new and need help - Pain Management Message Board

moonflower32 · 05-23-2007, 03:12 PM

Hi everyone....I have been reading this board for a few weeks and I am amazed that so many of you have such good doctors. I have suffered with back pain due to herniated discs and neck pain for herniated discs and spinal stenosis. I have seen a neurologist and he says that unless my bowel or urine function is at risk, I’m not a candidate for surgery. He says he is the only neurologist in Louisiana that accepts Medicaid and he has people with bigger issues that are in front of me. So I’ve looked for a compassionate primary care doctor and I’ve been through several, but I can’t find one willing to help me. Having Medicaid is the problem I’ve decided. I’ve had doctors treat me horribly!! When I had insurance I never had any doctor talk to me the way these doctors have. The irony is that I lost my job and insurance because of the pain. So it seems so unfair that I can’t get the help to get me back to a functioning level so I can get back to work and get my insurance again. My current primary care doctor told me today that he will not give me narcotics and I need to find a pain management doctor. I had a pain management doctor for a short time when hurricane Katrina happened because all the clinics from New Orleans moved here, to Baton Rouge. They left in November and said they would contact me when they got things set up again in New Orleans, but I haven’t heard from them. They weren’t that helpful anyway though. I need a real doctor that really cares about me and the quality of my life. Where do you find a doctor like that? Please, if anyone knows of anyone in my general region I’d be willing to travel if necessary. It will be 3 years of this pain on the 25th of this month. I have 2 kids and I NEVER missed any of their functions at school or anywhere and since the pain started I can count the things I’ve been able to attend on one hand. My life is passing me by and I’m at the end of my rope! I want to function. I realize that pain will probably always be a part of my life, I’ve accepted that, but functioning with some help from pain medication or injections or something has to be possible. Any advise is welcomed and desperately needed!!!

Fabrashamx · 05-23-2007, 05:29 PM

Hi Moonflower, and welcome to the pain management boards! I can totally relate to what its like to be a mom in pain, there are so many things you want to do, but can't, it gets frusterating.

Are you anywhere near a university or teaching hospital? If so, calling them would be my first stop, they are more likely to have doctors trained in the newer ways of thinking as far as pain management goes.

One of the problems is that the south is such a hotbed of 'scandal' over oxycontin, I believe the media were even referring to it as 'hillbilly heroin', implying that the south had a much bigger problem than the rest of the country with abuse and diversion of prescription pain meds. I dont think thats true, but I do think it caused a backlash of southern doctors being leery of prescribing for chronic pain. I have read many other posts of southerners in pain who find themselves in the same boat, unable to find a doctor.

You can search on line for pain patient advocacy groups, most of them post of list of doctors by state. Its not a promise that the doctor will prescribe narcotics, of course, that is not the only or the first line of defense in pain management. Many doctors want us to try shots, PT, hydrotherapy, ect, before even discussing the possibility of meds. Others are more direct, But its best to find a doctor open to all modalities, not just one, even if that one is meds, I think chronic pain needs to be treated as a whole body issue, embracing everything from diet to sexual health to depression.

There might also be someone here who can recommend a doc for you, But remember, there IS a doctor out there who will listen and care. I have no insurance and lost my doctor I had been with for over a decade, I thought I was up a creek, but I found someone, and you will too.
Good luck and I hope you find the relief you need.
~Fabby

moonflower32 · 05-23-2007, 08:27 PM

Thanks so much for the response. I was watching and it seemed like people were reading my post but no one had anything to say about it.( I’m new to the message board thing.)

I do live near LSU medical school in New Orleans, but so far they have had nothing that can help me. I was at the pain management clinic that they had before, but like I said in my original post, they have closed down and I don't know when they will open again.

I agree that there is something going on with the doctors here, in the south. They seem so scared to even try to get you help. And I’m not talking about just prescribing medication. There are many other things they could do. But it seems like when they see that you have a chronic pain problem they want you to find someone else. The doctor that I see now told me today that he would not be treating my pain. When I asked where I should go to get help he suggested the emergency room. That kinda surprised me. He ended up giving me a shot of toradol (sp?) and it has helped some. (Enough that I can sit here and type) He has been treating me for depression and he has recently added Dexedrine. He says that in some people it helps the antidepressants work better. I’ve been on just about every depression medication out there and have had little relief. It’s hard to say what came first, the pain or the depression... but I know I am depressed! Who wouldn’t be living with this pain everyday.
I also agree that medication is just one aspect of pain management. I have read and heard about injections and other types of therapy. I have been lucky to find a wonderful chiropractor. He has one of those boxes where you put the payment and roll the arm and the money drops in a box and a credit card machine. His policy is that you pay what you can. He never knows who pays him what, so everyone is treated the same. You don’t find people like that anywhere anymore. If anyone in the Baton Rouge area wants to know more about him just let me know.

I read a post on this board that was made a long time ago from someone that mentioned pain management clinics in Texas and in the Lafayette area... I was hoping she or he was still around.
I feel like I’m having to go underground to find proper care... that is so wrong.

I know that my life is meant to be more than this, that’s for sure. I’m not the Mom I want to be, the one that I used to be. I am very bitter when it comes to those people that seek drugs for their own pleasure... those that make it hard for people like us to get the care we need and deserve.

I feel very lucky to have found this board and I hope that I can help someone one day with some information I might have. On the pain management section I doubt that will happen, but I will always try to help if I can. Thanks again for the reply!!

dale60 · 06-08-2007, 12:51 PM

I am new to this site and was so moved by your problem. I also live in the south (Tennessee) and have lost my job due to chronic pain which means no insurance. My advice to you would be to seek out a walk-in Christian clinic. They are springing up all over the south. That's what I did. For one thing the nurse practioners are very sympathetic, non judgemental and want to try and get you to the right person to help with your pain. The fee is 35 to 75 dollars for the visit. My practioner hooked me up with a gp that also does pain management and it has changed my life. I spent 15 years of being treated like a drug addict or that my problems were all in my head etc. and this dr is a godsend. He knows my finances and does all he can to help me. I hope this info will help you some and hang in there. There really are some good dr's out there and you just have to find them.

tampatar · 06-08-2007, 01:23 PM

I am from Louisiana so I know what you are up against - I do believe the pain management clinic at LSU in Shreveport has several studies going on so that might be an option - I found my doctor in Tampa by asking the pastor at my church if their were any doctors in our congregation that would be willing to give me advice on finding a doctor - within a week I had a call from a doctor at our church and he gave me the name of the BEST primary care doctor I have ever had -he has been wonderful so that may be another option
good luck TT