As we advanced Pca guys know the odds of us taking unplanned trips to the emergency room increase as we journey further along this path. I recently found that two simple words on the label of a pain prescription can create a nightmare scenario.
In early June of 2020 I had a slip and fall accident in my own home. I was admitted to the hospital with herniated discs at L4-L5 & L5-S1 creating moderate to severe caudal neural foramina narrowing and moderate central canal stenosis. A pain specialist inserted a steroid package into the space around my spinal cord to try and decrease my pain level, but it had little effect. I spent a week in the hospital in intense pain during which the hospital controlled the dispensing of the various drugs I usually administer to myself for bone pain from cancer.
However, since my general practitioner who prescribes my pain medications added the words “As Needed” I did not receive my pain meds at regular intervals as I was accustomed. I queried the nurses about this omission and was told I would only receive pain meds if I asked for them at the appropriate time intervals. I tried to get them to understand I did not want to get behind the pain, but that I indeed needed them given to me on schedule the whole time I was in the hospital, but the nursing staff refused stating they were only following the hospital's protocol.
I had to set alarms on my watch to alert me when each interval had been reached so I could request pain relief, which I assumed they would have ready at the nurse's station to deliver to my room. I called and requested my usual pain med only to have it delivered two hours after my request. The nurse explained she had been busy helping another patient. I was in such pain that I slept only a few hours the entire week I was admitted.
I'm just sharing from my own experience, but you might want to request that your doctor leave the words “as needed” off the prescription so you don't experience what I went through. Has anyone else had this happen to them?
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