[patteeu]

I liked the suggestion of contacting the specialists office and letting them know that your pain makes you desperate enough to go to the ER to have tests done if they can't fit you in. I also like the advice suggesting that you try to get your doctor to help you get an earlier appointment with the specialist because they definitely have more pull than you do.

BTW, surely there's a better drug to help you deal with headache pain than hydrocodone. I'd think about getting a different primary care doctor if the one you have can't help you get a quicker appt. with the specialist and if he can't come up with a better way to manage the pain in the meantime. I don't know what's causing your pain, but I haven't ever had much luck with hydrocodone when I've had headaches. I'm sure my situation is far different from yours, but Excederin often helps more than hydrocodone for me.

Edit: Oh yeah, one other thought. Sometimes there are disparities in the numbers of doctors on either side of a state line as a result of the different malpractice insurance rates in each of the two states. If you live near a state line, you might see if there's a doctor available sooner on the other side of the border. If you live in Kansas though, don't count on finding a better situation in Missouri. In any event, this is probably a long shot anyway.

Good luck.