cost
Fuzzy,
thanks for your encouraging and supportive reply. I have figured that I'd be a lifer on this med probably because I have no desire to have more back surgery IF pain medication can masque what pain I did/do have from 2 failed surgeries especially since a low dose cheap medication as mentioned. It is super cheap.. $35/120count!!!
I have had future medical coverage with the risk management company thru WC for a long time and they have tried thus far unsuccessfully to get me off their books. I am reluctant to allow them to control me so I don't think that I will sign off even if they stop sending me to the PM ... at least I don't plan on it at this point.
I have done a voluntary appeal re the medication weaning process however unfortunately they were sending correspondence to an old address I haven't lived at for 10 years and only because I know the person that owns the house he contacted me and I picked up this particular correspondence so I only had 3 days to write a voluntary appeal and 2 of those I was in great pain and couldn't sit at my computer.... It wasn't the most well thought out appeal with the type of back up information I would have liked to had at the time re weaning but it was just something that showed I was not in agreement with the plan and requesting to modify it at the very least to a more reasonable plan. I did however state that I thought the idea of pain management was to successfully treat the pain not to create more pain and I was well covered at this point with the prescribed dose (5mg up to 4x/day). Went further to state that a life of severe pain 24/7 365 to me was not a life worth living and I did not want to return to that world if it can be prevented with a low cost, effective medication with no countraindications at this point health wise.
So we will see what happens and yes at this point I can afford the 2 hour trip, the appt., the meds. Maybe in the future I won't be able to deal with it though for now I'll deal with the present.
Congrats to you too weaning off this medication. I have tried unsuccessfully in the past though perhaps it is time at least to lower the dose if not completely go off the medication.
Again I have absolutely no desire to return to a world of hurt or pursue a surgical solution to pain at this point especially unless the latter is absolutely necessary for some necessitating neurological reason.
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