Need Advise For Monday Dr. Appoitment

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I had written about how my pain clyinic/dr had decided to relese me

from her care last moth suddenly and with what I know to be an

unethical means of getting rid of a patient who was in arrears of

their bill by just over a 100 bucks. A urin test and I was gone yet I

know I was inocent. Time to move on.

Since I have been with this doctor for over five years and we finally

did find the right meds for me to have some relif from chronic low

back pain from my 1999 L-5 S-1 fusion. How do I explain or go about

this interview and not have this new doctor be a sceptic

like so many become? I will run out of meds in a week or so and I

will need him to write scips at least until he turns me over to a

pain clinic. Will this most likley be a problem? How do I convey what

had happend or don't I offer it?

Thanks

Less pain today for you all

Rich

[Guest guest]

Rich,

I'm not sure what to offer by way of advice other than to say good luck to you. 

I know how horrible it is to go to yet another new doctor and start over asking

for help without being made to feel " guilty " when you are not. 

I was intrigued by your surgery (L5-S1 fusion).  I had the same thing in 2002

and am still in chronic lower back pain and now how terrible fibromyalgia all

over my body that I believe began after the surgery.  I'm so mad that I had the

surgery and now I feel worse rather than better.  Are you? 

I think I hurt less before the surgery. I can just do more now - it just hurts

too bad to do so. Good luck at your appointment.  What kind of doctor are you

seeing?  I currently am under the care of a rheumatologist and don't know what I

would do without him.  I gave up on my orthopedist.

Robyn

--- frescasdad wrote:

How do I explain or go about this interview and not have this new doctor be a

sceptic like so many become?

[Guest guest]

Hi Robynn,

I'm starting first with a new GP because I had to move almost two

hours from my original one. I was however still driving to the pain

clinic also that far but because it was once a month it was worth one

day of more driving pain for 29 days of releif. Since I had a falling

out with the PC, it's time to move on to my new home area. So, I am

in need of a GP and hoping he will direct me to the nearest pain

clinic. I also left the original state and I hope this does not

complicate things.

My surgery (fusion of L5 S1) was elective due to DDD. After years of

suffering many episodes of severe pain and stiffness from inflammation that

would have me unable to get out of bed and if I did, my wife would have to dress

me.

The year (1999) I decided to get it fixed was the worst. The pain basically

never went away and I found myself trying every treatment under the sun to no

avail. I was an over the road salesman and driving became a horror of pain.

Then after my surgery, feeling a bit pressured to return to work

ASAP, I traded in my nice Jeep Grand Cherokee (my car of choice) and

to my wife's dismay, for a minivan so I could get back on the road

sooner and have the ability to lye down if I needed. Little did I

know that it was going to get worse again and not better. After about

six months I was having severe low back pain I can only describe as

hot knives deep in my spine and right at the surgical site. I finally

gave in and went to my boss asking for a different position to get

out of the car, unfortunately, he said there was nothing else

available. Keep in mind, I was a twenty eight year employee and

senior VP of sales for the NE markets in my industry. This is a whole

other story as to why they did this.

So..I have since, lost my marriage, my home, my life saving and my

ability to hold a regular job because of this chronic back pain. I

feel most of my problems were caused by lack of knowledge by those

around me and the stigma that goes with what we must do to get relief

from this damn pain.

I have found a comfortable balance between pain relief and not being over

medicated to a point of being in a comma. I hate not being able to function but

no matter how I have tried, I

realized there is no getting away from the side effects of trying to

be painless or even comfortable. It's just a matter of tolerance and

acceptance. Basically, I started my life over from scratch at 50 and

thank God for my past music appreciation as this has been my only

outlet.

What I have recently started having is what I thought was shingles

but I'm not sure now because of things I read here about

Fibromialgia. Maybe you can enlighten me to what the symtoms are.

I have had this feeling across my upper back that feels like a

sunburn. It comes and goes for day s and then it comes back.

Actually, it is bothering me tonight and it has not for a week or

two. It's a weird feeling and I'm concerend.

I hope your looking at a better future when it comes to this

challenge we all seem to be battling called chronic pain. When people

ask me now about my back, I tell them, it's not my back that is the

problem, it's my pain.

Rich

>Robyn wrote:

> I was intrigued by your surgery (L5-S1 fusion).  I had the same

thing in 2002 and am still in chronic lower back pain and now how

terrible fibromyalgia all over my body that I believe began after the

surgery.  I'm so mad that I had the surgery and now I feel worse

rather than better.  Are you? 

[Guest guest]

> Rich wrote,

> How do I explain or go about this interview and not have this new

doctor be a sceptic like so many become?

>

Good morning Rich,

I hope you saved all your medication bottles. If so, then bring them

along with you.

Also, if you can call your ex doctor, ask her/him for a brief

synopsis of your ailment, in other words, just a short and to the

point medical report of all your ailments.

By law, in New York, he/she must give you the doctors reports. Sometimes, they

may charge you $.75 per page.

Just ask for a synopsis(short and to the point) report.

Other doctors prefer that too.

/NY

[Guest guest]

Hi Rich,

I'm so sorry for your horrible experience following the back surgery.  My back

surgery was also an elective DDD surgery.  I wish I had known more about the

fact that the pain would not be relieved just by having the surgery. 

I now take a cocktail of medicine that includes Hydrocodone, Fentanyl patches,

Neurontin and an anti-depressant.  This is the only  combination that has helped

me with the back pain and fibromialgia.  

The pain that you are describing across your upper back sounds like shingles as

described to me by my dad.  He had it a couple of years ago. 

Right now I'm trying to continue to work full-time.  I usually don't get to the

office until 9:30 AM but they are understanding.  I work at home one day a

week.  I do grant administration for a university office so they are pretty laid

back. 

Unfortunately, the past month was the first time that my absences from work

actually became a problem that they felt the need to discuss with me. I'm just

trying to come in every day and do the best I can.  I too have a mini-van and

many days I go out at lunch, eat my lunch in the van under a shady tree and lay

back in the seat to put my feet up and rest.  That helps some.  I have thought

of bringing a cot to work but nowhere to put it here.

I'm 48 myself and just hope that I can continue to work until my 10 year old

finishes high school.  Right how I'm just taking it one day at a time.

Good luck with your new doctor.  Ask him about the shingles but also about

fibromyalgia.  From my understanding fibro is frequently caused by a traume to

the spine and I believe that my surgery (along with numerous epidural steroidal

injections to the spine) has probably caused it for me. 

I have constant all-over body aches that feels like the worst flu that you ever

had.  That's the best way I know to explain the fibro.  I also have the back

pain from the failed surgery.  (Yes, my pain doctor diagnosed me with fibro and

failed back surgery syndrome.  Did you know there was such a thing?)

Robyn

frescadad wrote:

What I have recently started having is what I thought was shingles

but I'm not sure now because of things I read here about Fibromialgia.

[Guest guest]

>

>> Rich wrote,

>

>> How do I explain or go about this interview and not have this new

> doctor be a sceptic like so many become?

>>

>

>

Rich,

This is late, but I always keep a pain diary which lists the medication I take,

my pain levels, and it is a written document

for the doctor he can include in his medical record for you.

I also use the history & physical form they make you fill out and attach

remarks. That way it is right there. I also include any memo for records of

anything I have had that might be confusing.

One time I had to explain missed appointments to a jerk doctor who sent my

primary care doctor, I had missed appointments.

Well, I had seen his associate and those missed appointments were when my Mother

died and I had to arrange her funeral and the other time was when I was called

for Reserve duty for three months ! I sent him a memo for record with my Mothers

death certificate and a copy of my orders.

Needless to say, I don't see him anymore and I just found out a member of his

staff is now employed at the clinic I go to and I had a confrontation with her

and she said " I remember you from DR ------ "

I told her that had nothing to do with what we were now talking about and you do

not know the criteria of what happened and I have had two auto accidents since I

was there, so don't go there.

She is about 24 and one of those know it all and is only a medical

assistant but is very power orientated. I told her that my prescription was

short and she called me in the office and told

me that, my prescription was right and there is nothing that is going

to be changed.

Well, I had been sick and thrown up two days of my meds and it is in

the nurses notes because I had to come in and get compazine. When the nurse

called, I explained it to her and she said " No Problem " , she will make a note.

SO, yes always tell the truth but document it some way and I always make sure

they write it in the notes. So good luck and document.

Bennie