Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
So I'm just wondering if I already have scripts for muscle relaxants and pain meds. Is there anything more that pain management dr. Could do for me ?
It's nice to have a go-to doctor when things are not good. But, it's a personal preference.
in my area ALL that is offered by the two pain management practices I have utilized is "guided imaging" fluroscope inections of cortisone by bored anesthesiologists . replete with posters warning of drug addiction and NOT to ask for pain meds.
or scripts for physical therapy.
i wish my rheumatologist would do ALL the injections but some she will not do. I suppose someone has to do deep needle sticks good for the anesthesiologist of the worlds having figured out a new and quick way for additional billable hours outside of the OR..
why can't they call the department the deep needle stick dept instead of pain management ?? which sounds like someone cares and understands pain.
frankly I am tired of being a pin cushion by a guy or gal I am going to see for 180 seconds for a stick. and would rather the Rheumatologist do the sticks she can reach, the orthopedic do the other ones and my hand guy do the hands and wrists. yeah as I was writing this I thought I am not going back to the deep needle injection head high holy master.
depot
I have been in med failure for 7 months now, and during that time I have been using more and more pain meds. Why? Because they don't work!
My rheumatologist has been giving me cortisone injections in a variety of places every visit. Plus one in the ER by a very inexperienced doc, but it worked.
Just a warning not to get the fingers injected. It does not work, and it is excruciatingly painful.
I saw a pain med doc, he did diagnose me with fibromyalgia, which I think I had for about 3 years previous, based on pain, and the lack of being able to lift weights like I formerly could. He also got me on the pain meds that sort of worked, and gave me a book on pain and meditation, which didn't work. Sigh!
Maybe you will find someone better? I just know that my docs no longer tell me that I'm going to become an addict and just dish out the pain meds. Thanks, I would rather get on a drug that actually stopped the disease.
First yes it's a band aide for many. Although if & when the times comes you cannot treat the disease &/or condition it's sure nice to have some help.
PMs are like every other breed of doctors. You get the good, bad & ugly.
Mine have been my saving grace.
They listen & are compassionate.
Having multiple problems that contribute to CP this doctor is a must for me. If I'm going to get injections then I want the expert in that field.
The good ones understand pain & how to treat it.
My now retired PM gave a educational banquet every year for his patients explaining CP & treating it.
Yes they order tests & watch for progression of certain conditions.
They can work hand in hand with other doctors like Rheumys. Which mine hopes to do to bring this mess under control (fingers crossed).
In my experience the smaller the medical field the harder it is to find a good doctor.
The PM i have treats a decent number of RA patients.
He's also more knowledgable then my PCP on other conditions such as Sjogrens.
I've had 2, this one has been trained by my first who received awards for top doctors in my state. I pray he remains as compassionate as the first. Yet bottom line remains the same.
To preserve & maintain quality of life.
So if there's a break in the time you can take medication & concerned about pain it's an option. Lord knows I've had pain that's left me tossing my cookies incapable of speaking above a whisper. I don't know where I'd be without the help of a good PM.
Shamefully most doctors do not treat CP. even when the cause is right in front of them.
Thanks to government Involvement less & less opt to help a patient through painful times. Sadly enough it's a fact.
Sammy
I went through 4 pain management doctors all were anesthesiologists and all did injections and only 2 wrote prescriptions. But after all three courses of injections and nerve ablation were completed all those doctors said they couldn't help me anymore and cut me off cold turkey. It took about two more years for me to find my PM doctor now. He's willing to manage my pain with medication since all other options have been exhausted. If and when we finally get a bio to work then maybe things will change.
I do find it interesting that every person in pain on the planet is supposed to be helped with the spinal injections. Not everybody has inflammatory pain and that's with the injections treat that's why they use steroids.
Joint injections directly into an inflamed joints are different and usually done by the rheumatologist. Mine does them anyway. I just don't like them very often. Steroids have not been my friend for a while now.
As an aside to the comment about injecting your fingers do not inject your Achilles either because it can cause it to rupture. Individual tendons can get overloaded on that much cortisone. The Achilles being most vulnerable per my podiatrist.
If you hurt all over a high dose steroid shot or an IV solu-medrol may help the best.
Take care,
Emerald
Also, they did a study testing people using tramadol with an NSAID like Celebrex and the results were that tramadol with an NSAID is as good as the stronger narcotics with less risk of addiction. Tramadol has my name written all over it now to find someone willing to prescribe me 60 per month (enough for 15 acute pain days).