Thank God for my Doctor!

 
 
When I first got hurt I fought the orthopedic surgeon not wanting surgery. I had over 10 doctor's see me for consultations in two states in less than 12 months time. One was a huge top name in the Northwest, yet all told me the same thing, I was going to be disabled and could no longer work in a data entry position.  Slowly diagnosis after diagnosis came in, the worse being RSD and it's impact on my life. During this frantic search and pain experiences that were way beyond anything I had ever experienced in my life, I found my current doctor. When all this began, I didn't know RSD exsisted and I didn't know Physiatrist's exsisted either. For anyone out there looking for a good pain doctor I recomment checking the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Association Website to learn more about Physiatrist's. Here is one part of much more on there website:
 
   Rehabilitation Physicians May Treat:     Amputations/Prosthetics
Arthritis
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Back Pain
Brain Injuries
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Geriatric Rehabilitation
Neck Pain
Nerve Pain
Radiculopathy
Ulnar Neuropathy
Osteoporosis
Pediatric Rehabilitation
Post-Polio Syndrome
Spinal Cord Injuries
Sports-Related Injuries
Stroke
Women’s Conditions
Female Athlete Triad
Pelvic Pain
Pregnancy and Back Pain
Work-Related Injuries
 
What is a Physiatrist?
   Physiatrists, or rehabilitation physicians, are medical doctors who are:Experts at diagnosing and treating pain
Restore maximum function lost through injury,illness or disabling conditions
Treat the whole person, not just the problem area
Lead a team of medical professionals
Provide non-surgical treatments
Explain your medical problems and treatment plan
Work not only on treatment but also prevention
Rehabilitation physicians are nerve, muscle, and bone experts who treat injuries or illnesses that affect how you move. Rehabilitation physicians have completed training in the medical specialty physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R).
Rehabilitation physicians treat a wide range of problems from sore shoulders to spinal cord injuries. Their goal is to decrease pain and enhance performance without surgery. Rehabilitation physicians take the time needed to accurately pinpoint the source of an ailment. They then design a treatment plan that can be carried out by the patients themselves or with the help of the rehabilitation physician’s medical team. This medical team might include other physicians and health professionals, such as neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, and physical therapists. By providing an appropriate treatment plan, rehabilitation physicians help patients stay as active as possible at any age. Their broad medical expertise allows them to treat disabling conditions throughout a person’s lifetime.
 
 
This doctor has been a god send for me, she has helped me adjust to being disabled, get me exercising, and functioning again in life. Even though both of my hands do not work well she got me back on the computer with a program called Dragon Naturally speaking. She is compassionate, listens extremely well, and doesn't appear to be unique, I have worked with 3 of the 5 physiatrists in her office due to vactions, off hours, etc and all of them have been awesome! I highly recommend them to help get your life back on track. to find out more and find a Physiatrist near you go to:www.aapmr.org
Hope this helps someone out there like it did for me!