Yvonne, I can't answer your drug questions, but I can answer the concern about being separated from your husband for "the privacy of the patient." It sounded as though you were seen in the ER. This is standard. The doc doesn't know you and your husband. She needs to get you alone to ensure that your back injury is not due to domestic violence. I have actually said to an ER doc, "OK, now that we are alone, I can tell you that he does not beat me. Can he come back in here now and hold my hand?" I would hope that most docs would consent, but I know that is not always the case. In our first year med school humanities course we are given a case from right here in our own med center about an elderly woman with hypertension who is separated from her husband by a busy resident. Of course the separation only raises her BP further-- oh well, at least now someone is trying to teach us to think of the patient's needs for family support. Kathleen Bellis Class of 2002 Penn State College of Medicine