Advice on current situation..

[Blanders]

I am 24 years old and about a year and a half ago I began to have major lower back pain. It turned out I had a herniated disc and they did a minor surgery, but it didn't work out so well.

So, in march/april of 2007 I had a fusion done.


It gave me a bit of relief but eventually the pain came back. Like so many people, my insurance ran out and I was broke. I had to go to the county hospital a few times, because I also took heart medication and had no way to get it. At first I did not want to ask for pain medicine but after a while I did because I was in a lot of pain. They only gave me codeine because they forced you to goto their pharmacy and they only carried codeine, before that I was on vicodin for my back as well as my heart meRAB.

Eventually they told me to goto this free clinic, since I couldn't afford a doctor. I was skeptical about it but thought what the hell. The clinic turned out to be good, and they immediately set me up with an appointment with a neurosurgeon, which is this monday.

Couple of questions, does anybody here have any experience dealing with free clinics and the doctors they send you to? I just want to know how they are..Note this free clinic is a part of a major hospital, it isn't like an emergency room type thing or anything, so the appointment is at the major hospital itself, as the clinic was built by the hospital and is across the street...so I know I am not going to some shady Doctor, I just wonder if you get treated any differently because you were sent there from the free clinic and are basically seeing the doctor for free.

Another question is I prefer vicodin over the codeine. Codeine makes me itchy and nauseas and doesn't work as well, but I will take it if I have to. Would it be a bad idea to ask this doctor I'm seeing about possibly switching back to vicodin? I don't want to sound like a drugseeker to them, yet at the same time I got much better results with vicodin and I had a better reaction to it as well, so I would prefer to be on it. I can't afford to be itchy and nauseas all day...

 

[mcda]

Hello and welcome to the board, "Blanders"...You will easily find that everyone here is more than willing to help you with any problems or questions that you may have. I would tell the neurosurgeon that the codeine is making you nauseous and itchy and that you get better relief, without the bad side effects, from Vicodin. Be honest and up front. Please keep us all updated about your upcoming appointment, and I pray that you will get answers!

 

[Justoneofus]

Ditto. Be completely open and honest. I also take my pain meRAB with me to my appointment. This way I can show them what I have left or don't, and they can see the strength if needed (especially if I am seeing a different doc).

I asked a pain management nurse once if there was something like Tylenol 3, but maybe less potent and she asked if I had ever tried vicodin. I answered no was she had the doctor prescribe it, and I was shocked at the difference for me in a positive way. Turned out that the T3 had me in a fog that I had no idea I was in. I thought it was the pain making me that way mostly. Wow.. the fog lifted when I started taking the vicodin and now I dont take T-3 anymore. (which is tylenol with codiene).

So when you see a new doctor, it's really really important to inform them of what meRAB you've had, are taking, and what works for you.

Good luck on the appointment and let us know how it goes.