Although I know nothing of pain mgmt on the east coast, I did have the same experience here in Kansas. My doctor of over 10 years told me it was time to give up, that I'd fought long enough. I didn't want to quit work before 50, so he suggested moving to a more arid state. I found my apartment on the internet, gave me notice, got a UHaul and my son to drive it, and off I went to New Mexico. I knew no one, no friends, no relatives. The doctor I saw first easily accepted the pain meds I was on at that time - Duragesic patches, 100 mg and Hydrocodone for breakthrough pain. The problem was, when it stopped working he told me to change the patch every 2 days instead of every 3. Needless to say, the insurance had a fit. It would take a couple of weeks for approval each time.
Finally a lady I worked with took me to her doctor. She was a great doctor, very down to earth and with medical problems herself, so she understood the meaning of pain. Once she told me my legs were more swollen than any she had ever seen - except for her own. I made it for 3 years trying to work in a retail store. My car got repossed so my hopes of teaching on the reservation were crushed. So I came back to Kansas.
Like was said in previous posts, I called my old doc 3 times to make certain my insurance, everything was a go. When I got to the doctor's office, I couldn't believe the change. The office staff refused to let me even see the doctor or his nurse, both of whom had hugged me and cried when I left. Then they said they weren't accepting new patients. Because I was gone 3 years I was now a "new" patient. I was told that he could not prescribe any meds without full blood work, and asked me how much money I had brought. I told them $100 and they said to come back when I had "lots" of money.]
I was amazed, crying, shaking, not knowing where I could get my pain meds. So I went to the emergency room, showed them my medication bottles (the doctor in New Mexico switched me to methadone). I don't know if he called the doctor or not, but in a few minutes I had my refills. The ER doc just said he could only do this one time, but it gave me a month to find someone who cared about peoples pain.
I found a wonderful one. He gave me a 2 week supply of my methadone so I could have blood work done, had me sign a paper about using one pharmacy, one doctor, etc. I eventually started seeing his PA,a one of a kind woman who individually was responsible for getting my disability for me. She also told the staff that I took a LOT of narcotics because I was in a LOT of pain and not to give me any trouble.
So they are out there. And I'm on the same 4 methadone a day as I was 9 years ago, except now I take morphine, 15 mg, for break-through pain. And sadly to say, the only time I have problems getting my pain meds are when I am in the hospital. The nurses once just plain lied about the demerol IV push I knew was on my orders, my AM meds would come at 8:30 AM, over 12 hrs since my last. Then when I complained and got switched to a PIC morphine machine, they failed to take my damaged liver and kidneys into account and had to give me Narcan when my respiration went down to 3 per minute and pulse was 30.
But never give up. My PA told me that it was my body and I made the decisions about meds & tests, not the doctor. And when I refused a procedure from a doctor who was awful some
20 years ago, I felt just great!!
Best of luck,Char
Chronic Pain Community 
