No news isn't always good news-3/24/09

Can I just say that pancreatitis stinks?  I haven't written on this blog for a couple of months.  I think that I have mentioned that my doctor is no longer practicing in my town.  I have yet to get a new doctor.  I actually did make an appointment with one.  I had to take a half day off work to go to it, too.  When I got there, I was told that they could not see me because they didn't take my secondary insurance and I was told to leave.  They did take my primary insurance, but apparently, that isn't good enough.  What a waste of time!  AND...I am still stuck with no doctor.

I have had a couple of bad attacks in which I went to the hospital.  There really wasn't much point in that because my lipase and amylase levels weren't very high after a sample was sent to the lab and I was sent home after that.  I was still sick and in pain, but with no PCP to vouch for my non-craziness, I was not believed to have pancreatitis.  Don't these people realize that often after a person has had repeated bouts of pancreatitis for years that the lipase and amylase levels do not always rise significantly anymore?  The pancreas just doesn't work as efficiently as it once did in the past.

That leads me to here.  I am awake and hurting, but do not see much point in going to get help.  I have taken about the maximum amount of painkillers I can safely take and it has dulled the pain somewhat.  That will have to do for now.  The question is:  What happens once I run completely out of painkillers and I have no doctor?  I also wonder if these pill-form painkillers are worse on my kidneys than the ones administered via IV.  I do not need to have issues with other organs.  I am frustrated enough with my pancreas.

I know what doctor I want to see.  I have seen her in the past a couple of times and she is wonderful, but she is not taking new patients unless they are pediatric patients.  I do know that she takes both my primary and secondary insurance as well.  Unfortunately I am not able to get past the office staff to talk to her.  They just tell me that she is not accepting new patients and will not even listen to anything after that.  I am frustrated and do not know what to do.