Chronic pain is ruining the quality of my life

I feel so hopeless and frustrated. I have been living with chronic pain for about 2 years now, and I feel like I'm going to have a mental breakdown at this point. I've gone from being someone who worked out 5 days a week and was in great shape to someone who can't walk up the stairs or pick up my daughter without cringing. After suffering 2 injuries in the gym (torn tendon in my left tricep and a suspected tear of something in my right knee), I had to stop lifting weights and soon fell out of shape, and my condition has slowly deteriorated over time.

I never game much thought to taking medicine for the pain, as I generally don't like taking medicine unless I absolutely have to, but after recently injuring my foot, I have been on hydrocodone for the pain, and noticed that finally, after nearly two years of being in constant pain, have gotten some relief. With a temporary prescription that is rapidly running out, I don't want to give this up - I finally can crawl around with my kid without hurting so much, and that means the world to me. With how hesitant doctors are to prescribe opiate pain medicine, especially long term, I'm scared that I won't be able to find someone to help me. Does anyone know a doctor in the Atlanta area who will be understanding of my situation and is not "opiate phobic" like so many other doctors seem to be?

Thank you to anyone who can help me.

D

Hi D and welcome to the Chronic Pain forum at HW. First let me say we all have been there at the point of thinking we are losing it. Its just part of this life it seems when we realize just how much we have lost by chronic pain.

We all have fought to stay off meds and most of us lost that battle trying to have some quality of life.

Finding a Dr to treat you is going to require knowing whats torn and whats causing the pain. Unfortunately the days of saying you have pain and being believed are gone. Your likely going to have to have a MRI on the knee if you havent done so and like M&G said any records of injury,operations,scans,etc.

Also depending on insurance as to whether you need a referrel by your primary to pain management or Ortho.

Glad you joined us and hopefully you can get some help.

Hey DC.Welcome to Healing Well.

If you have a Doctor that you can talk to,just tell him what you just told us.

Chronic Pain is different than Acute Pain,that will go away.

A good Pain Management Doctor will help you to increase the quality of your life.

If you're life is ruled by pain and it's not going anywhere,then it may be time to see Pain Management about improving the quality of your life.

I hope you get some relief,
Rick