Re: pain dr for (ralph)

[Guest guest]

Dear Ralph,

Try not to prejudge the new Pain doctor yet, if you can, Ralph. I

know most PCP's feel uncomfortable prescribing stronger pain

analgesics for thier patients, and sometimes advice from a pain

management specialist is all they need to take that extra step to

go ahead and try something more suitable for a CP patient's

pain.

Your job is to convince the pain management doctor that your

pain is real, chronic, constant and interfering with your daily

activities. If there's anything you aren't able to do that you used

to, because of the pain, make sure you discuss it in full detail

with the new doctor. Try to use highly descriptive words, like

stabbing, piercing, sharp, throbbing, twisting, unrelenting,

continuous, etc...whatever applies to how and where you feel

your pain. If he recommends tests or treatments that may help

identify what the real source of the pain is, or medication that

may help, don't hesitate to be straightforward with your feelings

about what he recommends.

Hopefully this pain doctor will be able to recognize your pain and

suggest appropriate pain medication or treatment for you, and

will also discuss his recommendations in depth with your PCP.

With luck, perhaps they'll build an alliance that makes treatment

of your pain more suitable than it is now.

This is what happened with me. It was only after I saw a pain

managment doctor and she recommended that I needed

stronger pain relief than what my GI was giving me, that my GI

started me on a higher dosage of Percocet. And then when my

pain became continuous, daily pain, he went back and reviewed

her suggestions again, and immediately agreed to put me on

the duragesic patch. If I hadn't seen that pain management

doctor and gotten her recommendations for treatment, I don't

think that GI would have ever gone any further to find the right

pain medication and dosage to really help me.

Good luck tomorrow, and let us know how it turned out.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI, Intl.

Note: All comments or advice are personal opinion only, and

should not be substituted for professional medical consultation.

Ralph wrote:

i have not been doing all that great and not getting much of any

where with my Dr's I feel but I do go to the Pain Management DR

tomorrow.

My DR is trying to say that my pain is do to some nerve damage

or something to that. I tend to think different

I am not sure if the Pain DR thinks something else he can order

certain test or recomend test to my DR or so fourth. I guess it is a

good thing I am going there and having 2 DR's be involved, but

the only thing about this Pain DR , he is afillated with the Same

hospital and so fourth as my PCP and i have always believed

that when you got 2 DR's from the same hospital, like two

colleagues, they usually stay on the same track as each other I

think.