Welcome to our new pain management forum

Cheerfuldoer,

They phsyician you are speaking of is a TOP pain management specialist (I wanna say in NV?) Somewhere I have the link to an article on her.

She is a WONDERFUL MD IMHO, who was doing what she should.

The DEA needs high profile docs like her, if they're ever going to crack down on the quacks!

Dave

[size=5] wow, now that is reallynice. Thank you Brian. As a longtime sufferer of chronic pain with accompanying breakthrough pain (some that literally takes my breath away, and am still looking for the right one I welcome this. My body says no to most narcotics., and it leavs me in a dilemma Oh happy day

Wow, Cheerful, I didn't hear. I don't understand why they pick on the good guys and LEAVE THE MONSTERS ALONE! The world we live in is definitely due for a makeover.

Frances, will you be the offical troll getter?

I think your the pefect woman for the job!

-Dave

:hatparty:

First off - thanks for this forum! The posted links are awesome. Now if I can just get into the one with the alogorhythm. I always tell my patients that they also need to let me know if the pain med is not working, so we can find something that will. Secondly, I also consider the ethnicity of a patient when it comes to rating pain. Their ethnicity and other belief systems also play a major role in how they rate/evaluate their pain.

I too am someone who lives with chronic pain on a daily basis. I am on meds every 8 hrs for pain and on prn meds for break thru pain. There are many days I would rather hurt than take pain med for the break thru pain because of the way it makes me feel. The strength of the prn med is needed for relief, but I do not like the way it makes me feel. I did say at one time, I would love to know how I would feel if I did not take the routine every 8 hour med and was able to find out when I had a severe virus several months ago and could not keep anything p.o. down. All they could give me was demerol IV and I got that every 4 hours. So I got relief for one hour, hurt for 3 hours. The one time I tried it IM, I had nightmares and was so jittery, I could not stand it. When I was able to get the p.o. meds again, and some relief, I said I did not ever want to experience that again. I am so glad for this board.

Unless you have lived with chronic pain I do not think you can fully understand the ordeal one has to go through to get your pain to a level that makes you think life is worth living.
I have lived with chronic back pain for ten years. I had a doctor tell me that I was addicted to pain meds after seeing me one time. this was 4 months after a three level fusion. I still have three herniated discs in my neck that make me miserable. but not as miserable as doctors, pharmacists and their techs, and nurses with the attitude that if you are asking for pain medication and are not crying or whatever that you are just seeking meds.
I too am one of those people who have learned to mask my pain. I do not want my husband or children to know the degree of pain I have learned to live with.
I no longer take narcotic pain meds, there are days I would if I had them, but wont ask for them any longer.
as for the smiley faces and the number system they are better than nothing which is what a patient had to deal with before.
And how often do people in chronic pain get asked about depression. It goes hand in hand, living with chronic pain is depressing. It takes away from the quality of life a person lives.
Sorry this is a soap box of mine

Yes, I can really imagine how you feel and fully agree that untreated pain create depression and lower the quality of life. I am in a similar situation with 3 different types of chronic head/neck-pain; cluster headache, migraine and cervicogen headache. I have asked my doctor if we could have an agreement about painkillers; and now I get wat I need on regular basis. I am not afraid of getting NO, because we have this kind of contract.

Of course: if its something acute: she will asess the situation: and give me treatment.

I have been thrue some operations in the local hospital: and there they met me with arroganse and devaluating: The first p.op. day: they told me after a laparascopy and goldbladder ectomi that I could be addicted to the medication, so I had to keep my mouth shout......Well; after sending me home the sec. day, without listening: I come to my doctor with SEVERE pain and bleeding and infection witch they had ignored at the hospital.

I learned something out of this: As a nurse: ALLWAYS LISTEN TO THE PT.-AND DO AN ASSESSMENT IF THE PT COMPLAIN! AND LET THE DOCT. DO AN ***. TOO, IF YOU STILL ARE UNSECURE ABOUT THE SIT.

Also that pt. with cronic pain often need doses in an acute sit. that are much higher than pt. without cronich pain. Often they need something sedative too.

I think doctors and nurses generally do a great job with canser pain, - but when the pt have chronic pain w.out malignancy, they dont know how to treat the pt; because of lack of knowledge. Pt w.out malignancy ALSO need ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT; BUT NOT NESCES. NARCOTIC MEDICATION. SOMETIME THE DOC. HAVE TO ADMIT THAT FEKS. LONG-LASTING NARC. MEDICATION AS A CAPSULE IS THE ONLY WAY TO CEEP GOING. USED CORRECTLY: THEY DONT CREATE THE NEGATIVE SIDEEFFECT THAT ADDICTED PT." WANTED", AND THE PT. DONT "GET HIGH" ON THEESE TYPE OF MEDICATION.
(sorry, my english is so bad , and my lack of practice is still there; but I try! Its hard to express the nuances...)

I too have chronic pain, one hotly discussed here and there as an in your head disease. . I have fibryomylagia as well as 4 herniated disks. im curious to know how do you deal with your pain while at work, and if im not being to nosey,may i ask what is your pain due to?? Thanks
Liz