Need help

05-29-2018, 08:22 AM

I am having difficulty managing my pain and no providers are willing to help. I don't know where to start.

Don't know where to turn, Have tried everything to help relieve some of my pain, so I can continue on with my life. Surgery, PT, acupuncture, Chiropractic, meditation, other non opiod meds, etc, with no relief at all.

Unable to work, go hiking, even grocery shopping. My life has been put on hold. Taking Tramadol for many years for arthritis, naproxen and Clonazapam. No narcotics. Most docs wont prescribe anymore unless post surgery or some other horrendous injury.

Most docs wont prescribe anymore unless post surgery or some other horrendous injury. The rest of us have to suffer.

05-29-2018, 03:56 PM

Have you consulted a pain management physician or a physical medicine and rehab doctor?
In today's environment of opiate paranoia, primary care/ general practice physicians typically will not prescribe opiates, not should they dealing with chronic pain patients.

05-30-2018, 05:15 AM

I also encourage you to seek out a true pain management specialist, one who is open to using multiple types of treatments (not just procedures/injections - avoid those who solely call themselves 'interventional' pain docs). Even with actual pain docs, it can take a few tries to find a good fit, which in many areas can require traveling, especially in areas where clinics have been closed. It is also common for them to require a referral from your primary doctor (even if not required by insurance) and to request your records to review prior to potentially even allowing you to make an appointment.

Although even among pain docs prescribing of opioids is on the decline, a good pain doc should have some new to you treatment ideas, even if similar to what was tried before, or combining several treatments which by themselves weren't effective.

Keep trying! I know how difficult it is to find good pain management care. If one doctor isn't helpful, then try another. Just be sure not to have a pain/opioid contract with more than one doc at a time, and to not accept prescriptions from more than one doc at a time. Hang in there! Best wishes.

05-30-2018, 07:50 AM

Dear TashaT1,

I completely understand how it feels to suffer. I am limited in what I can do, too, because of pain from injuries from a motorcycle accident that left me quite crippled in my legs. Have been like this since I was 17 and now I am 69! Was in a serious accident. and now have old age kind of pains, as well. I had to give up many activities I loved, such as riding horses and motorcycles, dancing, running, and even walking is not anything I can do for pleasure anymore. It's just too painful. However, I CAN still walk on my own most of the time and I am so grateful for that. Because of the pain I have to hold someone's hand or use a cane or shopping cart sometimes, but can walk, drive a car, shop, putter around doing yard work, cook, and do most things for myself. But I am always in pain.

Being alive means some kind of suffering as far as I can see. In my case I do not want narcotics, partly because they cloud the mind. I also don't like the downer that they are. I always have some sort of pain, and more or less pain, sometimes severe pain. I don't like it either, but this is my life. My life is an example that we do not have to fight against pain or expect to be able to be pain free.

I know not even one person that always feels good and pain free, not even those who are on pain drugs. The side effects of narcotics and other drugs, the loss of control and the necessity to be 'owned' by pain doctors is just not worth it to me.

Please look into other modalities for pain management. There are so many ways to get relief. A good pain management doctor is glad to work with anyone that chooses to not be medicated. You may not have any choice about medication, but you can still choose to be involved with your life to the best of your ability.

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