Tennessee Pain Management New Laws July 2013
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People in Tennessee who are in pain management or are being prescribed pain meds are no aware of all the new laws that went into effect July, 1. 2013. I have been with the same Dr. for nearly three years, he told me last month about these changes and that I would have to see him at his new pain clinic for the month of July. Before I could see him I had to go through all the red tape,. everyone at the pain clinic was aware of me coming in, they all knew me by name even though it was my first visit. I had to talk to a law enforcement official who finger printed me, took my picture, did a background check and preformed a drug test, checked me for needle marks, etc. all this before I could see my Dr. Oh yeah, and I had to pay up too. Once I got to see my doctor we talked about all these changes made by the legislators in Nashville. After Oct. 1 and then Jan 1 of 2014 they are wanted pain patients to try a holistic or non narcotic route before they get any narcotics, of course the people making these rules and new laws are affiliated with these alternative procedures so they can make their money. If anyone in the great state of Tennessee is experiencing these hassles and are getting tired of being treated like a criminal just to see your doctor please contact me, we can change this but we have to go through Nashville. I have four legislators who are on the side of the people in pain. We are starting a pain advocacy group to bring to Nashville but we need more people, there is power in numbers so I need to hear from everyone. I will be posting on here soon with a page you can go to so you can tell your story and get these ridiculous laws changed.

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REPORT

I have been a pain patient since 2009. When they began shutting up all the doctors around here I decided to search outside the Tennessee area and went to a doctor in Mississippi and New Orleans for about a year each before my psychiatrist told me that he could write me my pain medications. To make a long story short I ended up at a clinic right up the street from me for about four years and the doctor or anesthesiologist quit the clinic and therefore they could no longer prescribe narcotics. I then tried a clinic that was new to the area but wasn’t up and rising clinic in Tennessee and other areas surrounding Tennessee CPS and I did not have a very good experience. Once my old anesthesiologist established his new clinic here in Memphis they called me and asked if I would like to come back to him and I booked an appointment and left CPS. However two months later he quit and closed his clinic to move to a new clinic and become their anesthesiologist without warning or telling his patients anything about it. I guess I was just one of the lucky ones that got the car so I made the appointment and everything was going fine up until about two months ago when I had a positive alcohol test from my cough medicine that I have to take for my COPD. There are two components they test when they check for alcohol these days these are ETS and ETG. The ETS is the more accurate of the two because ETG can be absorbed into your body by a variety of different environmental things even purrell hand lotion. Two months after this task and signing the waiver that I would not drink, I had a very low positive ETG and totally negative ETS. I am diabetic and always have glucose in my urine and at the time I even had a yeast infection not to mention that instead of taking the pill I used tux pads in order to relieve the itching and it always has worked before and it had work this time. Needless to say because of this low 565 where the cut off was 500 I was fired from the clinic and found myself with no other clinics available to go to. I even called the laboratory who did the test and they told me that the fact that I was diabetic was probably the reason my ETG was a little high. He said that a person who had drinking alcohol would definitely have had ETS in their system with a level of ETG that I had in my system. I was never allowed to talk with the doctor face-to-face and was only allowed to talk with the 20-year-old tech toxicologist that didn’t even know the Krebs cycle or how alcohol was really truly made because he made a comment that you didn’t have to have glucose to make alcohol. I had to laugh and shake my head.

I’m a PhD bio chemist and I have taught several thousand students the process of anaerobic respiration in humans. I felt like I was giving him the lesson all over again because not only did he not know the Krebs cycle which is aerobic respiration that occurs in humans and in the cells but he had absolutely no clue about anaerobic respiration and the intermediate buy products that are produced during the cycle and he tried to use big words like acetoacetate which is actually acetyl aldehyde along with carbon dioxide that is formed during the process of anaerobic respiration. For all of that matters I could’ve had a UTI and being a diabetic could have caused that level as well but they did not check for Bacteria nor did they check for other things such as glucose in my urine. Bacteria and yeast both will use glucose under anaerobic respiration to form alcohol exactly the same way. Needless to say I have now found my self without a pain doctor and my primary care doctor has put me on Palliative care I guess until I can find a new clinic or doctor who will write me the correct dosage of medication to help me lead a normal life or halfway to normal life. On top of the fact that I have all these problems I have been taking care of my elderly mother and had to take POA of her last year and unfortunately right now I have her in a facility so that I can try and take care of my business and hopefully find someone to write my medications. I hope that being on pallets of care will allow my primary care physician a little leeway and let him write me enough medication so that I can bring my mother back home and not have to worry about going to a facility 70 miles away when I have a horrible case of neuropathy in both feet and can’t feel the petals when I drive so I don’t like to drive at all and quite frankly if the doctors knew how bad it is they would revoke my license. My neurologist has me scheduled for a new or my yearly nerve conduction test next week but that doesn’t solve my problem it just is going to show how bad or if my neuropathy has gotten better or worse over the past year which I can tell them it’s worse. Just one other item to explain is that my neuropathy is not from being a diabetic - my endocrinologist told me this when he first checked me and did a nerve conduction test and said that there was absolutely no way that the neuropathy could be so bad because my A1c was not high enough for it to be causing the levels of nerve conduction and numbness that I have in both my feet and legs and that it has to be from my back injury that I had.

I have been out and exhausted every clinic here in Memphis that I know of and every doctor that I know of that would write me my medications or the level of medications I need to lead the life that would allow me to take care of myself and my mother at the same time. I feel so bad every time I go to see her when she asked when I’m I coming home because I really truly do not know. She has now been put in isolation and containment because she caught scabies there or at the hospital. Therefore she is not being allowed to walk the halls and get the help that she needs in order to come home and do some of the things that I cannot fathom doing because of my illness. Do you have any other suggestions because the closest clinic that I can find that I haven’t been fired from or dismissed due to stupid things not even related to contractual reasons? For instance there is a doctor in Southhaven that is about 15 miles up the road and eight years ago I tried to get into their clinic and see one of the doctors, however, because they did not write the medication that I was on at the time they put me on a list where I could not ever come back there. Again this has happened at as far as I know every clinic here in the Memphis area.

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What planet you living on. This law is bulls*** that has made old people who are in pain suffer because junkies are dying because they've abused these meds. Anybody who thinks this law has or will change anything think again. All it helps is the ones who passed this law. Truth be told they own a pain clinic. And they or their families won't suffer like we do.

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Need new pain management dr in Memphis Tn to treat chronic pain oxycodone 30 tid Oxycotin 60 er tid. I should be exempt from current laws but current pain dr has put me on horrible regime. Will end up in hospital if I can't manage this pain. Can see almost any provider.

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How do I help fight this new law. I too I am a chronic pain patient and have been throated off by Pain Clinic's not giving me my medication even though the law states that I am exempt due to the fact I have been on the same medications for several years without increasing I am in Memphis Tn

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I would like to be included in thereform of the new drug laws. I have a very painful condition that is EVIDENCE-BACKED an have to travel about 400 miles round trip to a pain clinic. This is ABSURD. Please contact me A.S.A.P.

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I am in chronic pain. Have been cut to 1/3 of what I was taking. I agree that this law must be changed.

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I have used narcotics prescribed by a reputable pain clinic woth a pain mangement specialost supervising for 6 or 7 years now, and would not be able to function w/o them. I had had to take early retiretirement from my job in 2002, but once I got the right dosage of drugs and other help, was able to return t work on a consulting basis, and also to return to other activities I had enjoyed bdefore the chronic pan got so bad--dog breeding and showing, horesback riding (I did eventualy have to give that up again) and the like. I just found out on 5/17-15 that I no longer will be able to see that clinic and have to go to another clinic owned by some state representativves. I'm panicky about how my kuife will fall apart if this is as bad as I expect it to be. (I had tried the so-called holistic methods before I went to a pain clinic--they don't work well and I can't afford them as insurance won't pay Why were we not informed that this was coming? I'd be happy to participate in a patient acvocacy group. Do wehave any recourse at all?

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Good luck getting this law changed. I called Gov. Haslam, didn't do any good. They don't care that we suffer. Looks like they could keep their nose out of our medical care. Or at least left the ones who had been on these meds alone. Its gonna be suffer or die. Now the cartels have moved in. All they did was hurt honest people.

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the people making these laws don't live with pain so they think that we are just COMPLAINING and that the pain is all in our heads. I WISH THEY COULD LIVE ONE WEEK IN OUR SHOES AND THEN TELL THEMIT IS ALL IN THEIR HEADS.

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Add me to your list of protest. My entire stomach is held together by netting that frequently pops and comes out my skin, causing severe pain. I have been on pain medication since my surgery(dual renal and liver failure) for 12 years now and all of a sudden my doctor tells me she will no longer prescribe to me that I should get off pain meds altogether because of the new law. I literally cannot bear the pain without medication. I am so afraid of what is going to happen.

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my doctor treats me the same way. I crushed my face from my eyes down. I have 23 crews and wire mash that holds it together and also crushed my shoulder bone. it has a metal plate and crews and my back is bad from top to bottom. I don't have any teeth because my mouth doesn't open wide enough and I have major head aches and brain damage. I've been going to the same place for 12 years never once have I failed a drug test and they have cut med's down to where I am now in constant pain and withdraws and my medical records say that I will be a life long pain patent. it is awful how they talk and treat me. if there was any other way to treat pain I would be on it in a heart beat. they shouldn't have the right to treat people this way. I have to just sit and take it because I can't stand the pain constantly people that live with pain is no different than people with cancer. I wish they could all walk in my shoes for a week. they would be singing the song to a different tone. if I can help in anyway just let me know.

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I saw a post you made some time back and am wondering if you found a doc who treats patients like humans? I also do no drugs none smoking not even coffee! I don't drink and my only crime is moving to Tennessee to retire on the Lake!!!!!

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The new laws only affect the ppl who really need pain management I have had R.A since the age of 11 was in a wheel chair for a year had to seek help with the pain at 27 now that I'm 37 they have found osteoarthritis in my spinal canal the bone in my neck moves at times and causes unimaginable pain the Dr I've been seeing informed me they could no longer see me now keep in mind I've never failed a drug test or count never been to jail but after years of meds they say we can't give you anything go to the e.r we pay 600.00 a month for health insurance and can't afford to go to the e.r its really bad that ppl who need help can't get ot

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I hear everyone's cry. I too would join the group. My wife had to enroll in a pain management clinic in Lebanon, Tn. She has not complained about the privacy issues of the drug screening. She has been going to This Pain Management for about 1 year and every month they do lab work and pill counts. I have no problem with this if she doesn't. What I have a problem with are some of the cost of the test she has to do.(Lab Work) I do understand you would want to make sure a person is taking the prescribed med correctly but a what cost, and EVERY Month (keep in mind all her test have come back great. (she is 50) I have private insurance of BBSTN and guess who reaps the co pay? We do, or me as she can not work. She has been in the works to try and get disability for going on 2 years but you know how that goes in TN. Anyways the Lab work shows over 30 different test each month. Funny thing is she is only prescribed 3 different meds from the Pain Management Clinic and one of the 30 different test cost me 175.00 a month. This is crazy. I guess when the laws were changed to receive certain medications you had to go to a pain management clinic they mostly looked at People that may be drug user or someone that is on the states dole (ie Tenn Care or Medicaid). I could understand a random test but God help us hard working people that do have insurance with a big co pay. I would be willing (and sure my wife would also) to sign and join the group. Has anyone got anymore info on starting that group.

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I currently attend a pain clinic in oakridge tn. I was sent there by my family doctor who could no longer care for me due to the new laws. I have been dealing wirh my conditions for over six long years at least the worse of it . I have been poked and proded in too many ways by these pain clinics, i have tried all their gimics they may work for others but usually made things worse. I have been degraded and put in a catagory of a less than desirable citizen, so if there is a legal way to fight back count me in. Im tired of paying the price for the ones that abuse the systems and the money grubbers out there posing as doctors.

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I am living in hell in Knoxville, TN. I am not on disability, but probably should be. I was informed I would have to leave my Dr if eight years to go to a Pain Management Group in order to get LESS medicine than before. Being on pain meds, oxy's, for. 8 years they are not as effective as they were in the past. I'm a regular law abiding citizen, who almost went into cardiac arrest when sent to my "new" clinic. There were camera's were you signed in that took pictures of you, two more ID's. I was then ask to provide a urine test that I put in the plastic bag while being filmed saying my name and date of birth. Then, as I said before, being private pay( my husband & I pay just over. $900 a month in premiums). We were sent the bill, after $40.00 co pay and it was $2,450.92 incl. postage to send to San Diego for urine test. Yes, it was first visit rate, the next time it went down $125.00! My RX's with ins are $246.32. I told then I didn't know what to do I could not afford to continue to see them. I was told, "we are the only game in town. Ninety-nine percent of our patients are disability of some kind. Maybe we can come up with a payment plan!" The Urine Test was $1,130.92 and will be given every visit." I feel like a convict sitting in there. I wore a summer dress on first visit and stood out like a sore thumb. On top of my very well, many surgeries later and back cage documentation, I get treated like I went through all that to just to get meds! I use to live in Nashville and have many relative there. Is there any way that we can still do something? I am miserable.

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I am tired of being in pain and having the pain doctor and surgeon say the pain will go away if I lose weight. Ok fine but to lose weight I have to go walking which causes more pain. And the doc only gives me meds for barely one or two hour relief. "I just don't feel comfortable prescribing narcotics for u" well nothing else works and this half assed treatment is not helping. I am miserable and in pain yet I am treated like a criminal for trying to find relief. We need to do something about this.

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This is the way it goes. I suffer daily but who cares. When we all get together and get govt.out of our lives we will all be better off. If law enforcement could do their job then things will change. Hell judges have been caught buying. I'll join your group.

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I have been taking pain meds for a number of problems for the past 20+yrs. I have been taking 4-40mg. opana for over 5yrs and roxi 30 for breakthrough pain the last 3yrs. My tolerance is very high due to the Iength of time i have been on meds, I had a somewhat normal life. I passed all the tests and counts -I was a model pt. - since the new laws were passed and my meds cut in half - every month I am losing wieght at the rateof 10pounds. I am now 60pds. lighter and heading back to the shrink, cant sleep due to the pain and no longer have any nerves left..you can tell by the constant shaking. I live in N.E. TENN. if anyone knows of a dr. that will help in anyway pls. let me know.

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Anton,

can you please contact me concerning your 2013 posting about the new TN Pain Laws? {edited for privacy}

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