I am very frustrated, in a lot of pain and anxious out of my mind today. My pain level has soared to a level that I haven't experienced in quite some time. I'm not sleeping, barely eating and am subsequently very anxious and a crying wreck (as my closest friend would say, "the ugly crying" stage, when your face scrunches up, nose runs and eyes turn red).
I went to the ER (well, on-call doctor in my small town) yesterday and here's the help I got: "try to get some sleep, have somebody come keep you company, stop crying in your soup." Needless to say, I left in heavier tears than before and now don't know what to do. There is only ONE medical center where I live so I am in a bit of a bind. I don't know how to explain what I need, what might help and how to get the help I need.
My pain meds aren't really doing the trick right now and what I think I need is some kind of intervention pain medication to break my pain cycle. For the past two weeks I have felt like my face is going to explode, is being crushed, stabbed and burned all at the same time (I have ATN).
What I am doing now... I am taking Clonazepam which I have a scrip for and am trying to stay asleep as much as possible. It's also helping with the anxiety.
Any suggestions on how to ask for what I need without being dubbed a "drug seeker?" I even brought my maintenance pain medication with me yesterday so that the on-call doctor could count them and see that I am not taking more than prescribed.
I feel really helpless right now and I just want to cry and cry. Never move to a small town!
Thanks for your help or any words of advice you can offer! Best. Johanna
My suggestion would be that you download the "Attending Physician Advisory" form from one of the sub-tabs under "Face Pain Info" in the menu, fill it out, and go back to the facility where they refused you treatment. Alternately, ask a family member to drive you to a full-service hospital in the nearest larger town. Bring a family member or neighbor or friend as a witness, if you possibly can. Give the form to the admissions clerk and tell them that you have been refused treatment and are now in a pain crisis as a result.
I personally would inform them if I were a member of your family, that refusal to provide sufficient pain medication is widely considered gross medical malpractice, which they can expect to be reminded by a judge if you have to haul their sorry arses into court. We also have a TN patient on the site who is a lawyer. She can't practice law at a distance, but look up "lawyer" in our search window and see if she'll talk with you by private email.
I wish I had some advice to offer you however, I myself am experiencing the same problem. I had two ER trips within 6 days of each other and the ER staff labelled me an addict and refused to give me any pain relief. I was lying on the bed crying hysterically and my Mom was trying to explain to the staff but they just said for me to call my TN doctor. I also have ATN.
The only hospital system close to me is 2 hospitals in the same system. They share records digitally. They have dubbed me in their system as a drug seeking addict. I went to see my PCP yesterday and she showed me the flag on my name in the system, her practice is apart of the system so she can access the records. We have been fighting with the Administrator of the hospital for the past few days but, we are getting nowhere fast.
I just downloaded the "Attending Physician Advisory" form that Red reccommended. I am hoping that it will help. I am still fighting with the hospital to get that tag removed from my name in their system. I know your frustration.
I certainly hope that you get some relief and some real help soon.
Also, thanks Red, it is nice to know that there is an attorney who understands on here if we need them. I did not even think about the way they treated me as gross medical malpractice. I will have to use that phrase tomorrow when I talk to the administrator again and see where it gets me.
Remember that I'm not a lawyer. I'm informally advised by a friend who has a law degree that although "gross" is common vernacular, it has no status in law. For people in the United States, it might also help to have a copy of some text on the law that entitles a person to assessment of their condition and to emergency treatment until they are stable enough to be sent to another hospital if necessary.
... As far as going to the ER or getting admitted to a hospital, a law called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) states that if you go to an ER for a condition that a reasonable person would believe needed emergency care, you are entitled to have a screening for an assessment of your condition and, if necessary, to receive treatment until you are stable or can be transferred to an ER better equipped to deal with whatever the problem is. This right is regardless of your ability to pay. (Even though you are unable to pay, EMTALA does not prevent the hosp from billing you for the screening visit to the ER.)
Whether someone helps you or not, you should get the name and position of every single person you talk to, plus notes on who said/did what, plus witnesses' names, position, and contact info.
Regards and best,
Red
An important disclaimer: this posting represents my personal research and opinion. It hasn't been seen or approved by the site owners, and they have no legal liability for my suggestions. Please consult with a lawyer in your own area before you speak to hospital or medical authorities about issues that touch upon the law.
I understand all of that Red but thank you for your clarification. I did speak with my friend who is an attorney and she told me exactly what to say. You always have a plethera of knowledge. I truly appreciate your experience and thoughts.
Thanks for your reply. Sorry I am so long getting back to you, have not been on LwTN for a little while. I'm so sorry you've been through what I am dealing with. Luckily, you have a PCP who is willing to fight for you and to have your records amended at the hospital(s) in your area. We walk such a hard line having TN/ATN (I do too). Unfortunately, when we need help that may come in the form of pain medications we are "guilty until proven innocent" in most cases. That's how I feel at least.
I, too, have since downloaded the Physcian Advisory Form and hope it helps, though I doubt it. I am getting labelled as suffering from depression and that is what is causing my pain and if I fix that I will be "fine." Of course, I am sad and sometimes don't sleep and those things do lead to more pain but if I could get a break when I need it then I would feel a whole lot better.
I'm not very good at asking for what I need when I have to go in to the medical office in emergency as I am always concerned about what happened to you happening to me. However, I have never needed a pain intervention while at the medical office I am currently at so I need to start being assertive when I need to be. I already take pain medication as part of my regular therapy for ATN so this is why I am so cautious and nervous when I need to ask for a one time intervention with a different medication.
Since your response have you been able to resolve what happened at the hospital? I really hope so. Thanks again for sharing your experience with me. Take care. Johanna La La said:
Hi Johanna,
I wish I had some advice to offer you however, I myself am experiencing the same problem. I had two ER trips within 6 days of each other and the ER staff labelled me an addict and refused to give me any pain relief. I was lying on the bed crying hysterically and my Mom was trying to explain to the staff but they just said for me to call my TN doctor. I also have ATN.
The only hospital system close to me is 2 hospitals in the same system. They share records digitally. They have dubbed me in their system as a drug seeking addict. I went to see my PCP yesterday and she showed me the flag on my name in the system, her practice is apart of the system so she can access the records. We have been fighting with the Administrator of the hospital for the past few days but, we are getting nowhere fast.
I just downloaded the "Attending Physician Advisory" form that Red reccommended. I am hoping that it will help. I am still fighting with the hospital to get that tag removed from my name in their system. I know your frustration.
I certainly hope that you get some relief and some real help soon.
Also, thanks Red, it is nice to know that there is an attorney who understands on here if we need them. I did not even think about the way they treated me as gross medical malpractice. I will have to use that phrase tomorrow when I talk to the administrator again and see where it gets me.
I think this thread is illustrating another principle which is useful to keep in mind. ESPECIALLY if you have trouble asserting yourself, it is always appropriate to be accompanied by an in-person advocate when you enter a hospital ER or even a doctor's appointment. As for depression, that's a hard nut to crack with some ill-trained physicians. We know that depression and pain are often co-morbid and interacting. But so far as I know, medical science has yet to "prove" that any form of pain can actually be caused by depression.
I once advised a patient to consider offering the following words in dealing with an especially recalcitrant physician: "It is quite obvious to me that you have bought into a diagnosis that you are unqualified to make and which represents a non-existent medical condition. So-called 'conversion disorder' is in fact a delusional system on the part of financially self-interested practitioners of the medical pseudo-science called 'psychosomatic medicine'. I consider the assignment of this label to be medical malpractice on the part of any doctor who is not a psychiatrist, and damned foolishness on the part of any doctor who IS a psychiatrist. As an English friend of mine put it, 'Oh piffley rot!''
Who says self-assertion can't be funny? As a gifted English playwright once said, "Life is too important to be taken seriously".
I always take someone to the doctors office and ER with me. Sometimes the pain is so bad I can't properly relay what information they need. My Mom, is my usual cohort.
I am still working on resolving my ER debacle. I am talking with the hospital administrator now to try to get this resolved. I have also included my Pain Management Physician in on the conversation so that he is another advocate on my part. I am hoping to be free of this mess soon.