Doctors notes/records
Hi just wondering if anybody knows about if doctors think you are drug seeking do they put that on your record?
I went to doctors yesterday, didn’t see my usual GP, it was about spinal pain that radiates up my back, only seems to hurt after physical activity which is weird but concerning to me. The day before appointment I went gym & done some light training on back muscles which really set it off, was painful & felt weird afterwards like weakness in my arms, bit dizzy and just a general weak feeling like really weak and disorientated. She was not helpful at all, basically done a quick op’s check, checked my back briefly & said it seems ok. She said to rest on weekend and see how I go, she said hot water bottle. The more im thinking about my appointment with a her yesterday I get the impression she feels I was drug seeking. I never asked for any drugs but I feel she was misunderstanding me being concerned with trying to get drugs. She said something when I sat down like “you’re looking to discuss pain management” I didn’t really take it in as was really anxious and tired so I said yeah about my spine then proceeded to talk about my concerns, but not once did I say anything about wanting medications/drugs. I’m annoyed now I should of been clear that I would of liked a referral or something. I’m on pregabalin for anxiety (it also just happens to be a nerve pain drug) and she said few times about you’ll have review soon with usual GP to see if it’s helping my anxiety and not just about pain management. She also said you’ve only upped dosage 10 days ago. I didn’t really take it in properly at the time but I feel she thinks I was trying to up my dose or get pain meds? I’m worried now that it will be on my notes and I’m also frustrated that I didn’t correct her properly. Any advice or help on this would be appreciated im very anxious about this, I feel I was totally misunderstood and I don’t like the thought of her putting on notes I was looking for pain management or medication to help that. I also noticed as I was leaving she done a frustrated sigh. This experience has made me feel invalidated, misunderstood and made my anxiety and depression worse. I’m struggling mentally very very bad to say the least.
I went to doctors yesterday, didn’t see my usual GP, it was about spinal pain that radiates up my back, only seems to hurt after physical activity which is weird but concerning to me. The day before appointment I went gym & done some light training on back muscles which really set it off, was painful & felt weird afterwards like weakness in my arms, bit dizzy and just a general weak feeling like really weak and disorientated. She was not helpful at all, basically done a quick op’s check, checked my back briefly & said it seems ok. She said to rest on weekend and see how I go, she said hot water bottle. The more im thinking about my appointment with a her yesterday I get the impression she feels I was drug seeking. I never asked for any drugs but I feel she was misunderstanding me being concerned with trying to get drugs. She said something when I sat down like “you’re looking to discuss pain management” I didn’t really take it in as was really anxious and tired so I said yeah about my spine then proceeded to talk about my concerns, but not once did I say anything about wanting medications/drugs. I’m annoyed now I should of been clear that I would of liked a referral or something. I’m on pregabalin for anxiety (it also just happens to be a nerve pain drug) and she said few times about you’ll have review soon with usual GP to see if it’s helping my anxiety and not just about pain management. She also said you’ve only upped dosage 10 days ago. I didn’t really take it in properly at the time but I feel she thinks I was trying to up my dose or get pain meds? I’m worried now that it will be on my notes and I’m also frustrated that I didn’t correct her properly. Any advice or help on this would be appreciated im very anxious about this, I feel I was totally misunderstood and I don’t like the thought of her putting on notes I was looking for pain management or medication to help that. I also noticed as I was leaving she done a frustrated sigh. This experience has made me feel invalidated, misunderstood and made my anxiety and depression worse. I’m struggling mentally very very bad to say the least.
What’s on your records is confidential so won’t be shared with anyone without your permission, so it’s no big deal even if she did write this. I wouldn’t waste time worrying about it. You can sort out the problem, if you still believe there is one, next time you see your normal GP. As you seem to be able to get appointments quickly in your neck of the woods ( less than 24 hours after hurting yourself - unheard of in my area) you can maybe get an appointment next week if your back is still hurting.
Original post by Anonymous
What’s on your records is confidential so won’t be shared with anyone without your permission, so it’s no big deal even if she did write this. I wouldn’t waste time worrying about it. You can sort out the problem, if you still believe there is one, next time you see your normal GP. As you seem to be able to get appointments quickly in your neck of the woods ( less than 24 hours after hurting yourself - unheard of in my area) you can maybe get an appointment next week if your back is still hurting.
Hi thanks for the reply, yeah I’m aware the notes will be confidential but the thing I don’t like is whenever I see doctors that’s on my record/notes and I don’t like that it could make them even consider I’m a drug seeker, it can sway there perception of you and follow you around. Yeah I can get appointment usually on same day, I’m just tired of doctors making me feel invalidated and leaving feeling more miserable, invalidated and and isolated
Forgot to mention in last post I can get same day appointment it’s if I ring dead on 8am but depends on how big que is, but can usually get appointment on day or following few days. Also you mentioned sorting out problem with GP next time I see her that’s possible but I don’t like that this doctor seemed to think I was drug seeking when I wasn’t & that being listed on my record
Original post by Surnia
Pain management isn't just about medication; it includes injections, therapy and exercise, so was exactly the right phrase to be used by the doctor.
Ok well that’s good to know then. do you think she’d of put on notes that I was looking for medication/pain relief? As I wasn’t, I was looking for a referral to get checked or to be investigated as I am concerned something is wrong. Feels to me like damaged nerve
Original post by Anonymous
Ok well that’s good to know then. do you think she’d of put on notes that I was looking for medication/pain relief?
Why would she, when she's referred to 'pain management'? Why are you so concerned about the medication thing?
Original post by Surnia
Why would she, when she's referred to 'pain management'? Why are you so concerned about the medication thing?
Because she kept bringing up Pregabalin that I’m on for anxiety, it’s also coincidentally a nerve pain medication, she said your due to see GP mid April to review pregabalin as only been on higher dose 10 days, I wasn’t talking to her about anxiety, she was saying see your GP then to talk about if it’s helping anxiety and not just about pain management, I feel she was thinking I was trying to up my dose to help pain. I’m concerned about the medication thing as I would not like that on my notes I was trying to drug seek, that can follow me around where other doctors would see it and influence their view on me. It feel frustrated about it as I was not wanting to up my dose or have any pain medications. I feel there was a total lack of understanding with what I was concerned about with this doctor. I could tell she seemed annoyed, she done a frustrated sigh when I was leaving.
I basically don’t want to be judged like that and if it’s put on my notes it stays there.
If anyone can give some advice on this would be very appreciated im super anxious about it and very frustrated
Original post by Anonymous
If anyone can give some advice on this would be very appreciated im super anxious about it and very frustrated
What advice are you still wanting? Either go back and see the same GP to sort it out or see your own.
Original post by Surnia
What advice are you still wanting? Either go back and see the same GP to sort it out or see your own.
About the notes being on my record, I don’t like that I could be viewed that way. My anxiety is very bad it’s making me stew on it and want it corrected, I feel frustrated with myself that I didn’t clear it up there n then, I didn’t clock onto why she was bringing up Pregabalin in the moment I thought she was just bringing up that I have a review for my anxiety now I can see she was thinking I wanted to up dose which I did not, I was not seeking anything to do with pain medications
A doctor's first thought when a young patient like yourself comes in with back pain isn't going to be that you're seeking treatment with opiates. Back pain is common, and in the vast majority of cases, back pain in a young patient is a muscular issue related to strain or injury. With the triggering event being exercising in the gym, no matter how light you think it was, this applies to you too. This is why the GP performed a physical examination, which presumably was unremarkable, and didn't consider it a reason for further evaluation necessitating and x-ray/MRI. The red flags of back pain are: fever, weight-loss, worse pain at night, unusual lumps/pain on palpation, or incontinence. Similarly if you had pain or tingling radiating into your legs that would also be a reason for further evaluation. From your description of the problem, none of these applied to you. I am sorry that the GP didn't explain this to you in proper detail. They didn't mean to make you feel neglected or invalidated.
The GP would never prescribe you opiates for this situation as a 1st line treatment, and you don't have a history of opiate abuse, so your fear likely wouldn't even cross their mind. The pain management she was referring to would have been a combination of over-the-counter pain medication like ibuprofen and maybe a muscle relaxant. GPs have a lot of clinical experience and are usually aware of when a patient is 'simulating' an experience to obtain pharmaceutical relief. I think it's highly unlikely that this was a suspicion held by your GP.
She may, however, have picked up on your anxiety and wanted to discuss your treatment for that reason. I know anxiety can make our fears feel very convincing, but please rest assured that you are not being labelled as a drug addict. You are a person who needs relief, reassurance and better strategies to reduce further strain in the future.
The GP would never prescribe you opiates for this situation as a 1st line treatment, and you don't have a history of opiate abuse, so your fear likely wouldn't even cross their mind. The pain management she was referring to would have been a combination of over-the-counter pain medication like ibuprofen and maybe a muscle relaxant. GPs have a lot of clinical experience and are usually aware of when a patient is 'simulating' an experience to obtain pharmaceutical relief. I think it's highly unlikely that this was a suspicion held by your GP.
She may, however, have picked up on your anxiety and wanted to discuss your treatment for that reason. I know anxiety can make our fears feel very convincing, but please rest assured that you are not being labelled as a drug addict. You are a person who needs relief, reassurance and better strategies to reduce further strain in the future.
Why WOULD she think you were drug seeking, seems a random think to think. She just didn't want to prescribe drugs right away, doesn't mean she thought you were drug seeking
Original post by Alaric III
A doctor's first thought when a young patient like yourself comes in with back pain isn't going to be that you're seeking treatment with opiates. Back pain is common, and in the vast majority of cases, back pain in a young patient is a muscular issue related to strain or injury. With the triggering event being exercising in the gym, no matter how light you think it was, this applies to you too. This is why the GP performed a physical examination, which presumably was unremarkable, and didn't consider it a reason for further evaluation necessitating and x-ray/MRI. The red flags of back pain are: fever, weight-loss, worse pain at night, unusual lumps/pain on palpation, or incontinence. Similarly if you had pain or tingling radiating into your legs that would also be a reason for further evaluation. From your description of the problem, none of these applied to you. I am sorry that the GP didn't explain this to you in proper detail. They didn't mean to make you feel neglected or invalidated.
The GP would never prescribe you opiates for this situation as a 1st line treatment, and you don't have a history of opiate abuse, so your fear likely wouldn't even cross their mind. The pain management she was referring to would have been a combination of over-the-counter pain medication like ibuprofen and maybe a muscle relaxant. GPs have a lot of clinical experience and are usually aware of when a patient is 'simulating' an experience to obtain pharmaceutical relief. I think it's highly unlikely that this was a suspicion held by your GP.
She may, however, have picked up on your anxiety and wanted to discuss your treatment for that reason. I know anxiety can make our fears feel very convincing, but please rest assured that you are not being labelled as a drug addict. You are a person who needs relief, reassurance and better strategies to reduce further strain in the future.
The GP would never prescribe you opiates for this situation as a 1st line treatment, and you don't have a history of opiate abuse, so your fear likely wouldn't even cross their mind. The pain management she was referring to would have been a combination of over-the-counter pain medication like ibuprofen and maybe a muscle relaxant. GPs have a lot of clinical experience and are usually aware of when a patient is 'simulating' an experience to obtain pharmaceutical relief. I think it's highly unlikely that this was a suspicion held by your GP.
She may, however, have picked up on your anxiety and wanted to discuss your treatment for that reason. I know anxiety can make our fears feel very convincing, but please rest assured that you are not being labelled as a drug addict. You are a person who needs relief, reassurance and better strategies to reduce further strain in the future.
Hi thanks for the informative reply 👍 one thing you mentioned that actually has made me realise I did also mention to her that I did have tingling in my legs, kind of like pins and needles?
I think she did pick up on my anxiety yes as I was shaky and nervous. I will say she was quite abrupt and didn’t explain anything at all though or ask me anything. She was giving short answers, I don’t hate on doctors or anything but straight up she made me feel invalidated and like I was wasting her time. Since this appointment the more it’s sunk in she was pretty rude and dismissive of my very valid concerns, that by the way haven’t gone away with resting for few days with a hot water bottle that she suggested. Any exercise I do the spinal pain comes on & radiates around mid and upper back, Even if I just go for a walk, it comes on. I’ll see another GP but won’t be seeing her, she did make me feel even more down and isolated.
Original post by Emmmaaaa...
Why WOULD she think you were drug seeking, seems a random think to think. She just didn't want to prescribe drugs right away, doesn't mean she thought you were drug seeking
If you read through the thread you’ll see why I felt it’s possible but I do have bad anxiety which warped my view on it. “She just didn’t want to prescribe drugs right away” I never once asked her about anything to do with drugs or pain management. She was bringing up medications and pain management.
Looking back now it was just a bad appointment, came looking tor help feeling down and scared and left feeling way worse mentally.
Original post by Anonymous
If you read through the thread you’ll see why I felt it’s possible but I do have bad anxiety which warped my view on it. “She just didn’t want to prescribe drugs right away” I never once asked her about anything to do with drugs or pain management. She was bringing up medications and pain management.
Looking back now it was just a bad appointment, came looking tor help feeling down and scared and left feeling way worse mentally.
Looking back now it was just a bad appointment, came looking tor help feeling down and scared and left feeling way worse mentally.
I DID read your thread actually... which is why it was made obvious she clearly didn't think you were drug seeking. Doctors don't prescribe pain killers right away because people can easily become addicted to them, and prolonged painkiller uses damages your body. This is why they are hesitant to give them out.
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