Most of the people here at the big Orange know me, as I usually put it out there, as far as my health, my medical problems, PTSD etc, and for my veterans advocacy.
I have tried to help other veterans deal with admitting they might have a problem with PTSD, that is one of the hardest things for a soldier to do, admit a perceived "weakness" there is a stigmatism to admitting mental health issues, in life in general, even harder in the military culture, hell look at John McCain, he will never admit he has PTSD, Max Cleland has, and he wasn't a POW for 5 and half years. It took him 40 years to seek help.
The reason I am writing this is so other veterans and their spouses might not be forced to go thru what I have been FORCED to deal with for the past few weeks. I have been on percocets since September 2003, so yes I was or am an addict. The theory was I don't drive, the VA surgeons refused to operate on my herniated disks, my doctor at the time put me on 90 percocets a month and over the years the amount increased to 150 a month until 2 months ago, they sent 140 and said it was because I had a doctors appointment and they would refill it on that day.
Well I went to the VA and saw a new doctor for me,he gave me one of the most thorough first exams I have ever had, and he renewed all of my prescriptions from the previous doctor including the percocets, but the pharmacy said that I couldn't pick any up that day they would mail them to me on the 2nd of August, my wife went back to the doctors office, and she got the run around and like usual I got mad and said to "hell with it", lets just go home and I will deal with it until the 2nd.
So on 1 August the Fedex driver shows up with the drugs, since the 2nd was a saturday. I called on the 26th because of Labor Day I knew there would be a problem. The nurse call center explained that they were now only filling narcotic prescriptions for 28 days at a time rather than 30 and it had started 2 months ago. So that explained last months mess up. Well she said that I should have the percocets by the end of the week, they never showed up. I called last week and she said that the doctor was given the request on August 26th she transferred me to the pharmacy where they explained they had it ready to mail but they needed the hard copy from the doctor, so they transferred me back to the nurse call center, she gets on another line and tells me they will be mailed on Friday and since Fedex does not deliver on the weekend I will probably get them today.
Just a few problems in here though, I am now 2 weeks into a forced detox at home, with my extensive health problems, heart disease, lung and gastrointestinal and the pain from my back, I have spent the most miserable two weeks I can remember in years. I am clear headed for the first time in years and maybe it was for the best that I came off of the perocets, I just think the doctor did it the wrong way.
If he was going to make me become narcotic free I should have been hospitalized, my heart ejection fraction is only 20% which is low ask any doctor. I don't think any doctor would want a heart patient to undergo detox at home, I just can't believe that, either a private doctor or a government run hospital, this should not be allowed to happen.
I will be contacting the Director of the Hospital today to voice my complaint. I am also going to ask to see the Chief of the clinic to get assigned to a new doctor, one that actually cares about wether I live or die, and not one concerned with writing to many narcotic prescriptions.
Am I out of line or was the doctor wrong here?
UPDATE: 1155 am EST The VA doctor just called, he was distressed to learn I had called the Directors Office and why didn't I call him instead, I told him I didn't know how to call him, the desk clerks in the clinics won't connect you to the doctors so I called the Directors Office to find out why I was put thru this, he then "apologized to me" and explained he would get to the bottom of why his prescription dated 26 August wasn't filled but he had contacted the pharmacy and I would have the pain meds in Fedex tomorrow.
So that made me ask him this question, Now that I am detoxed and the pain level doesn't seem much difference except that the percocet makes me say to hell with it (high) should I just stop taking this stuff and he told me NO I think you should keep taking it, you are in severe pain and your heart condition is not going to get better, I want you to stay on the percocets.
Is it just me or should I ask to see this doctors medical school degree?