Chronic Pain Support Group
Physicians and professionalsdefine pain as chronic if it lasts longer than three to six months and is persistent. It's distinct from acute pain that is a direct result of injury or trauma. This support group is dedicated to those suffering from chronic pain. Discuss treatments that have worked for you, find advice for your specific experience, and find support. You're not...
I think my biggiest problem is doctors don't take me serisouly and I am so sick of it. They seem to think because I am not 50 I shouldn't be in any type of pain. My full story is in my journal but 9 years ago I injured my back and neck and after dealing with constent and chronic pain for years I finaly got an MRI and found out I have arthritis inbetween my shoulder blades and my neck. When I was yonger I was very anti pain meds, I wouldn't take them, I never asked a doctors for a nartoic pain med, I'd take the anti inflmatory but that was about it. Mostly because I came from an alcoholic family and a parrent that was additied to pain killers, so pain meds scared me I wanted to stay away from them. Also because I got hurt when I was 19 most doctors I saw didn't take me serisouly because of my age. I even got told once by a doctor that "your to young to be told your back is gone, your just making this up" This was after I had the MRI done. So I stayed pain medless for about 5 years until I threw out my back so bad that I ened up laied up for 3 weeks. Now I've been chewing down any over the counter stuff I can get, still never even tried to ask a doctor for anything more I didn't think they'd even consider giving it to me even if I asked. So anyways what I need advice on is this: I went in for surgery the other day for something totaly unrelated, but while I was going through pre opt the anesthesiologist asked me if I had ever been to a pain clinic. I was rather emberssed me being an EMT and I had never heard of a pain clinic before, after he told me what it was it got me really curious and thinking that might be something worth checking out, my problem is there by referral only and I am very much doubting I could get a doctor to write me a refferal. My long history of doctors brushing me off and ingoreing me, can anyone give me so advice about what to say to my doctor to get him to take me serisouly.
You mention that you had an MRI done, what did the MRI said? Do you have problems with your spine? If you do, go see a Neurosurgeon and then after you tell him about the pain that you are going through, ask him to give you a referral to a pain management Doctor.
GP's honestly don't know how to handle chronic pain patietns and most of them don't even believe in pain management, so you are better of seeing a spine specialist, bringing all of your MRI pictures with you and have him do the referral.
If the MRI was done over a year ago, make sure to ask for a new MRI, things in the spine can change within 6 months, so you want something really recent for the Neurosurgeon to look at. If you need to find a good pain management Doctor; take a look at, www.raceagainstpain.com, they have lists of Doctor's from all over the United States that do nothing but treat pain. Take care and I hope that you can get this situation sorted out soon!
Tipper
Now some pain management doctors are great and some are not, you may have to go to two or three before you find one that you like. I went to one once i had to go and get a independent review for my insurance company and i didnt care for him at all, it took a month to get this appt and i bought all my x-rays and doctors notes, he walked in and said do you have those on disk's I said no, he said when you do make another appt to see me.
I was like hold on only here for a review, and that was the last i saw of him after that review. He just rubbed me the wrong way, wait a month to see him, and hour in the waiting room and he was telling me to go and get disks and come back what a jerk like i have all the time in the world, when he could of just looked at my stuff i had like he did for the review after all.
You dont need to be afraid of pain meds, when you are in pain you just need to take them as directed and you will be fine, and you will be out of pain, nobody should not have a quality of life
I do not take meds often.
Probably should. Can barely stand up even with my cane.
If you are in pain you need to call your surgeon's office, talk to his assistant about your pain. Tell her that you need something for pain ASAP, if he refuses to give you pain meds, go to an urgent care place and they will at least give you a few pain killers to carry you through the surgical pain.
((hugs))