For everyone reading this thread - can we PLEASE drop the addict word - it was used in another thread and that thread ended up not being useful to anyone.
SJH - There has been quite a lot being said to you - some of it helpful - some of it not. One thing that you have going against you is that fact that they did a tox screen and illegal drugs showed up. I strongly recommend that even though it might help short term that you do NOT touch the stuff again. You want to show to any doctor that is willing to listen that you complied with your pain contract the moment you signed it. THAT is important.
Did the doctor allow you to take another UA? If so I hope that he realizes you took that pain contract seriously, if he refused, I would consider calling up a legal aid and seeing what can be done. This doctor is definitely doing some fishy business... he allowed you to continue getting meds for months, then all the sudden pulls out the UA results and halts your medication without giving you adequate help in weening off of them. It sounds to me like he may very well be under investigation, or is worried he might be soon. Also - to me if he was going to use the pot as a reason to not give you medication he should have avoided the prescript
ion all together once you told him you were using it on the first visit.
SJH - in one of the posts somewhere in here you made a passing comment that you never asked for an early refill and if your husband used more than you suffered - were you saying that your husband was taking your pain medication? If so - I think that you need to sit down and have an honest discussion with him regarding the fact that he is breaking the law in doing so - and you are breaking the law by not turning him in for it. Also - let him know that if he uses any illegal substances around you - it's your future he's ruining, not just his own.
Also - if you were rear ended and that is what caused the injury you might very well have a case there if you have not already signed any contracts of any type with the insurance companies - seeing a lawyer about
that might help as well.
I will tell you that degenerative disc disease is not fun, or easy. If you are given pain medication in the future you may want to do your darnedest to go slowly up in dosages and amounts. I believe you had said you were injured for a relatively short period of time (I know pain wise it seems like forever), however taking so many pain medications in a day, and continuing on that path into the future will hurt your liver, and your life.
There are many who may disagree with what I'm about
to say, but I want to give you an idea of what you get to look forward to... I injured my back in 2000. I didn't want surgery, an attempted to live my life around my back pain. It sucked, a lot. In 2003 I had a lumbar fusion at my L4-L5-S1. I had great relief for 6 months (about
) then the pain started slowly creeping back to the point where now it is worse than it was pre-surgery. The scar tissue (or at least thats what they are guessing) is the cause. I also have DDD and in the past six months I've found out that I have a large bulge or rupture (due to the metal causing the CT to scatter they can't be sure which) at the L3-L4 level, along with several small bulges throughout my spine. For the rest of your life you are going to be in pain. I've been honestly, and frankly informed by my current pain doctor that I am NEVER going to be pain free. His goal is to get me down to a daily acceptable pain level. Meaning I can function moderately. I've also been informed that even being extremely careful I can expect for my back to get worse over time. I am 28 years old - and have suffered this back pain for 8 years now. The pain showed up less than a week after I was married. I know what it feels like to have your life ripped away from you young. It sucks, and there are days where you wonder if being dead would be better on everyone involved - however I know that every day I fight the pain is another day I've beat it. I also know it would destroy my husband. I've had some rough moments and I've scared the crap out of him. One night after a week of really bad pain I asked him to go get me a knife to cut off my legs so they wouldn't hurt anymore (I don't remember it but he told me about
it the next day). He said I sounded like it all made sense to me. The pain is going to suck - and your going to have darn crappy doctors (I've had my fair share). The most important thing you can do is to be honest with them. Some doctors are going to tell you your nuts, that the pain is in your head, others are going to want to help you, but are going to be too afraid to do so because of (as Gramps called it) their opiodphobia. Just hang in there, because fighting it, and the doctors when necessary IS worth it. As far as surgery - if the doctors are saying it wont help, I'd listen to them. Most would find it more beneficial to cut you
open and pad their pockets than to tel you no - if they are saying no then it's not going to help. Just pray that in time they'll be able to work some of sciences magic on our spines like they can on everything from a guys thing (viagra), to a heart, to lungs, to transplanting faces now. :)
I hope some of this makes sense - I can't make heads or tails of any of it right now.
Tammy
"When we come to the edge of the light we know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, of one thing we can be sure; either God will provide something solid to stand on... or we will be taught to fly.'"
"Cause when push comes to shove You taste what you're made of, You might bend, till you break Cause its all you can take; On your knees you look up Decide you've had enough, You get mad you get strong Wipe your hands shake it off, Then you Stand" From "Stand" by Rascal Flatts
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Dx.: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Ulcerlative Colitis, Chronic Inflammation of the Colon, Ruptured & Fused L4-L5-S1 w/pinched nerves, Degenerative Disc Disease, Chronic Costochondritis, Back Muscle Spasms, Asthma, Benign Tremmors (hands)