Re: Back pain advice, please

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much for your replies. Has anyone else been told by a

doctor that they wouldn't prescribe pain meds for you? I was stunned.

He might as well have just told me " too bad, just suffer " . If I

ultimately wind up having the surgery I will NOT be letting him do it.

I'm going to call tomorrow and see if I can get in to see the Pain

doctor sooner. I went to work last night and could barely make it

through the shift. I just can't believe this pain. I can't live like

this.

I think I may have screwed up a bit by minimizing my symptoms to the

surgeon in an effort to avoid seeming like a whiney " drug seeker " . I

definitely need to be a better advocate for myself. Debbi, I will

take your advice and ask for the naprosyn, because the 800 mg motrin

is not helping.

Thanks again,

Lorraine

[Guest guest]

I have not had a doctor tell me they won't prescribe something but I

have had a nurse tell me on a Friday to just deal with it. What

happened was I was having severe pain in my neck going down my arm. This

was something new for me so I called. I had to talk to the nurse first

(this was at the pain clinic). She told me that she didn't have any

doctors there so there was nothing she could do! I asked her if I was

just supposed to suffer through the weekend and deal with it and she

said " yes you'll just have to deal with it " . She then proceeded to say

" well if it gets bad enough, you can go to urgent care or something " . I

wasn't happy with that response so I called my nurse case manager and

asked her what I should do? She called the nurse and of course the

nurse had a totally different tone with her. She did end up calling

another doctor for me. Anyhow, when I finally met her in person (I

hadn't up to this point), she said to me " I am glad that I am meeting

you in person since talking to you on the phone, I tend to get a certain

sterotype of what you are like and ..well, I see that isn't the case " .

I took that as she thought I was rude to begin with after talking to me

on the phone and now she doesn't. I avoid her at all costs,

unfortunately, she is my pain doctor's main nurse so she is the one that

I get to talk to all the time.

I just think it's a pain in the butt for us to try to " prove " ourselves

and not seem like drug seekers. I wish more of the medical community

had proper training with these conditions to fully understand just what

kind of pain we go through. Then again, if they don't' go through it

themselves, I guess they will never fully get it.

Hang in there.

-----Original Message-----

From: Lorraine

Thanks so much for your replies. Has anyone else been told by a

doctor that they wouldn't prescribe pain meds for you?

[Guest guest]

Lorraine,

My doctor won't prescribe pain meds to me either. I have done something to my

back. It began a few weeks ago. Several times I was in so much pain I couldn't

move and I was sobbing for hours. But my doctor won't give me anything. He

said there are other ways to deal with the pain, but none of them work. I have

been trying to see my pain doctor for over a month and see her on Monday. I

have had to go to the ER several times for pain and apparantley, I am going to

be getting a talking to. It's because I am so young, according to my primary

doctor.

Love,

Becky/SD

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[Guest guest]

> Lorraine,

>

> My doctor won't prescribe pain meds to me either. I have done

> something to my back. It began a few weeks ago. Several times I was in

> so much pain I couldn't move and I was sobbing for hours. But my

> doctor won't give me anything. He said there are other ways to deal

> with the pain, but none of them work. I have been trying to see my

> pain doctor for over a month and see her on Monday. I have had to go

> to the ER several times for pain and apparantley, I am going to be

> getting a talking to. It's because I am so young, according to my

> primary doctor.

>

> Love,

> Becky/SD

>

> Becky,

I am so sorry you have had to go through that and for the

upcoming lecture you will have. At my other pain management center, I

was required to count my drugs out and one time I took ONE extra at

night and I got more " talking to " than my Mother ever did and felt so

guity and still in pain.

Becky, keep a pain diary so your doctor can seen written proof of

your pain levels and your attempt with heat, stretches, bedrest or

whatever you try.

Ask that it be placed in you medical chart. A sample copy can be

found by typing in " pain diary " in any search engine (Google, Yahoo,

etc).

This way she can see that you have made an effort to document

your pain. It is so said that we have to " PROVE " we are hurting but

the pain dairy protects you and your doctor also so that maybe she sees

that the pain management is not working. I think the most depressed I

have ever been is when

I could not get my doctors to believe I hurt so bad. I sat in the car

just crying and praying and praying that this stress of managing my own

pain

be taken away. I have even said I wish I could just go to sleep and

never wake up to my husband. I saw the pain in his eyes and realized I

have to keep those remarks in so not to hurt him. So being able to

come here and vent saves me hurting my family because they feel so

helpless also.

Well, sorry I got off on a tangent but pain doesn't care what age

you are and who you are. We all hurt so I hope your doctor finds some

compassion.

Good luck and I will be thinking of you. Let us know how you

get along.

Bennie

[Guest guest]

Hi Bennie,

I will search " pain diary " online and see if I can't print one out and give

copies to my doctors. Maybe then, they will see that I do try everything. I

know pain knows no age. I just wish my doctors would see that.

Love,

Becky/SD

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

A Friend,

It is hard for me also, as my husband is Very self sufficient and

quiet. My family is lucky that they can survive well It is something

that I have always thought that I am the burden and they would be

better off without me.

The expression on my husbands face reminded me that I do matter

and I am needed even though I am not reminded daily. So I have tried

to turn around and help others no mater how small the gesture.

Your entry makes me feel that someone understands and I hope

you are doing OK.

Your friend, Bennie