Newbie -What do Pain Management DR's do? [Archive]

llwjww

11-21-2008, 09:53 AM

New to the board. I had a MRI on the 18th and was told I have a bulging & herniated disc at L4-L5 & herniated disc at L5-S1. My Dr has referred me to a pain management Dr. I have read the boards about people who go to them, I'm just not sure what it is they they do. Do they just give you medication or do they also do other things to help the problem at hand & relieve the pain?

Any information or help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your help! :confused:

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sophie56

11-21-2008, 01:45 PM

Hi, in my experience they don't do anything but charge you money. My PM doc gave me 3 nerve blocks over a year, sent me to physical therapy twice. One of the therapist dismissed me before he finished because he said he was afraid it would do more damage than good. The PM doc then sent me to a back surgeon and I had surgery.
I hope you have better luck . My doc never offered to give me pain medicine in 1 and 1/2 years.

Devon07

11-21-2008, 03:23 PM

They have alot to offer but will try and keep drugs to a minimum based on your pain levels....they do blocks, epidurals, PT, drugs, just about everything while trying to rule out over doing it with just meds....they seem to try and get right down to the pain indicator and address it....as with any doctor you can get a good one or a bad one......if you in fact do have a herniation then you need to try and rule out ALL other methods to relieve pain before looking into surgery......in my opinion it helps very few with herniations but it needs to be tried as surgery is not always the answer either and some will do good with it.

Oklahoma has some very good PM doctors but I do know of two that I would stay away from......what part of the state are you in?

I wish you the best of luck!:)

Devon

llwjww

11-21-2008, 03:51 PM

Devon07

11-21-2008, 03:57 PM

If you have a referal then your ahead of the game.....I wish you luck and hope you find answers to your injury.

Devon

megss

11-22-2008, 12:35 AM

I only went to one appointment with a PM doc. That was enough for me. At that point, all I had had done was an x-ray, which showed my spondy, but still didn't give enough info. He wanted to do a nerve block injection that very day, have me start PT, and call it a day. I had to say no and ASK for an MRI referral. I wanted that MRI before anything was done to me or any treatment plan was started.
I am now in the care of an orthopedic surgeon. I am much happier with him and feel better taken care of. The MRI did show more issues so I am glad I followed my heart on that!

msdebagain

11-22-2008, 01:26 AM

i have back problems, so my doctor referred me to a pain management specialist, and i love my doctor. we are a team. we talk at length each visit about how my last month went. i keep a diary, so i can discuss with him how the pain was. he tells me how he wants me to take my meds, shows me how he wants me to exercise, and on and on. i have a great rapport with him.

soldierswife44

11-22-2008, 08:33 AM

Thanks for the information. I'm just a little nervous about going to any other dr. besides my family dr. It sounds like pain management dr's can do alot for me. I just didn't want to take medication and not address the issue's.

devon07, I live in the northeast corner. The dr i will be going to is actually in missouri. My regular dr. really spoke highly of him.

Thanks again
llwjww
i go to a pain dr. in rolla mo dr. kunkel he is wonderful! every one working there is compassionate and so sweet my dr. takes care of my pain and trys all sorts of treatments to help me... i have tricare insurance and they denied my surgery so im stuck right now with fighting for my surgery and goin to the pm for ever it sucks,but if i had to choose a pm it would be him. who are you going to see in mo? take care renee'

daisey10

11-22-2008, 04:57 PM

you were smart to ask for a MRI first. I went to a PM Dr. and he gave me trigger point injections & nerve block and I ended up being in more pain. I ended up finding out i needed surgery after a MRI.

llwjww

11-22-2008, 05:35 PM

megss, I'm glad you found someone that you feel comfortable with. I have already had an MRI so I guess I'll give the PM Dr a chance. My Dr. seems to have alot of respect for him so maybe I will get lucky.

pooby

11-22-2008, 07:06 PM

A lot of us are at the end of surgical treatment so that pain management is our only viable option. Doctors that specialize in this area can offer real hope when surgeons have done their best and it is time to move on. The reality is some of us are going to have pain problems the rest of our life and cure is not a realistic goal. Managing our daily pain so that we can have some quality of life becomes our priority.

llwjww

11-22-2008, 07:44 PM

I feel very fortunate that surgery has not been mentioned yet. I hope it stays that way. I have had back pain for the last 8 yrs off and on. It has just been the last 3 months that the pain has been 24/7. I appreciate everyones help and hope that you all find someway to deal with the pain.

Renee', I will be seeing a PM Dr. in Joplin, it's about 3 hrs from Rolla. I am glad that you were fortunate enough to find a dr who respects you and what you are dealing with and wish you luck with your insurance.