Well...damn. I've been seeing a Nurse Practitioner who has treated me like a drug seeker from the first appt. I had with her. I switched back to my local clinic, thinking my treatment plan coul continue as is and I wouldn't have to make a longer trip in the Winter.

HUGE mistake. I hate this woman and her nasty attitude. I've been waiting a couple months for an appt. to go back to my old doc. November 9th...countng the days.

If your doc is suggesting a drug pump, does that mean he's taking things a little bit seriously? It's so anxiety provoking to be stuck with a doctor who makes us feel worse, emotionally, than we did before the appt..

I hope things start to get better for you. I know how tough your whole situation is.

Hugs,
Cherry

Hi there,
I dont have a pain pump so I cant help you there but what is up with doctor does he think that you dont need one or what. I am trying to think who has one on here and I know dave got a pump but I am not sure if there is just one kind of pump is there one that deals with just nerve pain and one pump that just deals with muscle pain? Sorry I guess I have more questions then I do answers for you.

Hope this works for you as you need a break.

I've heard only good about them. One of the biggest benefits is that they are willing to give you more drugs because the pump is controlling the dosing so there is no risk of abuse. It also provides a more consistant pain relief without the rollercoaster of pills.

Good luck and keep positive. I know you can find lots of info on the internet. Also check out spine-health.com. There are several people there who have one....although usually after they get it they disappear back to their regular lives.

my doc is the kind of doc that forgets about you the second you leave the office never follows up on things he says he is going to do then at the next visit you gotta basically start from scratch. My problem is that I believe what people tell me and expect them to do what they say. Yesterdays visit I had to get tough he gets pissed off when I don't make my pills last the month, I keep telling him its not working so yesterday after the same old lecture I had to get tough, remind him of the drug test I had to take last year so he would believe me remind him of how much I hurt and how the pain and the drugs have ruined my life, remind him of the spinal cord stimulator trial I went thru and on and on. I hate the way the drugs make me feel I do not understand what drug addicts get out of these narcotics. Why would I go from a productive person to someone living on disability and miserable, its like every office visit if I don't plead my case he just thinks I am a addict looking to get drugs its a very humiliating experience for me every month, like things are not bad enough. So after the whole show I convinced him to alter my meds so maybe I can have some comfort for a few months.

Well thanks again for all the support I will try to do some research on the web on the pump, but after yesterday I am pretty wiped out
Later all feel good

Mark call today or tomorrow and ask the front desk if he did what he said he would do. By setting you up I'm guessing that you mean he is getting you authorization? Otherwise why are you waiting for him?

You ask why he is like this? Well the fact is that doctors are underpaid and over-worked. Depending on the state and the insurance company they make $40-60 per visit but have to pay for their office, staff and insurance out of that. Then they pay taxes too.

They also have to deal with many patients who are there just to score more drugs. Why do people like this?? because they are addicts. Some feel better when they take the drugs, some feel nothing and some just feel worse without them. So everyday, every patient the doctor needs to figure out who he is dealing with...in 10 minutes or less.

Also do the math...10 mins a patient means 6 patients an hour times 7 hours equals 42 patients each day. Times 5 days a week equals 210 patients each week. Times four weeks equals 840 patients. So since he last saw you he saw 800 patients...and you want him to remember you???

Rest today but get back to work tomorrow....they did tell you that your new job is to get yourself the best treatment right?

Do not know much about pain pumps but I do know that Metanx has done wonders to relieve diabetic neuropathy pain. I m an advocate for Metanx and have first hand seen hugh pain relief with people that have used it. Metanx is holistic so very safe side effects profile and repairs damaged nerves so the pain stops. See if this might help you at Metanx web site and talk to your Dr. to see what he says. Hope this helps and best of luck to you.

Wow...you are speaking my language...it's do damned hard just to get UNDERSTANDING from anyone..I've given up on doctors...I have MS so I know no one knows a friggin thing about it. I have UNBEARABLE neuropathy 24/7. Nothing works..the dr won't give me narcotics she doesn't want me sleeping all the time and it constipates me I want to know about the pain pump Let me know what you find and I'll do some searching myself...THANKS! PS marijuana and booze does nothing for me

I know what you mean about being pissed off because a doctor won't listen to you or believe you. I totally have been there with the doctor that actually diagnosed my Lyme. He thought taking 40 plus pills a day (literally I counted) would make me all better and wouldn't listen when I told him my stomach couldn't take it all so now I am on to a new doctor but can't take oral antibiotics cause this first doc ripped mine to shreds...anyways getting completely off topic. I haven't done a pain pump but I hope that even though this doc is an asshole his suggestion works.

I agree with you all i was treated like that i know how that feels ,hugs minnie keeping you in my pryers and thouhgths minnie

I went through a lot of what you have described. I lucked into a young doctor who helped me out after a lot of desperate visits. I have had the pain pump working for me for over a year. He tried Ziconotid and morphine in mine for awhile, but I was to sleepy so he dropped the morphine. I also take #10 Hydrocodone (150 a month) and a Fentanyl patch every 2 days. The Zonotid was a life saver for the one place on my lower back. Since then the one above it started to get to sore so I had him to turn up the pump a little. That has helped for now. He placed mine a few inches below my ribs in the left side of my stomach so my belt is a little to close and gets uncomfortable. Then he ran the tube around my side to the back. Other then that, it works for now. It all sounds like a quick and easy fix but it took took about 5 years to get this far. Along with the looks and doubts about how bad it was, there were the bad nurses and one great one. It cost about 25 thousand bucks and a lot of driving, some of it when I was in so much pain I wasn't sure I was going to make it. It was worth it. It is getting about time to take it out to change the battery and hope they will put it back in to see how much longer it works. All along, they hoped it would eliminate the need for the drugs that had work togeather to help. It doesn't work that good. It is my hope, that now that they control the dosage, they will come up with something that is more effective and will stop all the stupid looks. Some of those people are idiots when they get some power over someone else. Until then, my osteoporosis, osteo arthritus, bad hips and and other problems will hurt a little less for awhile. Sometimes it makes it hard to act like a grown man. Best of luck to you.

I have nerve and muscle spasms/pain so know what you are speaking of. I'm on oxycodone for the pain but I have nerve pain and as I've heard and now see....opiods don't do much for nerve pain unless you have very large doses and even then....
Neurontin made me so loopy I quit it. Now nerve pain is back again (gone from RFA's (radio frequency ablation) but since had a PT injury (press/release for spasms and now I have more nerve pain.
Thanks for talking about METANX and also I've posted about Neurontin ointment 6%. I go to the doc tomorrow and will beg for these. METANX takes from a week to 4 months to work the site and posts say. You can take neurontin (gabapentin) together.
re: pumps: on yyahoo there are 2 groups
ybaclofenpump and pumpsters I got more info from mybaclofenpump than I did the pumpsters but both are great. One person said fentenyl in the pump didn't help with nerve pain til she went to morphine in it. I know a lady who got arachnoiditis...where nerves get stuck in scar tissue and the pain is far more severe so I am not going to do the pump...the pump is for people who can't take opiods...quit working...they told me. NOT for constipation or 'can't get enough opiods for pain level'....so they advised me to think carefully about the pump. Some people have gotten tolerant from all opiods...they need a more concentrated amount so the pump is great for them. I am not in that group. My doc said I'm not a candidate for an scs anyway because my pain does not radiate down my legs. He said that makes it harder to treat. All posts I've seen where the pain is lower spine only don't do well with the pump so sounds like he may be correct.
I'm going to stay with oral meds as much as I can for now.
It's a hard decision but spine-health and the 2 pump groups on yahoo are great for advise and information. Another thing about the pump is that some docs lower the meds because they are afraid of ODing the patient...then you're not covered for your pain anyway. It all depends on the doc. Some docs want to give lower meds in a pump and give oral meds for breakthrough ....that isn't right ...for me anyway. Why get the pump if it doesn't cover your pain. So it depends on the doctor. If he is paranoid...you might suffer anyway.
Well folks that is my story to date. All I can offer. God bless us all and release us from pain.
That's all I think about. Like this...
I'm hungry (oh my butt......I think I'll have ....oh it hurts...some.....OHHHH! Dear Lord help me.....chicken.
It's on my mind ALL the time.
I hope my experiences helps some.
Anne