http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-patient-abandonment.htm
anon947561: I was not aware my doctor was going on vacation. I called for an appointment and was told by the receptionist that he was on vacation. I asked what I should do as I am on several narcotics and will go into withdrawal. She said I always call late “like I can just come in anytime” and the covering doctor was full.
I asked again what I could do (I usually call a week ahead because I do not have anyone to drive me. If I make the appointment when I leave a visit I worry if my back is so bad I may have to cancel). This woman is so nasty. I called the next day again because I called several walk-in urgent clinics and they said they wouldn’t deal with this. She repeated I could not be helped.
I asked about the N.P. as I could make the methadone stretch and she replied “she can’t prescribe any medications that are narcotic.” I feel this is patient abandonment as she had said the doctor I see would be back in two weeks. She said she wouldn’t give me anything until three days after he gets back. This is absurd. I have gotten appointments the same day for severe nausea and once for severe pain. I don’t know what to do. Thanks for any help.
anon337898: I am a patient with chronic pain. My doctor treated me for about four years, then I moved to Florida for two years, but I moved back and the doctor has been treating me for two years, so a total of about six years, on and off.
The doctor has been prescribing pain medication (yes, controlled substances). I have many medical conditions including: fibromyalgia, degenerative arthritis throughout my body including my back, knees, ankles and neck. I have carpal tunnel in both hands, neuropathy, bulging discs (four of them) bone spurs in my shoulders, back and feet. I also have a leaky heart valve, lordosis of the neck, scoliosis and other things.
This is what happened to me: A pharmacy decided I should not be taking two different narcotics together and refused to fill my script. They called my doctor and she decided not to fill that script again. In fact, she decided I need to go to pain management and she cannot treat me anymore. I already tried pain management four years ago and have gone through two years of physical therapy with no help for the pain. Controlled substances are the only things that help me to be able to even get out of bed and want to live.
What do I do now? I have not seen anyone other than my doctor, and I have only taken what she prescribed. The pharmacy treated me like a junkie. My doctor now treats me like I am a bad person. Is this doctor abandonment? The doctor did say they will give me one more prescription for pain medication and that is it.
Also, you should know that I do not have insurance, but I do not owe the doctor anything and I have always paid her what I owe her. Anyone who wants to answer this or give me some advice, please respond here. You should also know that I called three pain management clinics in my area and they do not accept cash patients. Now what do I do? I am afraid if I go through withdrawals I will have a heart attack since I do have heart problems and honestly I don’t want to live if I have to live in pain.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Pain-Management/What-if-your-doctor-refuses-to-talk-to-you/show/1105511
When I went to refill my RX for Norco my doctor refused it. They will not answer my calls and I guess I no longer have a doctor…
http://www.bluelight.org/vb/archive/index.php/t-591364.html?s=2f10f85f93969d5442f65c62468bafb8
(2011) In the South Puget Sound area, a University of Washington Medicine neighborhood clinic stopped taking new chronic-pain patients on opiates about two months ago, after patients flooded in, saying their doctors had cut them off.
“A lot of it is because other providers have stopped doing it,” said Dr. Peter McGough, chief medical officer for UW Medicine’s Neighborhood Clinics. “I think there’s been a fair amount of patient abandonment going on.”
All Things Chronic 