These are $10 a piece and my insurance has not approved them....

[LeftyFingerPop]

so I suffer, because I cannot take NSAID's orally and I am rationing my Vicodin.

Another weekend of this.

And the people that did not approve them are sleeping right now.

Fuckers.

[sasquatch]

1. I would love to have a French Revolution style radical revolt

Every insurance CEO will be first in line for the guillitine.

[MrsBrady]

3. it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.... n/t

[FloridaJudy]

2. Is that a heat pad?

If so, you can buy a hot water bottle. If it's a local anesthetic, you're up a crick. Sorry.

[LeftyFingerPop]

4. It is an NSAID pain medication patch.

Saturday night now, over a week later, and they still have not approved them.

Also, I just opened my mail, and my MRI was denied. They want "more documentation". Also, they want me to try 4 weeks of physical therapy before approving an MRI. 4 weeks of physical therapy, and there has not even been a diagnosis yet.

I cannot adequately express my disdain for insurance companies.

They have not approved the patches yet because they want me to try oral NSAID's first, when it is clearly shown in my file that my kidneys are at risk if I take them.

I have a high pain tolerance. I stick needles in myself everyday, and I've passed kidney stones many times.

This arm pain is the worse I have ever had. It is rendering my left arm useless, and I'm starting to worry about muscle atrophy because I am compensating so much. I have Vicodin's, but I use them sparingly. I worry about addiction.

This pain is changing my personality and starting to aggravate my depression.

Very very frustrating...I don't know what to do. I guess I will call the doc Monday and demand more Vicodin.

God I hate those motherfucking insurance companies.

[FloridaJudy]

5. Have you considered a TENS unit?

I have a colleague with severe arm pain who gets considerable relief that way. Of course she's also doing massage, acupuncture and oral NSAIDS. You probably need to hook up with a pain management doc: and if you need narcotics, well you need narcotics.

And I agree. Medical insurance companies are the Scum of the earth.

[LeftyFingerPop]

6. It was a pain management doc who ordered the MRI...

He's not sure if the pain is due to my neck or arm.

Arm x-rays were negative. Neck x-rays showed arthritis and a narrowing of disk spaces, but "probably" not bad enough to cause this type of pain. He does not think the pain is diabetic neuorpathy, because it is positional only.

He wanted an elbow and forearm MRI. They approved the elbow, but not the forearm yet (for God's sake). The forearm approval is still sitting on someone's desk. So is the approval for the pain patches.

A TENS unit may be an option, but he wants to get this diagnosed first, and so do I.

I am actually frightened. This is scary, horrible tear jerking type of pain.

[Connonym]

7. greedy fuckers every last one of them

I sympathize and hope that you've got a doctor who's willing to go the extra mile in trying to persuade the insurance company (and have you asked if the doc can supply you samples in the meantime?). Pretty short sighted of them to not consider that rehab for narcotic addiction would be way more expensive in the long run but these are the same people who for years wouldn't cover birth control pills when the alternative is certainly much more expensive.

I don't like the idea of a revolution but maybe that's what it's going to take before we see any substantive change in the status quo.

Best of luck to you and :hug: for good measure