...and that's it.
so, i had to go back, because the doctor did not write on my chart that he had diagnosed me with shingles. and a damn good thing i did.
i got a wonderful doctor this time. she listened to me. she looked at the bumps on my back and she explained to me why they were where they were. whereas ole dr. quack yesterday said 'i'm not going to treat this, it's self-limiting', today's doctor said, i am going to give you some medicine. she said, first, an anti-viral, which may not help this outbreak but will lessen the chances the pain will continue after the bumps are gone. second, an antibiotic because you are running a fever and the bumps are warm to the touch, so you could have a skin infection. and third, yes, she gave me vidocin. lots of 'em. then she looked up what my health plan covered, that she could give me in generic form, to keep the cost down.
and the urgent care receptionist remembered me from yesterday and when i babbled to her about how the shingles didn't get written on the chart, she did some kind of paperwork thing and didn't charge me.
i left there feeling i'd been taken care of with compassion, as opposed to yesterday when i left sobbing thinking i was a whiner with VD of the back. all the difference in the world.
i took the pills before i started typing this, so in a few minutes i expect the pain will start going away.
i'm super-glad you went back. you deserve kind, fair, compassionate treatment, and really should've recieved this kind of attention the first time. *shakes fist* hopefully the pain will subside for you soon.
i am feeling much better now. and i am so grateful for all my friends here -- for listening, and for giving me better medical advice than what i got -- i hate to think of what it would have been like had i just listened to the first doctor and accepted what he told me.
if you've ever heard the old adage 'the squeaky wheel gets the grese", it is true and doubly true when it comes to healthcare. the only way to get anywhere is to be persistant.
if the first docotr is part of a grup, it would do good to talk to the senior partner, or at least pass the message along thru the office manager. i guarantee it won't be the first complaint they have gotten about his treatment of patients.
oh yeah -- i actually filed a complaint with HealthNet, my HMO. they'll follow up on this.
well! it's about time they took GOOD care of you! i hope you feel much better today..., at least it seems your spirits have improved!
(*(*(*kd*)*)*)
i am so glad you went back and got another doctor and are being treated correctly. vicodins huh? i broke my ankle this past week and i'm on oyxcontins. we can type f'd up blogs together...lol
just kidding. i am on oxys but i'm trying to type correctly really i am...lol
Good for you. I'm glad you stuck up for yourself.
I hope you're feeling no pain real soon ;), and I sure am glad you got a "real" doctor the second time around.
I also hope your HMO takes some action against that first quack.
it feels so good to be out of pain. and to have stuck up for myself.
oh, i'm so glad you went back. that's what docs are SUPPOSED to be like. glad you got pain meds and acyclovir too... that'll save you MONTHS of agony, trust me.
i'm proud of you for sticking up for yourself.
right on for you, kd!!! And, glad you are following up on kicking some tail, too.
erm, kat, they gave you oxy for a broken ankle??? I'm amazed. It is such a drug of choice (to steal and abuse) in alaska, that it is seldom given here anymore - and only for the most chronic of pains. We'd probably be lucky to get percoset for a broken bone!
>..
Yeah! I am glad you went back and that you got some meds. Hope you feel better soon.
And I'll just chime in with everyone else in the big happy chorus - huzzah, and good for you to have said something! Though it was a pain in the ass that you had to go back a second time, at least it was a better experience and the drugs are the right ones.
Don't let them EVER make you feel you're being whiney - when you are sick it is part of your job to get in there and whine about things - or in other words be as verbal as you can and let them know again and again what hurts. Because with most drs you have to go on and on til you're blue in the mouth til someone pays attention. This from one who took ages in the med system getting diagnosed. And you know the worst part - for me anyway? You know what it took several times for me to get noticed and get treated - instead of a pat on the head and some cold medicine? Me bursting into tears, telling one dr that it wasn't a cold and the next time I'd come in there I'd have to be on an IV. Tears and me breaking down got immediate action. Which was damn hard because I was brought up to try and be quiet, take the pain, not make a fuss. But that doesn't work with today's HMOs.
Ahem. Back to YOU.
You give yourself a big pat on the back and then bookmark this entry so you can come back and read it sometime when you think you're being "whiney." You were in pain, you knew there was a problem - and YOU WERE RIGHT. And you should be proud of yourself! I'm proud of you anyhow.
i'm pretty happy with the way this came out. i can remember any number of times i've kept quiet and suffered with whatever, because for some reason i have this irrational fear that the doctors are going to think i'm just after pain meds for the fun of it. partially because i like the things. i have never abused them, but i do enjoy the side effects. you'll *never* hear me complaining, oh, these things make me woozy. you'll hear me saying "ooh! this is fun!"
Yaaaaaaay!!!
Nothing wrong with pain meds. Remember, the best thing to do is always what the directions tell you not to. So have a few drinks and really enjoy the meds.
Glad you feel better, or at least the meds make you feel better. Raising hell is required, sometimes.
yeah, what batgrl said. =)
it's hard to stand up for yourself where doctors/healthcare are concerned (at least for me it is), so i'm proud of you. and i hope the pain subsides!
Yay! something that works and a doctor that is a Doctor!
I'm glad you got someone who would take good care of you. When I was a kid I saw my stepsisters and mom deal with shingles, and it had to be unbearable. Now I have a different skin condition that is very painful sometimes, so I can relate in that way too. Get better soon!
kd, i hope you don't mind that i post this here, but purplemoose left no info for me to write to.
the doc in the ER was one of those old school docs. he asked how i would manage the pain and i said i'll try tylenol or advil and he said "let me recommend something".
I never even looked at the script, i took it and had it filled and there they were, oxycontins. I was urprised myself. I came home and looked them up and yup indeedy, they are the bad for your /overdosed by stupid people/ the ones winona was on when she got arressted shoplifting. i am onlt taking them as directed but i can clearly see how they become fun. it is quite a relaxed and comfy state and you become one with the couch. fully awake but melty...lmao
i am being good and not abusing. or snorting. thats how those ppl who did die died. they crushed and snorted them. stupid ppl.
thanks for the concern though.
thanks, kat - sorry, I am used to people knowing who the weird moose is ;-)) but thanks for the explanation. You don't need to explain, I was just interested to find that somewhere some docs are prescribing oxy for (what some may term) an everyday hurt. I'm with you on your thoughts of those who abuse. It still makes for heartache in families. Take care - hope the ankle heals quickly. And, when you have the oxy left over - flush - or, street value in AK is running about $80 each. >..
when i had surgery on a broken hand bone a few years back, the docs were *so* stingy about my meds -- never more than twenty of the vicodins at a time (it was county hospital, they assume people who qualify for medical are into them recreationally or something, i guess). and i would have to ask for refills. i was in so much more pain than that, but i had a friend that went to one of those doctors that overprescribed the hell out of everything, so i would get loritabs and yes, oxys. and you know? i only missed one day of work (for the surgery) but was walking to school, taking the bus to work, and functioning everyday -- without the major pain meds i'd have never managed.
while i had pain, the oxys were cool. but one time i tried one without pain for it to kill. i laid on the couch for awhile, and some five hours later started puking for about an hour. i then went back to bed and stayed there another ten hours or so. at least. gawd, that stuff's powerful.
back to shingles -- kd, i hope the doc told you that you're contagious until the blisters dry up! i forgot to say that yesterday. anyone who hasn't had chicken pox [or i think there's a vaccine for it] can get them from you. that could be especially dangerous to males past puberty, who could be sterilized by chicken pox.
i asked her about that -- chris has had them and kurtwood's vaccinated -- and she said it wasn't something particularly to worry about. i'll go to work monday and tell them what i have, that it is contagious, but since i don't have sick leave, it will not be my fault if i spread this.
or they could pay me for the time off. but if i took a week off work with no pay, it would be a complete and utter disaster.
Wow, interesting stuff. KD, I haven't been around for a couple days, haven't gone out to the blog neighborhoods so didn't know about your awful owie. Bad stuff. Hope it's better by now.
Glad to hear vicodin is helping. Our hospital clinics don't use the "real" vicodin (whatever that is), but there's so many generics I don't really understand what the deal is. I use the generic called hydrocodone. They're so pissy scared everyone will become addicts (well, it IS a narcotic) I can only get a month's supply at a time. And only supposed to take two a day. Doesn't do squat for me. Unless I take the "two a day" all at once and sneak in one more in the evening if I have to.
Our clinics and the hospital itself does not prescribe oxycontin for any reason, in fact, the two hospital outpatient pharmacies don't even carry it. It's too dangerous. And, sorry, but I can't imagine a physician prescribing this for a broken ankle !!!!
Neurontin is a great med for neuropathic pain, such as I have. It also has the great quality of not being addictive and can be taken for long-term use. It relieves the stinkin' pain in my leg which are the nerves being assaulted by the stinkin' spurs on the spinal discs. So something good is happening anyway. Thank the goddess for small favors.
But as far as vicodin, AKA hydrocodone, is concerned, I might as well be swallowing a sugar pill. Poopie.
You guys just be careful out there, OK? I may get a little pissed at the specialists at my hospital but I suppose their caution is better than getting hurt thru indifference. I trust the docs completely at my hospital, I love having the residents attending to me 'cause they are so gung-ho, but there's no danger 'cause their mentor and my staff doctor come in after the youngun's are thru with me, to check out what they've done or told me. Great system of double-checking.
Anyway, Questions, questions. You have every right to question the doctor if something doesn't sound kosher. . If they don't want to answer your questions, you should probably find a new doctor. If it's one thing I've learned since barging into the blog world, its that you guys are pretty darn savvy and smart. So don't take any sh*t from a mere doctor, OK?
Holy Cow, didn't realize how long the message was. Sorry about that.
Well, I corrected my URL on this post, so that's something, anyway.
it's ok, i encourage long comments - and as far as being savvy, well, i think part of that (at least for me) is that when i post about something i'll get feedback (this situation being a prime example) which helps so much.
Awwww...KD, I'm so sorry that YOU'RE a sickee now! Damn. I'm glad that you got PROPER and well-deserved GOOD attention from the Doc and I hope that you recover quickly. (HUG)
what happens if you snort neurontin?
does anyone know if you can snort neurontion pills and what effects that would have is it the same as a riddlen or a pain killer???
this sort of thing makes me feel so helpless. this is just a weblog, it's not even a weblog anyone visits anymore, unless through google. there's no words of wisdom here about how to handle pain or handle talking to your doctor about pain meds, heck, i wish i knew how to do that without feeling like i'm going to be looked at like a junkie.
there must be real message boards out there somewhere. i hope you folks find some.
Hey guys, I have major leg pain for almost 3 years. A creepin, crawling, numb, compressed feelings in my lower limbs is constant. I guess it would be classified as chronic pain. I found a compassionate doctor also. I explained to him that the only thing that helped me was Hydrocodone and Tylenol. He listend attentively, and gave me 30 Vicodin ES tablets to take at bedtime. Well, al last, I could at least gain a few hrs, of solid sleep. The only thing is, I have to battle my leg pains contantly throughout the day. It limits any kind of sitting activities for an extended period of time like driving, working on my website, and just plain resting. The pain usually subsides when I stand up, but I can't stand 16 hrs a day. I actually need at least 3 Vicodin ES tablets a day to lead a normal lilfe. The thing is, I'm not sure how to ask my Dr. to raise my meds without him thinking I'm a junkie. I honeslty feel so much relief when I take the Vicodin. My legs feel normal again, and have a very light feeling to them that I haven't felt since I was a child. Do you guys have any suggestions as to go about asking my Dr. to raise my prescription? PLEASE, I'm so afraid that if I request more, he'll cut me off of what I'm on already, leaving me hopless once again. It's been a long battle finding a Doc to take me seriously, and I don't want to mess it up. Ultracet is an excellant medicine for my pain, but I simple cannot afford it. Any suggestions guys?
Hi! Have you ever thought of going to the health dept? They can give you meds for cheap. I know I know what a hassle it is.........Gosh I know. I have to go because I'm a student and single mom and my funds are limited. I hate it! I'm thankful for it though. While I'm not on any pain meds continuously........in fact rarely, I am today for a tooth ache......i have to have oral surgery so i have to take loritabs and wait for my appt. FINE WITH ME! LOL. I really sympothize with your problem. I myself have a bad back and I suffer everyday. But because I have had a mood disorder in the past I really don't ask for pain killers........they depress me after a few days of constant use. My advise to you is to talk to your dr. tell him.............this is what works, is there anything like it that's cheaper. I would to throw this in. ...."I hate taking pain meds.............I feel less of a person because I have to take something to help me not hurt. I don't want to take any meds , but I don't want to live in pain. It's depressing.....make him sympothize even more. It may sound stupid but it may work.......atleast you're trying to get across to him that you are not trying to get a high. You can take this advise with a grain of salt..............but I'm a nursing student........trust me.
Robin