ozzybug

Hello Everyone-
As usual, I hope everyone is having a relatively, if not totally pain free day.

I have a question, and am not sure I've actually seen much disussion about this on the board. I seem to remember a couple mentions about it, but nothing in depth.

You all know I currently see a PM doctor. He's great, and has been so helpful in helping me understand my pain, and has also helped get me to a more functional level of living.

OK, the meat of this post is this:

My husband fell off of a two story roof almost 3 years ago. The houses here are up on pilings (stilts) because this is an ocean-front community, so when you add that in, he actually fell head and face first from three stories up. He wasn't critically injured, and actually walked out of the ER that very night with no broken bones. He did however, sprain his neck and his right hip. (all of his weight fell on his face & shoulders, but in the sand thank the Lord)

Since then, he has bouts of severe back pain, and sometimes neck pain. These episodes used to last a couple days and only required Motrin or Tylenol. For the past two years though, his episodes have increased in frequency and also are lasting more like 2-3 weeks at a time and are sometimes bad enough that he can almost not even walk.

He has had several MRI's that show bulging disks and an anular tear in the lower lumbar region. He's been through PT too many times to count, and is in PT now. Our primary doctor treats him when he has these flares. (Either Flexeril or Valium for muscles, and also either Vicodin or Percocet for pain and sometimes Prednisone along with these)

I am thinking that if things continue to way they are going now, this will become a truly "chronic" condition as my husband is in pain about 75% of the time even when he isn't having a "flare".

I have thought about speaking with my PM doctor about whether or not he would be willing to see my husband as a patient too. (If the need arrises)

Are PM doctors allowed to treat both husband and wife? I haven't seen any information that leads me to believe it's not ok, but would it be some kind of ethical problem in anyone's opinion?

Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks in advance.

PS- Sorry it took me so long to get to my question. Just wanted you to have the full background as to why I asked.