So Frustrated Can't Get Help - Spinal Cord Disorders Message Board

captnanny · 06-15-2007, 06:25 AM

ok,
so now my pain management nurse wants me to see someone else because I am too sensative to medications. She wants me to see an addiction counselor instead of pain management. OK FINE BUT CANT WE DEAL WITH THE PAIN AND SYMPTOMS FIRST!!!!!!!!
OH I am so mad, then she tells the surgeons nurse to stop calling me. How can they do that I trusted them to slice me open and now the pain is back again, real bad, the mri says something and they havent even asked me to retake it!!! so is this all in my head, am I crazy if anyone checked out my mri report can you tell me if it says anything besides the motion? I can't believe it, it seems like they're giving up on me. I refuse to move back in with my mom and if someone doesn't help me get on disability until the resolves that's where i'll have to be.

DELTA 22 · 06-15-2007, 09:40 PM

I'm so sorry you are still in pain...maybe you need to see a new doctor?..How do you know she told the nurse to stop talking with you?...and why would she do something like that...are you still under your NS care or have you been released?....Can you ask for a 2nd opinion?

Dutchgirl · 06-16-2007, 12:22 AM

I'm also real real sorry that the pain is so bad. I promise you that your not crazy and it's not all in your head!! I think that everyone on this board has felt that way though, and I know I definitely have. It's your body and you know when your in pain!! All this pain is not visible to the naked eye and therefore hard for people/doctor's to completely understand and I know there are very few docs that completely understand nerve pain! I can't tell you how many times docs have told me "the disc problem shouldn't cause that shooting pain or numbness there", but everyone is wired differently! The nerve system is very complicated.

I have switched doctors many times, because of different reasons. I have had a doctor pretty much laugh me out of the office and tell me that there are people in much worse condition. I have absolutely no problem switching doctor's or pain clinics, because it's my body and just because they have a degree does not mean that they are a good doctor! And oh yeah I pay the monthly medical insurance fee. I really hate textbook doctors. The ones that look at a broken bone in their medical books with the textbook symptoms and cannot look outside of the box!

What the H E double hockey sticks is this "addiction counselor" crap? What are they thinking? I really hate that when they write out pain meds and they act like your some freakin drug addict or something.

IF YOUR INSURANCE ALLOWS IT I WOULD DEFINITELY SEEK OUT A NEW DOC! You can go to 8 different docs for the same problem and get 8 different opinions, but at least find one that will listen and take the time to explain things to you! Also they need to request a new MRI! Sorry I'll get off my soapbox, but I really really feel your frustration and I have been there many times.

Just keep us up to date!

captnanny · 06-16-2007, 02:52 AM

THANK YOU,
Yesterday was pure nightmare. My ns told me first that the good thing was that everything was healing nicely but I do have some more bad discs but need to heal more before they can get a real good feel for those. HE believes that I am in pain and explained that after this surgery people go through phases with the nerves. they settle down for a while and then kind of go hay wire again because mine were impinged for at least three years. He also scared me though because after surgery people can go through bouts of depression and because of this THING WITH PM he thought I was very depressed. I basically explained to him I want my pain to be understood and dealt with and not to be told it's "in my head"
He agreed and I felt better going down to pain management.
THEN,,,,,,,, PM TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE I WENT ELSEWHERE WHILE THEY REFUSED TO ANSWER THE NS PHONE CALLS OR MY PSYCHIATRISTS PHONE CALLS THEY COULD NO LONGER SEE ME AND I NEEDED A NEW SHRINK.
I was happy, but felt like they wanted to commit me. She even did a pain eval and found out that my pain was real. what a BBBBB
well I have to start looking for a new pm group. Anyone in the chicago land area?

SKZ · 06-16-2007, 11:00 AM

Ya know, I get so $%^&*( angry when they focus on the depression and not the pain. HELLO......THE PAIN IS CAUSING ME TO BE DEPRESSED, YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I had a nickel for every Dr. who "suggested" I needed mental help, instead of focusing on helping my pain...I would be rich. I finally found a Dr. who listened to me (a physiatrist). My pain Dr. sent me to him because he said they dealt with the neck stuff and the physiatrist would deal with the muscle spasm stuff. Luckily, this was finally a decent Dr. who GOT IT. He tried many things that did help me, to a point. Finally, 6 months later, he said I was at the end of the line and he referred me to a spinal surgeon that he knew and liked. Thank God, he did, because I could have gone on like this another 5 freaking years without anyone even mentioning the POSSIBILITY that surgery might help me. I finally had the ACDF c5-c7 in Jan. I am much much better. And the surgeon referred me to the best Physical therapist I have ever been to. (and I have been to ALOT). I have been going since end of Feb. I was down to every other week, but I torqued my thoracic area when I was pulling alot of luggage on a trip, so I am back to once a week for a few week to get it under control. oy. haha. It took me 5 years to get a good team of Drs. I almost had a nervous breakdown, not so much from the pain (although that was not too spiffy), but the Drs. frustrated me SO much, I ended up on anti-depressants because no one really listened to me. So I want to tell you to not give up because the good ones are out there, but sometimes you have to go thru a ringer to find them.