I went with The Pirate to talk with Nancy, my NP today to get to the bottom of this excruciating pain in my hip. The Vicodin was no longer doing the job completely. There was always some pain left over, Just a little, but enough to be annoying and to keep me from being on my feet as long as I wanted to be. I was unable to complete even the simplest chore. I wanted to know what had changed in my left hip so much that it was no long completely responding to the medication.
So my doctor talked to me on the phone and told me that he was going to put me on a new medicine tramadol with ibruprofen and acetamin. At no time did he mention that I should be taking these with the Vicodin. Even when he talked to Poo, my medical proxy. So I thought that 'okay, I will give these a try.' Although I couldn't for the life of me figure how OTC was going to be any better. I tossed out what was left of my Vicodin. And then the pain started for real! I was in tears when I called Winthrop yesterday.
So Nancy herself was surprised that the doctor hadn't been more explicit in his instructions. And no where was it writing with any of the meds that I should be taking them all at the same time. Failure to communicate complete instructions on how I should be taking the medicines and badly written instructions from the pharmacy.
So Nancy ordered me the right amount of medicines I should be taking at the same time together. She told me to toss out everything I received the days previously to when all of this started. I started from new tonight. I took the first doze about thirty minutes ago and am already receiving full relief. BTW, she also noticed that I have lost a lot of weight since most of me meds were first prescribed eight years ago. She looked at my weight and the amount of dosages for the different meds and lowered some of the dosages. Like me, she felt some of them were too high for my weight and height. She also ordered me X-rays of both hips since the last set I had done was more than five years ago. I will go Wednesday morning for them. Then to the eye clinic to order my new reading glasses. Monday it is to the Neuropathy doctor to see how much damage there is to my leg. Then in December, off to the Gastrointestinal doctor to find out why I can't swallow.
All this pain because the doctor failed to give me along with the pharmacy the proper directions on how all of them should be taken. Right now I am so angry, that I am going to work myself up to an ulcer. I am practicing taking deep breaths and trying to calm myself down.
