[dwright002]

Forty years ago, while in basic training in the U.S. Army, my unit was standing at "Parade Rest" when I felt like I had been stabbed in the left thigh with an ice-pick. I cried out, fell down, dropped my weapon, and generally made quite a ruckus.
I was taken to the infirmary where I was given a diagnosis of "a split nerve."
The pain is intermittent and unpredictable, and eventually I adjusted to it, understanding that in a few minutes, or hours, rarely days, it would go away.
A little over a year ago (I had not even mentioned the condition to my internists for over thirty years) I was given a new diagnosis: Meralgia paresthetica. This was confirmed by the neurologist.
I told him that the most inconvenient time for the pain is when I am playing golf - I walk - when I limp the rest of the course.
Because of my long history of chemical dependency on (addiction to) central nervous system depressants (I am 31 years clean and sober), I am very careful to avoid mood altering medications.
The neurologist prescribed a lidocaine patch to be applied directly over the source of the pain - a great solution, I thought. Guess what?
My insurance (medicare, plus a supplemental poicy) wouldn't pay for it. The pharmacist said they wanted "Prior Approval" which they withheld. They said I must try 3 other pain killers unsuccessfully before they would authorize the patch. Their first recommendation was an opioid which, it is my understanding, is an opiate made in a laboratory instead of a poppy-field.
Of course, we all recognize that anything that is not topical, that will kill the pain, is mood altering, which will trigger a relapse of the addiction.
I will appreciate any help you can give me for dealing with the insurance company. The real issue is (surprise! ) that the box of patches is $100.00.
I will sign off now before this gets too long. Too Late for that!
dwright002