would pain management help?? - Pain Management Message Board

blankaflower · 05-21-2003, 03:20 AM

HELLO ALL.i am new to the boards here but i have been reading some posts recently and well i was looking for advice for pain management.i suffer from terribly dibilitating migraines,and i was just diagnosed with them last july,i just gt married and i moved to a new state.i am really having a problem with someone taking me seriously about these headaches,and offereing real help.i have tried every migraine medication out there,and i am currently on imitrex and axecr,(i rotate these)i take 10 mg of lortab for breakthrough pain,but it seems the lortab is the only one helping ,all the other meds just make me really sick and dont help,i have been to so many doctes recentl,and none of them really seem interested in my headaches they look at me like i am some kind of addict or something ,and in the mean time i cannot drive ,go out alone,or even work because my headaches are so bad.i am so desparate,i dont know what to do,i will do anything to get rid of this horrible pain.my new husband doesnt understand why my headaches are so bad,and he keeps asking me why tylenol wont help me..i am having headaches daily and if i cant abort the headache within the first 2 hours it lasts 2 continually,i never took any narcotics in my life before ,and now everyone is making me feel so bad about these lortabs,(i only take 2 a day),i was just wondering if someone here knows about pain management ,i dont know what it is and the only reason i asked is the last dr i saw she said i should see a pm.because she could only give me the lorabs one time,,pls any advice will help...blankaflower

mokita · 05-21-2003, 05:26 PM

Hi Blankaflower,

Sorry about your headaches. The stress of moving to a new place and getting to know people is probably adding to your problem.

Do you have insurance? If the insurance has a website, go to it and do a search on doctors in your area, put in the specialty as Pain Management. That is what I did when my neurologist referred me to a Pain Mgmt doc who wasn't on my "list" - and I have a wonderful team of docs now.

Hope this helps a little.

Good luck

Karen

------------------
9/22/00 24 hour labor, baby posterior, left tailbone killing me
12/00 MRI - PCP said nothing amiss - but, had to begin taking vicodin
2/8/02 - 2nd baby born after long, painful pregnance as weight gain
2000-11/02 various PT + pain meds
11/02 Referred to Neuro
3/03 NEW MRI - shows slight bulge L3-L4,slight DDD Neuro Refers to PM for ESI
3/03 PM Doc orders ESI
3/21,4/1,4/8 - ESI's no help
5/9 - Discogram - shows Tear L4 w/ significant leak onto nerves, DDD
Doc sched NEW discogram 'cuz performing doc oversedated, False Negative

Jack Beanstalk · 05-21-2003, 10:03 PM

Hi Flower,I can relate to your situation.My beloved little Mrs. has the worst headaches,last for 2 days,terrible suffering.She sees a neuro and he,s good about giving her samples of meds(non-narcotic),as we are currently without insurance.You can get good results from going to a good search engine and simply type in"Physicians that practice Pain Medicine in the Houston,Texas area".Period.If you type in Pain Mgmnt.,you,ll get every "Needle Jockey" in Texas.Many of the "Pain Clinics" are Opiodphobic,needle-happy,right-out-of-medschool people with hardly any compassion.I,ve been to 3 of them and never got much more than stuck,poked,prodded,injected,given so many sickening types of trashy drugs,YEECCHHH!!I finally got in with a private practice pain doc and for the first time in 13 years of suffering,got treated with decency and genuine concern.These are the rare,but BEST docs.They Rx you whatever it takes to ease your pain,wether it,s Lortab,Morphine or Aspirin.Call the names of the replies you get,ask them if they take your ins.and if they use Opiod therapy.If they say "NO",you are wasting your time.I,m not saying you need to take opiates,I,m just telling you if they are the type of place that won,t Rx them,then they are gonna try every kind of shots,numbing,injection therapy,nasty,gut-wrenching meds that probably won,t do nothing but make you sick,etc.sorry to ramble,just don,t want you to waste precious time goin through more hell.Been there,done that.See ya!Jack Beanstalk

azkikn · 05-22-2003, 12:53 AM

blankaflower,
I am not sure what type of dr you are seeing but u might consider a neurologist who could run test to see if you might have a problem in your head.(no pun intended)
I had really bad migraine's and after several mri's ct's angegram (sp) they found my problem.
I agree with jack beanstalk.
There are meds they that will help with your problem.
I am now with a pm that is working with me to get my meds adjusted to help me with all my pain problems.
so far things are looking up for me.

Good Luck and God Bless

Azkikn

------------------
2 Cervical surgies w/fuson 1986
lumbar partial disectomy April 1992 & 2002
3 AVM Brain surgeries Janurary 1993
continous neck and lumbar
pain. Pain going down both legs. Migraine
headaches 2 to 4 times a week. Unable to work

[This message has been edited by azkikn (edited 05-22-2003).]

Karla · 05-22-2003, 06:04 AM

I suffer from severe migraines and cluster headaches daily for years. I have tried several different preventatives and abortives. None worked for me either. I was on vicadin and percacet for 5 years for pain management but it never really helped. Only brought the level 10 pain down to a 8 or 9. But kept me from committing suicide and out of the er a few times. I got refered to a pain management dr and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. He recomended some other meds for me to try and when those failed as well he then perscribed methadone. I have taken that for the last 8 months and have been ha free. You are wise to see a pm dr if nothing is working for you.