unrelenting pain

Hi Barb...

Welcome to Healing Well. Many of us post here and in other forums as well. So, you are welcome to post in both places...

I'm sorry to hear about your car accident... and I'm also sorry that you are struggling w/ fibromyalgia. I have several chronic pain/health issues - and I also have FM, too.

You get a referral to a PM doc through your primary care doctor.

The point of a "good" pain management doctor is to manage your pain by finding what works best for you. This may involve medication, a variety of procedures (injections, nerve blocks, etc), physical therapy, TENS unit and on and on. There are a group of PM doctors that "only" do procedures and won't touch medications.... Most of us, though, have PM doctors that do both.

Medication doesn't necessarily mean a narcotic - although many of us here do use that as part of our pain management. But there are also nerve medications, muscle relaxers, etc.

While I do understand what you are saying about the "drug seeker" analogy... many of us here work hard to change that way of thinking, because it's something that most chronic pain patients - unfortunately - have to deal with (other people's misconceptions about pain, narcotic pain medication, addiction, etc).

Most CP patients take their medications responsibly - just as a diabetic may take insulin or someone with high blood pressure takes heart meds. Addiction for CP patients is actually very, very low.

Anyway, welcome to the group here, and I hope you'll continue posting. Before or after your fusion - did you ever take medications for your pain? Have you ever tried a nerve medicine? I have nerve issues in my back, as well as severe carpal tunnel syndrome - and I'm on neurontin, which is a nerve med.... it does help me.

Take care... --Tina

Hi Barb
First let me welcome you to the site. It won't take you long to discover that there are alot of us who suffer from chronic pain from all sorts of reasons. When your pain begins to rule your life your no longer in the take a couple of tylenol and a bag of ice and carry on group. I think most if not all of us have felt like were doing something wrong by taking narcotic pain medication. The stima is awful right now with so many news stories about abuse. Like Tina said we are no different than someone taking medication for some other medical problem. The good pain clinics can offer you a variety of treatments as Tina mentioned. As for asking your family physcian about referring you to
a pain clinic, I won't think twice about it because most family docs want you to go to a pain clinic especially if it's going to involve pain medication. I wish you all the best and good luck with your search for a good pain clinic. Keep us up to date on your progress and again welcome to the site.
Stingray

Barb,

I'm glad you asked around and seem to have come up w/ a doctor to see. Let us know if you make an appointment and how it goes.

Driving/using narcotics is an individual choice thing.... but there are many of us here that do still drive. I would never, ever drive while using a "new" medication that I didn't know the effects of (not only do I have to think of my own life, and the lives of others on the road, but I have eight precious lives that I haul around all the time).... that being said, I've been on my meds for years now and I'm completely comfortable driving on my medications. But, again, it's a individual choice thing.

Also - if you do need to work and so forth - if the doctor does choose to add in a narcotic, you could consider using it once you are home to decrease your pain and hopefully aid in a better night's sleep for you. I have fibro, too, and I think that sleep (or the lack thereof) plays a huge role....

Anyway, take good care - and keep us updated.
--Tina