"Comebacks"/"Repllies" when called a "drug seeker"...

Hi Everyone-

I've been doing some thinking and I got to wondering...So many of us are made to feel like "drug seekers" by various Health Care Professionals. My experiences have been mostly in the ER, but I do know they happen in any and all Medical Settings.

So...what are some of the "replies" or "comebacks" you have said (or wished that you had said!) to the Professional who made you feel (or have directly called you) (like) a "drug seeker"??

I don't mean for this thread to be disrespectful to the (many) wonderful, caring, patient and compassionate Health Care Professionals that are out there; I am just curious as to what you have said to the (few) Health Care Professionals who treat us with little or no respect as a patient with pain.

Have a Happy Monday-
Carlajo:)

OH MAN I havw WANTED to say so many things.

"seriously???"

"When you take your job seriously, then I'll come back to this hospital"

"I can get more drugs and cheaper on the street" -I was VERY upset at this point.

My Husband has said many things. In fact one time I though he was going to get into a physical altercation with a DR. The DR gave me a few meds, but nothing I hadn't already had earlier in the day, and nothing that would help. Hubby thought if we did it DR's way and it didn't work, he would relent and give me meds I could use! so we were there forever. This DR (supposedly)called my Neuro to make sure I could take narcotics. Returned saying my Neuro told him not to give me any. Funny thing, while he was making his fake call, I called my Neuro myself. Her assistant said she would pull my file and be sure to let the ER DOC know that I was allowed to have Narcotics and have a current prescrition for them. HAHA. My husband was irate that this DR actually LIED about talking to my DR.

Hi All,

I have wanted to say many things, but was usually too sick to say them.

The one incident where I was really called a drug seeker occured just after college, in the ER. My neuro had told me to go the ER and have them contact him for treatmnent. The ER dr came in- was rude- didn't listen at all. He asked what worked, I told him, but he didn't listen. He gave me demerol, after I told him that it made me horribly ill. He said "with phenergan, it won't make you sick." I started throwing up and the pain had not diminished. My friend and rooommate went out to ask them to give me another medication or call my doctor. He came back and gave more demerol. which just made me sicker. Then about ten minutes later, The doctor came back and the following interchange took place:
ER Dr: "How is your head pain?"
Me: "It is still a nine"
ER Dr: "There is no possible way you could be in pain after demerol"
Me: Crying now, well, I am.
ERDR: "you need to leave so I can use this room for a real patient"

Nurse, as I was being half carried down the hall by my friend, crying and stumbling- "you're not helping yourself by crying, now get up"

I wanted to say many things then, such as "you didn't listen, you didn't call my doctor and I am not a drug seeker, if you had listened, or bothered to read my chart, you would know that I have access to medications at home and only came because my neuro threatened to hospitalize me."

I am never sure what to say when confronted with the drug seeker label.
I am usually too sick to care much at that point. But here are things I wish I could say:
"If you could experience this pain, even for a moment, you would have been begging for pain meds, too."
"No, I am not addicted. I am in pain."
"See letter from neuro"

I think there is a huge misperception about pain, especially the treatment of chronic pain in the medical community. I also think that there are a few drug seekers who mess it up for those in actual pain. I believe in treating pain, especially if there is a clear history and most migraneurs are too sick by the time we get to the point of going to the ER to make anything up all we want is relief.Which is hard to find.

Pain free days,
sailingm

About the only thing I could possibly say after an incident like that would be "I cant believe you have the nerve to call yourself a doctor/nurse. No human being should treat a sick person so poorly. You are a disgrace to your profession. I will make sure that the head of this hospital hears from my lawyer of your callous disregard for pain and suffering of patients who come here."

Of course that is easy to say now, when not in pain. Obviously when you are there it is because you are way too ill to think of something like that (or to be able to think much at all). So I suggest memorizing your response ahead of time. Or ask your friend, husband, parent to be ready for the possibility. Personally I am a terrible at such things, but my husband is really good at dealing with nurses and bureaucrats, thankfully. I hope I never have to go to the ER for migraine. I've heard so many awful stories.

I filed a compalint with the hospital board once. About that ER doctor I mentioned. They got back to me saying that they reviewed the chart, and interviewed him, and he was in complete compliance with hospital policy. At that time I was too, I don't know, dumb maybe? To bother with a Lawyer. They actually sent me home from the ER with a sky high BP, and on the way I told my husband that the best thing that could happen to him righ then was for me to die because he would be a rich man winning a huge lawsuit from that! He never has had very good luck!!! haha!

I don’t understand why these people are care providers. I have found that when I go into the ER I have to be armed with paperwork because I can never clearly advocate for myself when I’m in that much pain. On my last visit, the ER Dr asked if I had tried coffee or yoga. When I told him I had a cup of coffee earlier in the day he asked, “did you try stronger coffee, like Peet’s?” I responded, “As if changing coffee brands would have prevented the ER visit?”

I always bring my migraine journal so they can see my history and I also give them my pain management dr’s number to call so they can verify that I am on a pain management treatment and I’m not there to get high. Whenever they try to argue with me, I find the best thing is to just shove the heavy migraine journal in their faces and tell them to look for themselves if they don’t believe me.

My favorite comeback for non-medical people is rattling of the long list of side effects and overall misery of the drugs. “Oh yeah, constipation worthy of a thousand prunes, hangovers worse than your 21st bday, intense irritability, more nausea and vomiting on top of the existing nausea, so itchy, really groggy, forgetting my own name, so out of it I can’t remember how to use a fork…” Oh so fun.

Given that ERs often do not seem to have the most knowledgeable or experienced doctors in dealing with migraines, I have to wonder why people bother going there when having a migraine? It doesn't sound like it's generally very productive. I think I'd rather just be miserable at home.

I firmly, but nicely, told a nurse that there is a difference between physical dependence and addiction and that as a professional it was embarrassing for her that she did not know the difference.

I went into the hospital on an emergency basis. I brought all my meds with me so they could see that I was not out of narcotics and needing (seeking ) more. I explained that I was on a pain management plan and took daily opioids. I further explained that I was physically dependent on them and had no desire to go through physical withdrawal on top of the problems I was hospitalized for.

The Drs were great about it as were 1/3 of the nurses. I could tell that 2/3s of them were wary and one was an out and out witch. She would bring my shots very, very late, to where I was almost writhing in pain ( I had acute diverticultis and was hospitalized for seven days and came very close to rupturing my colon). I told the Dr that I was not getting my pain meds in a timely manner and he was good enough to prescribe a fentanyl patch that would last three days.

I asked Nurse Ratchet how long it would take for it took take effect. She gave me a smarmy smile and said "about 1/2 hour". When she left the room I looked it up and found that it took HOURS for it to get into my blood system.

I called the nurse in and pointed that out to her and asked what the Dr had prescribed in the mean time. She said "nothing". I asked her to call him. She refused saying that she felt I "liked my pain meds too much" and that I had TOLD them when I was admitted that I was addicted to pain meds. It was so hard not to lose it with this woman, but you really lose creditability with medical professionals when they perceive you as being "out of control". That's when I sternly told her that I had NOT used the word addicted, that there is a difference and that she had better learn the difference. She stomped out and to my surprise she came back with a half hearted apology and a narcotic injection within 15 minutes.

I have no idea what transpired in that time span. I'm guessing she was complaining to her supervisor about me and the supervisor set HER straight. And it was obvious in how quickly I got the injection that orders had been left. Like I said, a witch with a B.

The addiction rates with proper pain management is very low. Physical dependence and tolerance, yes...nature of the beast but every drug we take has side effects. Addiction, no, because the goal is never euphoria or complete pain relief. The goal is MANAGEABLE pain levels...a 2/3 level rather than a 7/8.

Oh, and I got her back. I did not write her up for it...her word against mine and I already knew she was a liar. Nope, I wrote a letter of complaint about her allowing patients to smoke in the lounge of the Childrens wing. I had reported to her what patient was doing it (I caught it on my walks) what time, and I watched...and she did nothing. For days. So I documented each time it happened and after I was discharged I sent a letter with my documentation to a hospital administrator and expressed my disappointment that they would put childrens health in danger because this nurse was too lazy to confront and take care of her floor. As I expected management was livid and I got a phone call from a higher up on a SUNDAY wanting more details. And it turned out when he got more info from me that the nurse had lied to him about my complaint and got caught in her lie.

I may be evil, but revenge felt good.

Sorry for being so long winded, but it really upset me. It was the first and only I was out and out called an addict.

All I can say is you poor poor sausages. To be treated so appallingly by the very people who you go to for help when you're at your most vulnerable is just beyond the telling of it. If you have an angry advocate with you at the time then all the better, but for those who are alone and unable to advocate for themselves and are utterly at the mercy of these #@$@#$@#ds. Grrrrr.

I usually don't wait for them to say anything anymore. I say 'before you assume that I'm a drug seeker I'll tell you now that I have chronic migraine. Whatever preconceptions you have about what that means for drug seeker behaviour has nothing to do with me. I hate opiods because they make me sick as a dog, steal my ability to think clearly and don't actually stop the damn pain completely anyway. However, my triptans are not working and I'm damned if I'm going to remain in this amount of pain for the next week. Therefore I need some relief." Then it gets tricky cos you have to reel off the list of what makes you sickest and they hate that hey because they think you want a particular brand or something. But bugger them. We're in pain more often than they go to the damn toilet. I'm not backward in letting them know that. Pain makes me very cranky. And I share it around. It's such a debasing thing having to beg for help because of a wrong assumption of some numnut's behalf that you're a junkie. Fortunately I don't find myself in this position too regularly. And in Australia, shouting does seem to work fairly well. I also have a letter from my doctor stating that I have chronic migraine but I've lost it. Do you guys carry one around? I feel very fortunate that the triptans are still somewhat effective for me.

Anyway, sorry to shanghai the thread. Rant over.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I have also cried at receptionists of doctors surgeries on those occasions when I'm left to sit in the waiting room for hours because she decides (in her great professional judgement) that I'm a junkie and doesn't prioritise me (actually this is often from real feelings of shame and feeling outcasted but it works!). I now insist on being put in a dark room every time. Basically I cause as much trouble as possible so they give me what I want to get rid of me. But that's me all over.

Living.... I like your style!

What ERP (ER physician blogger) wrote to ShelliB on his blog:

"ShelliB, there are many legit Migraine sufferers out there – but since it is a hard disorder to verify, it is perfect for malingerers to use as a reason to ask for narcs. True Migraineurs follow with their neurologists and rarely have to come into the ER. We have some who come in weekly, who don’t follow up, who mysteriously lose their meds or prescriptions, and who doctor-shop. These are the ones I am talking about."

True migrainers who follow up with their neurologists rarely have to come into the ER?

When half the time migraine preventatives work so poorly, when triptans are totally ineffective for some people, and when the prescribing of narcotics for head pain is so controversial? Ah, neurologists are not miracle workers in every case...

Cheryl

Thanks Paradox! When I read over what I wrote I feel like a hard@rse. But thinking about it, it wasn't the way I used to approach care providers. It is a crafted approach borne out of so many distrustful responses and sort of a 'I'll get you before you get me' kind of a thing.

What ERP (ER physician blogger) wrote to ShelliB on his blog:

"ShelliB, there are many legit Migraine sufferers out there – but since it is a hard disorder to verify, it is perfect for malingerers to use as a reason to ask for narcs. True Migraineurs follow with their neurologists and rarely have to come into the ER. We have some who come in weekly, who don’t follow up, who mysteriously lose their meds or prescriptions, and who doctor-shop. These are the ones I am talking about."

True migrainers who follow up with their neurologists rarely have to come into the ER?

When half the time migraine preventatives work so poorly, when triptans are totally ineffective for some people, and when the prescribing of narcotics for head pain is so controversial? Ah, neurologists are not miracle workers in every case...

Yep...most ER doctors don't get it. I often feel the need to educate these *doctors*. ERP's blog is just one of several I read.

It is an effort today to think how to reply to the posts of nice people - what chance is there when your at your worst and have resorted to er for help, to even speak, let alone try and think of arguments.