just to be on the safe side, you should probably speak to your primary physician or the doctor that's going to perform your colonoscopy before you use anything they haven't been told about. I doubt they'll have a problem with you using the Miralax, but just be safe and speak to one of them before using it.

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