I personally do not know how the Doctor's get on those websites, but I can tell you that I found my wonderful PM Doctor on doctorsforpain.com, and he is the best! Is there a possibility that some bad Doc's get in there, of course there is! That is why we as patient's need to interview each and every Doctor that we go to before we make a commitment to any of them
I went to 6 Doctor's before I found the one that I've been with for the last 2 years. Yes, it is a pain to have to make appointment after appointment, it sucks and drive here and there to find a good Doctor, but I know that it was the only way that I was able to get the Doctor that I have now.

I hope that you will find a good Doctor soon.

Best of luck finding one that actually cares. I've seen so many over the years I'm still with my primary care doctor. He's not a bad guy but he doesn't have a clue what I'm going thru. He makes me come in every 3 months because of the meds. Went to see him the other day and out of the blue he looked at me and said .... you know you have the same addiction as a heroin addict. I just shook my head.

Keep looking like tipper1207 says, maybe you'll get lucky!

I'm going through your process right now of trying to find one I called today cuz its been a week that my doctor sent a request for me to be seen they said it was normal and they would call me if I fit into there program, well I hope they call me if I don't as well so I know to keep looking so over the weekend i'll be looking again so if this one falls through I can move on to the next dr.
it doesn't seem like it should be this hard to find help for something as simple as the idea of pain but it is
good luck
tori

oh I also find online reviews of doctors to be priceless what a dr's website says and what clients say can be night and day .
it is to be taken with a gain of salt cuz you never know if someone is a fake poster over many times ect... but u can get an idea
best
tori

@Nonno, wow sorry that you are having to deal with a doctor with such a state of mind. .

@thaliajen, good luck with your search for a compassionate pain mgmt doctor. Tipper gives great advice as always in taking the time to interview the doctor. I have a great pcp at my local county clinic and she got to the limit of what meds and quanity she could give me. However, I do not have insurance and she was able to refer me to a social service agency that has a network of doctors/specialists that see ppl like me that have no insurance. I really lucked out as the pm doctor I see is a real gem! I am not sure what your insurance status is, but you may want to do some research to see if there is such a network in your area. Here in florida its called We Care and they have all specialists and they see us at no charge and if I have to have procedures/tests/surgery done, it is also at no charge. I only have to pay for the meds he gives me....I hope this may give you another direction to find a caring physican.

Check out the LIST of GREAT doctors on the message board at butyoudontlooksick. It's 14 pages to wade through in no particular order, but if you are patient, it may be well worth it!:

http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=4345

Are you near the IL border?

I found my doc on that site as well and my first appt he asked me how I found him and he had never heard of that site before. So I think it might be the office manager that puts them on it and the doc doesn't even know about it. My doc I found on that site was wonderful he is a God send to me, however, I did see another doc from that site and he was horrible probably the worce doc I had ever seen, so like tipp said you have to interview them and check them out before you commint to a doc.

Freedomfrompain,
From which site? Thanks.

Not that simple.. Having a desire to free patients from the control of pain in the form of dependence IS compassionate...far more than taking the easy road of surrendering control. Mind you, I am not saying that there is NO place for the meds, or that it is a nominal (off or on) process, just that the intent of these doctors is compassionate.

I'm seeing my Family Doc next week and we'll get a list going. At least I know what/whom to AVOID. And if I have to interview different docs to find the right one for me, it's a small price to pay. I just want to get back to work, and I cannot do that until I know I have a doc. I can't commit to future trips if I'm not sure if my pain will be under control or if I'll be laying in a dark room praying for pain relief. I have a few god names and hope my Family Doc will, as well. Meanwhile, I just have to have patience and faith.

I see your point, cc. Just because a doc doesn't give a patient opioids on the first visit, or prescribes them sparingly, doesn't mean he/she lacks compassion. He/she may have a different approach to treating chronic pain.

However, when you're in awful pain you can't think, concentrate etc., or listen to a presentation of Dr. X's theory of "pain control 2011". All you want is relief.

Hugs,
Therea

I agree with Theresa. When I was searching for a PM, I was not looking for opiods alone, I was looking for a Doctor that would help me be in less pains with a different approach. My PM told me that yoga and aqua therapy was beneficial, and I inmmediatley started doing yoga, PT and also medication therapy.

I know that most of us don't want just pills, we want the all around approach in order to have a better quality of life, and that is what I wish that Doctor's will understand.

My doc made sure we researched all the treatments, and he made us keep pain journals. I learned a LOT from those. He also offered biofeedback, and kept up on all the new treatments. When I had my 10 year anniversary of RSD, he told me that if nothing had worked in all that time, it probably wouldn't. But he also said that I should keep trying. He balanced trying to keep my hopes in check with wanting me to search possible treatments. I miss him SO much. I never went in there w/o hoping that he had heard of a new treatment, or a cure. B/c I've taken meds for 14 years and they've worked, I need a doc who can manage that medication, but I also want one who is up on RSD and new treatments. The doctor I saw here didn't even care what was causing the pain, he just cared about treatments. When he saw I wasn't a candidate for his treatments (injections, etc,) he pawned me off on someone else. No one WANTS to take these meds, but if they're all that is standing between you and a regular life, what do you do? I think empathy might be a better word to use. Docs- put yourself in OUR shoes. Imagine that you can't get out of bed, or the air hits your foot wrong & the pain is worse than you can imagine. I don't mean it to sound rude or cruel, but I do wish we could give the doctors a minute of our pain to experience! All I can say is that untreated, my RSD pain is beyond comprehension. It's a cold burning, and it made me lose all hope. I was living in a bedroom and wishing God would take me. Today, it's difficult to reconcile that person with who I am today. Maybe it's why I'm desperate for a empathetic doctor, one who doesn't see opiods as the enemy. It's funny- RSD pain made me into a person who couldn't LIVE a life. I was useless. I couldn't even write. Doctors worry that opiods will take away our lives and turns us into, what? Non-humans? Forgive me, but untreated, my RSD pain makes me a non-person. I don't WANT to be there. It's difficult to explain the agony (and don't you love it when they call it "discomfort?") and it's often silly to try b/c w/o experiencing it, no one can truly, TRULY understand. I call docs "compassionate" when they at least attempt to understand. When they do their homework on your disease, it's a plus. But again, it's not the proper term, I guess. In any case, I simply want a doctor who will CARE. I was a different person before my RSD was treated correctly. But in all the years since I was titrated to the proper dose, I was able to work full-time, met and married the man who is my husband today, became a mother, and travel 100,000 miles a year. The doctor I saw here told me that the meds COULDN'T be helping b/c I hadn't increased my dose. Excuse me? Well, I'm sorry I didn't ask for MORE so you could accuse me of being an addict! But the dose I was given at the start (it took a few weeks to titrate me to a proper dose) still works today. If I forget a dose, the pain returns. I meditate, I do my stretches, I soak my foot in lukewarm water if it starts to sweat or get too cold. I follow the rules. And I've lived a great life so far. So while I hope to find a new doctor in my home state, I'm determined that I won't settle for someone who isn't empathetic. I know I've got my work cut out for me but I'm determined. I don't want my baby boy to have to ever, EVER see me as I was when the pain was winning. In my mind, it's a war, and it is a battle every day to beat the pain. Luckily, two kind, strong, empathetic doctors gave me the weapons needed to fight this war. And that's ALL the medication is. Weapons. So while I search for my empathetic doc, I promise to be empathetic, as well. I'll understand that docs take a huge risk when prescribing opiods. I'll understand if they need blood or urine tests, count my pills, etc. Because really, we just need to understand each other. After that, treatment SHOULD be easy. At least, I pray it's so. For all of us. :)

there must be quite a few doctors that deal with chronic pain in their own lives.
i would be very interested to know the treatments they seek for themselves, and, if any work for them.

Eeyow,
My pain specialist suffers from chronic pain and he is on opioids, so he knows they work. He often recommends yoga, chiropractic, steroid injections, pain psychologist (he goes to one).