Pain Management Doctor

This probably means that your primary care doctor doesn't have the expertise and comfort level to follow you long-term if you are going to be taking pain medicines. They have probably referred you to a pain management doctor so that the new doctor can evaluate you and offer some alternatives to pain medication. My experience has been that some pain doctors are comfortable with long-term prescribing of narcotics, and that others work with you to offer other kinds of medicines, procedures, or behavioral methods to manage pain long-term. Pain doctors vary widely in their training, expertise, and philosophy for long term management of pain. Please don't feel like you are a failure since your doctor is referring you elsewhere. Try to be open-minded about what the new doctor has to offer. But the final line is that you are in charge of your health care and that if you don't see eye to eye with your doctors, it is up to you to make sure you get the treatment you need. I hope this helps.

Grace

Hi Patty, thanks for the response. As a fibromyalgia sufferer, I use a variety of "tools" to manage my illness, one of which is the use of narcotics. So I am not against them at all. I also know that there are many other things we can learn to do to help ourselves, which involve really hard behavioral changes that can help our illnesses just as much if not more than a pain pill. So it is one tool in the box. Yes, you are right that taking a pill is easy, usually fairly cheap, and is quick. But it only takes you so far. That is where, after a certain time, you say, "I need more help than this." This includes getting help for treating our depression/anxiety and other things that impact our illnesses. What we don't realize is, that much of what you need is already inside of you - inner strengths and resources that can be realized through therapy, religion, yoga, relaxation, and such. There is also diet, weight management, and overall taking good care of yourself, these all can really change you a lot and help you tremendously. Hope this helps...

Grace

Thanks for all the info from everyone.  My Dr. really made me mad Monday when I saw him.  He said he wasn't going to give my a script for Hydro anymore.  I just graduated from nursing school in May and I said to him, you can't just stop taking hydro all of a sudden like this.  He said I would probably have seizures and he was not going to write the script.  I almost fell off the table.  I said please just give me enough hydro so I don't withdrawal until I can get an appt at the pain clinic.  So he did give me 80 5/325 hydro and he also gave me Cymbalta to start.  He is a freakin' quack, my husband wants me to turn him in.  I also found out from the PA in his office that he is on a "Narc watch"!!!!  I don't have health insurance right now because I am not working, I am studying for my NCLEX and my husband was laid off from Delphi.  I have three kids ages 14, 11 and 9....so how am I doing??????  I was soooo mad I called the pain clinic the minute I got home and was able to get an appt for Thursday.....as far as the cost, I just have to put it on our credit card for now I guess.  I have tried all sorts of meds....plaquenil, lyrica, neurontin, prozac....nothing has helped this pain except hydro so far.  I would much rather go to the rheumy dr. but without insurance it is $483 just to walk in the door, ABSURD!!!!!!!!!   Another thing this quack Dr. said is that Lupus and Fibro long term pain patients should not be on narcotics because they don't work, is this true???? Aren't some narcotics for long term use???? All I want to get from the pain clinic is the hydro but maybe a script for 10/325 so I don't have to take as many and some type of pain med for FLARE UPS and BREAKTHROUGH pain that I would only take as needed....do you think that is to much to ask for??????????  Thanks for all the input!!!!!!!!!!

The pain I have is from Lupus and Fibro, I also have a cyst inside my knee cap that the ortho Dr. might have to fill with bone marrow.....yes I still take plaquenil and cymbalta.....NO RELIEF....the only way I know how to describe the pain in my hips and knees is it is IN THE BONES....terrible terrible bone aches....my hands are also throbbing and I have sharp stabbing pain in them....this pain wakes me from a dead sleep at night ...I get up and walk around and shake it off.  I just don't know what else to try....I have tried hot packs, cold packs, hot baths, icy hot rub, a variety of different meds.....I guess I will have to wait and see what the pain dr. says on Thursday.....OH I also have a TENS machine, this machine just takes the edge off, but this is for nerve pain so I don't quite understand why it is working when my pain is in my bones ......have a great day!!!!