Have any of you run into this? If so, what did you do? If getting a doc to believe you have chronic Lyme's is difficult, imagine what would happen if you DIDN'T sign this..
http://www.utmem.edu/gim/medplex/documents/pain-contract.pdf
more dilute version
http://www.sdcpms.com/pdf/form_sample_opiate_contract.pdf
This has nothing directly to do with Lymes. However, I have been in almost constant pain for one thing or another for years. I have tested positive for Lyme's at least 4 times in the last 20 years. I've taken the 30 days of abx and thought great!.. all cured. I have only recently begun to think that most of the hell I have been going through just might be chronic Lymes. The biggest problem lately is my loss of memory, inability to come up with the words I am looking for and struggling to explain thoughts, feelings, pain, etc to anyone. I was very bright at one time ( IQ 140), now I struggle to write or explain anything. I have shattered discs.. which obviously have caused pain, but new and improved pain seem to trump the old and compensated for pain on a fairly regular schedule and most of it can't be explained by physical damage. The physical pain is more than trumped by self-doubt, wondering if I am a "whimp" , and wondering if I sound like a total nut case when I am trying to explain the chronology of what has happened over the last few years. I can barely advocate for myself anymore, much less deal with the potential harm signing this contract could cause. I have had it with "therapy and therapists". These issues are not "just in my mind". And most if it can't be explained by actual injuries or some sort of "? viral" infection that has had me down and out for most of the past 10-15 years.
Who in their right mind would opt to give up every physical activity they ever enjoyed, fake memory loss, shut their own world down to a room or two in their house all in hopes of getting diagnosed with something that could be treated with an opiate or anti-anxiety med that might give them a few minutes of a high. If that is the goal, I suspect street connections would serve the purpose much better than trying to deal with the AMA. If you advocate for yourself and seek another doctors help, it could be viewed as drug seeking behavior.. and most "specialists" don't want to be GP's or be faced with dealing with sprained ankles and hangnails or whatever. Most people have things that don't fall under Lymes most of the time and can be treated by a gp or orthopedic surgeon or a dermatologist or whatever.
I am ranting.. sorry..
anyway, anyone faced with this contract?