My Patient's Doc Refusing To Treat

[LansingAreaCaregiver]

I know that I'm not the first to voice these concerns, but this is the most egregious cases I've personally witnessed. I got word from one of my long time patients that she received a call from her primary care physician last night. They informed her that they would no longer treat her unless she completely stopped using medicinal marijuana. She has been my patient for over 3 years, and fits to a T the 'profile' of the person this law was intended to help.

 

She has had multiple cancers over the past two years (they seem to take turns being active,) double mastectomy, severe arthritis, and very advanced glaucoma. Her medicine is quite literally the difference between being sighted or blind. It is the only thing that enables her to get out of the house and function. And get this, they want her to stop using marijuana and replace it with...

 

MORPHINE!!!!

 

My jaw hit the floor when she told me this story. I mean, I know she isn't the only who has had this situation, but it really brought home to me how big the ignorance and fear around marijuana still is. I understand that they aren't legally required to treat any patient, but it really brought home to me how much calloused ignorance and fear out there about marijuana. When you want to take someone off it and replace it with narco#1... That and you know darn well if my patient had reported that she drank a six pack a night or chowed down 3 quarter pounders every night for dinner and weighed 500 pounds, that the doctors might express concern about it and encourage change, but they wouldn't simply flat out refuse to treat her.

 

I propose we start (if someone hasn't already started one) a Dr.'s Hall of Shame for these kind of docs. I'm not talking about the family docs who aren't comfortable writing recommendations, I'm talking about those docs and health systems who are outright hostile towards medical marijuana or who do things like this that put patients' lives in danger. Perhaps this is an idea one of the fine medical marijuana publications across the state would like to take up?

 

The only other thing I can think to do is write the Doctor and politely but firmly express my disgust with their policies, and enclose some of the most recent medical marijuana research with it. Like I said, I know it isn't a unique situation to my patient, but my question is what can we DO about it?

[Kingdiamond]

They just put a bill into place that allows doctors to refuse treatment if its against their beliefs so im sure we will be seeing many more cases like this in the future they tried pulling this on me at henry fords main campus pain clinic i threatened to sue the doctor pulled me into a room and asked me questions then allowed me to get my procedure im sorry this happened to your patient but now i dont think there are any recourses to fight them .

[bobandtorey]

WOW

So sorry to here your story and its not the first time we have heard of story's like yours

 

Good luck let us know if we can help

[ozzrokk]

They just put a bill into place that allows doctors to refuse treatment if its against their beliefs so im sure we will be seeing many more cases like this in the future they tried pulling this on me at henry fords main campus pain clinic i threatened to sue the doctor pulled me into a room and asked me questions then allowed me to get my procedure im sorry this happened to your patient but now i dont think there are any recourses to fight them .

 

 

Not to mention all the doctors who will now say that they definetly cannot even write a recommendation since the law will now say that they are now agreeing to TREAT you with mmj not just writing a recomendation and they will say they are not allowed to do that. Good thing they passed these bills to HELP us Patients. sigh........

[phaquetoo]

yea my dr. dropped me a few yrs back, right after I got cut off of the meds she was writing me for many many yrs, I had some issues, not mm related and wound up doing 8 days in jail, I got cold turkyed off of methadone and xanax that I had been on for over 12 yrs as prescribebd for the most part!

 

I went into county jail in ogemaw, came out of county jail in clare, and I dont remember a whole lot, my lady picked me up in clare took me back to a hotel room she had gotten, and within 15 mins of taking 1, 10 mg methadone, and 1 1mg xanax I was in an ambulance on my way to mid mich I.C.U, I woke up like 18 hrs later. the dr. that quit me said what put me there was being cut off of them not taking one tab of each, she hadnt quit me yet, after I got back to my reg dr. visits they urine screened me for the 1st time in 12 yrs, Im not kidding, I called a lawyer, nothin can be done, so I will vote mid michigan health systems as #1 against mm! st. josephs #2.

 

In most cases when this happens it is not the dr. it is the company they work for and the pharmicuticals that give them kick backs!

 

Peace

Jim

Edited January 11, 2013 by phaquetoo

[lawyercaregiver]

I have told every doctor about my patient status for almost 2 years. Most recently as I got ready for a procedure (don't ask but it involves a camera, a long tube and I.V. sedation ) the nurse asked if I smoked:

 

"Not cigarettes" I said.

 

She said: "Well what do you smoke."

 

I told her I am a MM patient and have Menierre's Disease. She put me on hold and then admitted she had to check a list of doctors at the hospital who will not treat MM patients.

 

The solution is EASY! Don't waste energy getting worked up about it- just change doctors if you don't agree with the one you have. This is called freedom and we need more of it in this country.

[t-pain]

the religious right have warped the law to be able to discriminate for any reason and to bully anyone.

especially women, gay and lesbian people, and womens health care.

 

the law says doctors can drop you for any reason. employers can fire you for any reason.

protest/change the law, dont waste your time on the fools.

[Herb Cannabis]

This is yet another reason to establish a legal fund. We have to use the courts to make things right. It takes money to do this and we need to get off of our tight azzes and do the right thing by filling a legal defense fund. I can't believe after 4 years, we are not much better off than before.

[bobandtorey]

This is yet another reason to establish a legal fund. We have to use the courts to make things right. It takes money to do this and we need to get off of our tight azzes and do the right thing by filling a legal defense fund. I can't believe after 4 years, we are not much better off than before.

I agree

And it's mostly because people won't stand up for Themselves we are with the help of the MMMA

[hic]

Tell doctor his services are terminated and move on.

[jointedone]

Drs do this all the time. And not just to MMJ pts. DO NOT TELL YOUR DR. YOU ARE A PT. I don't how "cool" he is or how much he "understands",he will turn on you in a minute if his donkey is involved. And what the hell does the "religious right" have to do with it? NOTHING. What are your democrat politicians doing? Are they helping with our law? NO. Neither party is,the cowards. I'd tell that Dr to kiss my butt.

[jointedone]

If his donkey is involved then I would just leave before he gets to the goats...................