dr accessing arrest record to avoid giving prescriptions

[CreativeBlock]

The Dr that was called was a pain management dr but was NOT seeing the man nor was the GP asked to give a referral. He took it upon himself to call without an ok from anyone.

As Justalayman said, if that's actually the case, depending on what was said, it may be a HIPAA violation.

But, honestly, I think it's more of a responsible treatment plan.

I know this man and his medical records explain it all. He has had his hips replaced 3 times each side, 18 back surgeries, 4way heart by-pass and both shoulders reconstructed He also has the Depuy ASR hip so he is having terrible pain with them now .... he is the only GP here and has no compassion and it has put a hardship on myself and the patient.

I understand that you want what's best for your friend. But you have to understand that the doctor in question went to school for years to be able to be qualified to make that kind of decision as per scrips and treatment plan.

Pain medication is dangerous. It's a valid, viable tool, but it's no less dangerous. It's addictive, too. And the effects on the brain (as well as other systems) can be brutal.

And with so many surgeries, I can only guess at what his benchmark health could be. :/

I fear that the depression from what has happened with the GP and the pain is going to cause him to commit suicide!

There are several medications that can help with this (I do realize the irony of my suggestion, given the topic and what I've written above). I'd suggest that he speak to his PCP and discuss this.

As a side note, many of the newer anti-depressants have been said to create a mild sense of euphoria ~ something that might help assuage the pain.

I am a psychologist, not a physician, but I can speak to the fact that (from a mental health POV) pain medications are not always the best form of treatment. Far better to attack the cause of the symptoms, not just the symptoms themselves. And FTR, pain medications can often disguise symptoms ~ obviously, it doesn't erase the underlying cause.

I wish you and your friend the best. I really do.

 

[judylabrador]

The reason that I know these things is because I am the one that heard it first hand. Going to pain management....they treat everyone like drug addicts. When you go they do not look at the injuries that you have had, they only want to know what the last MRI says and that is interpeted by someone that does not even know the real cause of the pain. I have been through it myself. When you have proof of the injuries that caused the surgeries and the pain they do not even look at it.

The truth is the pain management Drs make you an addict in the first place. The only thing that he is trying to do is live a life with some quality. Many people that have just a small injury would not be able to endure the pain that this man goes through every day.

I know that this is not real clear but. What happened to compassion? They should have to walk in his shoes to see how bad it really is. Thank you for your time

 

[justalayman]

judylabrador;2728266]The reason that I know these things is because I am the one that heard it first hand.

the doctor told you your friends arrest record and told you to not prescribe yourself pain meds?

Of not, then no, you did not hear it first hand.

The truth is the pain management Drs make you an addict in the first place.

no, the meds you take and the need for them is what makes you an addict. A pain specialist is supposed to work with the patient to minimize health hazards from the meds by a variety of methods. It is inevitable a person will become an addict simply due to the circumstances.

. What happened to compassion?

?? we only know what you told us. It would be unfair to judge the doctors actions without their side of the story.

 

[techsmith0666]

amazing isn't it?

The real question here is what were the prescriptions for? Oxycontin, percs, demerol, codein? Amazing a bit of dirt gets a load of replies and a serious family issue like my last post and people can not take the time to read and help me out!
nice

He is a doctor...

Can he not go out of town?
He must have a reputation if the dr's know him.

 

[Proserpina]

The real question here is what were the prescriptions for? Oxycontin, percs, demerol, codein?

Amazing a bit of dirt gets a load of replies and a serious family issue like my last post and people can not take the time to read and help me out!
nice

He is a doctor...

Can he not go out of town?
He must have a reputation if the dr's know him.

..and this helps the OP how?

 

[stealth2]

The real question here is what were the prescriptions for? Oxycontin, percs, demerol, codein? Amazing a bit of dirt gets a load of replies and a serious family issue like my last post and people can not take the time to read and help me out!
nice

He is a doctor...

Can he not go out of town?
He must have a reputation if the dr's know him.

Yo - doofus! You locked your own thread after being asked to make it more readable. Of COURSE you're not going to get responses!

 

[judylabrador]

The problem is with someone like you that does not understand what real pain will make you do. The Drs that operate on you give you pills to ease the pain and then when the pain does not go away because of scar tissue build up and nerve damage they act like it is not their fault and you must live with unbelievable pain hour by hour day by day. This is ongoing real pain! It puts you in bed and makes you hate your life so much because no one will listen to what you are going through.. They think they can look at you (you look normal) and automatically you are an addict! That is what I ment by compassion. When you have been cut on 22 times in 25yrs and it is advised that you have to do this to survive then what?

When you want so badly to get help from the people that have put you in this situation and they turn on you it is unbelievable how alone you feel. If you want to see first hand what is really happening go to this site American Pain Foundation Home Page you will see what other patients say about their ordeals with the pain management drs in this country. I have been on their forums as well to get opinions for this. They suggested an attorney also.

Please look at that and then answer this post.

 

[justalayman]

If you want to contact an attorney, then do it. As I said before, there may or may not have been a HIPAA violation but you should realize, the patient receives nothing for a HIPAA violation. It is between the medical provider and the US dept of HHS.

Other than that, I do not see any actionable act. Of course, it is impossible to convey all the details here on a forum. An attorney may see something not disclosed here or explained well so as to be able to determine if it was a tortious act or not.

One thing you need to understand; there is only so much a doctor can do to help with pain. Many pain drugs lose efficacy after a lot of use and an important part of pharmaceutical treatment consists of preventing that from happening as much as possible. That means sometimes the patient will not be given certain meds for some period of time. When a patient continues to argue for that drug, a doctor realizes it often isn't for the pain abatement but the addiction that has taken hold. The patient is going to complain that the doctor just doesn't care but in reality, the doctor cares and is actually taking the proper action. It may result in a less efficient drug being used which of course, results in less pain abatement. The patient sees this as punishment but in reality, it is not.

Sorry for your friends situation. Sounds like they got a raw deal in life but everybody has to understand, sometimes there is nothing that can be done to remove the pain and a reduction in pain is all the relief there is.

 

[judylabrador]

how do you get a reduction of pain if you are perceived as an addict? I know that a red flag comes up with them when you talk about certain meds. They assume you are not willing to do as they ask. They panic at the thought of giving a patient what is really needed to block the pain.(DEA) If you were to question them they just rule you out as a patient. I had one tell me that if I did not like her methods I should get a second opinion. When you do.....they will not see you because this Dr did not release you from the contract you sign before they see you for the first time. The have the market cornered and the DEA is looking hard for a reason to stop the prescribing of the pain meds because of the selling on the street. That is fine but in the meantime the ones needing help have to fight for help and be treated badly? Why should the sins of few cause hurt for the people with concrete proof of pain? Even with all of the documentation on hand and the MRI results that show ruptured discs and more they still deny help for someone that yes made stupid mistakes in the past but paid for it and now can not get help. Did you check out American Pain Foundation Home Page This site will show you what they go though to get to and see pain drs. It is just sad.

 

[judylabrador]

I am aware of the fact that pain meds do have a way of losing their strength throught time. Usage is something I have seen before and this person needed higher than normal (to DRS) doses. But, when the tolerance goes up they do give more... they wonder why you get educated in what meds you need and what your body has to have to make the pain tolerable. When you take these meds you learn what works and what does not. Is that not making them dependant of opoids?

Anyway, thanks for your opinion good luck and God Bless

 

[justalayman]

Usage is something I have seen before and this person needed higher than normal (to DRS) doses. But, when the tolerance goes up they do give more..

.

you are missing a huge problem with many of the painkillers. They reach a point that you simply cannot just give more. You can actually die from an overdose while being in pain because they are no longer effective as a pain killer yet the toxicity level doesn't change.

Is that not making them dependant of opoids?

and that is why I said dependency is an unavoidable fact. The problem though is as one becomes immune to the pain treatment affects of the drug, they continue to be lethal in over dosages. There are also other side affects such as liver damage for many of them (and other types of organ damage) that needs to be considered when administering the drugs.

I have nothing but sympathy for those with chronic pain. I cannot imagine having to live that way but, with that said, there are limitations in medicine that must be considered. As I said before; sometimes winning is simple being taken to a point where the pain is tolerable and living relatively pain free just isn't realistic.

 

[davew128]

The problem is with someone like you that does not understand what real pain will make you do. The Drs that operate on you give you pills to ease the pain and then when the pain does not go away because of scar tissue build up and nerve damage they act like it is not their fault and you must live with unbelievable pain hour by hour day by day. This is ongoing real pain! It puts you in bed and makes you hate your life so much because no one will listen to what you are going through.. They think they can look at you (you look normal) and automatically you are an addict! That is what I ment by compassion. When you have been cut on 22 times in 25yrs and it is advised that you have to do this to survive then what?

I have a genetic condition that causes chronic kidney stones. I think the pain that they cause when passing is well documented. I get by without pain meds so cry me a freaking river.