Welcome to our new pain management forum

I also live with chronic pain, have you tried a pain management clinic, one that only deals with pain????
LIZ

Yes, I have a good experience with pain management clinic: My first impression was: I didn't have to defence my pain: the anestesiologist belived me....And when I got the cryo-therapy (frozening the occipital nerves by skull basis), he told me the second time I come for therapy; You had really severe pain, and treatment out of control; then the nerves got pain impulses continually. The best thing was to get understanding and meet someone who belived your pain!!! The sec. thing to get regular treatment: every 4 th mnd. No have asked to join a cronic pain - learning to live-class. I think I have much to learn from other people; them as well as here! Thank you for shearing your experiences!

I had a recent similar experience in our local ER. After I got home, I went right to bed, and later woke up with a raging fever, chills, and pain.
The origins of my pain include severe cervical DDD with collapse that is pressing on my spinal cord, and has a lot of spurring on the left side, Post embolotic (phantom) pain (my most dreaded one. I present with the same symptoms as an AMI), pinched nerve in my groin, and severe osteoarthritis throughout my body. My doctor only believes the arthritis one, and our local pain specialist is a real GROUCH, who due to the multiple side effects I have from drugs, (especially narcotics), He told me he can't help me.

I am really sorry to hear that medical staff can treat you in that way, but I am not supprised!

I visited my neurologist yesterday; and she told me that they the last year they have been experienceded that people chemestry systemj is different: some people will respons and tolerate A HUGE DOSES OF FECS. DIAZEPAM UNTIL THEY GETT EFFECT, OTNER WILL SLEEP OF A STILLNOCT IN 4 PIECES. iT HAS SOMETHING WITH THE RESCEPTOR FOR GABA IN THE BRAIN. She told me that maybee I was tolerating huge doses; and not suspecting me being an addict. The way to find out was to make a serum-blodd test, for seeing how much medication it was the moringing after taking feks benzodiasepin. It was a great relief, becaue I allways fet that I had to take high doses. Now I got some scietific explaniation on it. Anyone else who has the same problem?
And for the second: Does anyone has experience with cryo-therapy against intens neck-pain?

I have need for any suggestions - I have a pt in chronic pain who it has been an issue to get her pain meds increased. I was able to get her 3mg Dilaudid q3, but her pain is never under control and she asks for her next dose at least an hour before she is due. (Pinched nerve pain and possible beginning of CA pain). She is allergic to morphine, ASA, percocet and I think NSAIDs also. Can anyone think of some alternative pain therapy that might help? PT, warm compresses haven't worked either. I can't think of anything to suggest - I feel like I only harass the MDs about her uncontrolled pain.

No need to apologize... It is having the courage to write what you did that helps people like me to know that I'm no different and that I'm not crazy. Pain and the feelings that come along with it are a complicated thing. People think that they understand pain but like you said, no matter how compassionate a person is, if they THEMSELVES have not and DO NOT live with pain every day of their lives, they can't possibly know how much it wears on a persons soul. It is even harder for many DOCTORS to understand because they think that if I depend on a medicine so greatly that I would contimplate just "giving up" if I thought I had to face life without it everyday, then I must be an addict. Adspecially in my case because in many ways my pain is still a mystery. My body apparently thinks something is WRONG enough that without my meds it is about an 8 HOWEVER THEY CAN'T SEE IT!!! EVERYTHING that they have tested for has come back negative. My Fibromyalgia diagnosis was PURELY exclusion. The fact that I am only 21 makes things even worse because people aren't USUALLY in this kind of pain until their late 30's early 40's, and sometimes even later than that. I was always healthy, never had any sort of chronic pain before I was in Danceline and acting in Highschool, then I got pregnant @ 17... It turned out to be boy/girl twins and I went from 125 pounds to 215 pounds in 9 months. My hips seperated after about 6 months, my ribs shifted and I carried my wonderful children for 39 weeks. I had a scheduled C-section. This was the happiest time in my life, however, it would be the beginning of the hardest time in my life. The pain from my c-section and the muscle pain from staying in the hospital bed 12 hours after surgery really just never went away. The way I explained it at first was that I felt like I was 80, not 18... The doctor who delivered my twins sent me to 1 Rheum. who first tried Lortab and Morphine, (Made me feel weird so then we tried Fentanyl Barely worked and burned my skin. Then she sent me to another Rheum. he confirmed the Fibro diagnosis and put me on oxycontin then sent me back to my Family Doc. That med messed me up and didn't help much either. Anyway through trying all those different meds I ended up on the one I thought took care of the pain the best, Methadone. After trying all the others this med was a miracle 'cause it pushed my pain from about an 8 all the down to a 1 or 2 for the most part. HOWEVER, I have gotten to the point where I am SICK AND TIRED of depending on a medicine that can so easily be taken away (adspecially since my Family Doctor just moved to Colorado and left me with a first year resident who probably has no pain patients. I am getting increasingly worried that it will be taken away JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN'T find anything else wrong with me so I wanted her to start wheaning me. JUST AS SCARY! If I don't do this slowly enough to learn how to deal with this pain through excersise and God knows what else I will ruin my life. I have SO MANY DREAMS AND AMBITIONS, so many people I want to help and I want to be a good Mom and a good wife. I just hate feeling like without this medicine I can never accomplish those things. My Husband, as encouraging as he wants to be, doesn't want me to keep wheaning. He thinks that if I don't say something now and I go ahead and whean off before I'm ready that I will be screwed. I think that one thing that will help is having a more experienced Doctor to help me do this. I started the wheaning with my old Dr. and now with this new Doctor she is just doing it the way she wants to and as quickly as she wants because she doesn't have to care that she has my life in her hands. Right now, I don't know AT-ALL how to deal with pain without medicine and if I look at it as a life long battle, I will never make it. I have a strong faith in God and I think that he could help me with this but in a way I still have this nagging feeling like Fibro should be managable and maybe if there is something they aren't seeing and they find it they could take care of a huge part of my pain so that I can better deal with it. They are leaving me with the impression that I should give up and there is nothing else that could be wrong with me... I apologize that no I am not a nurse but you all seemed like you are quite intelligent AND you know how I feel (possibly you have had more time to learn things that I haven't yet. I apologize for this being so long but please post a reply if ya'll get a chance.

*Sarah

Dearest Sarah,

First, I am SO glad to see a NEW post on this thread!!! I have been a member here for awhile, but always had trouble logging on so I basically gave up. Now here I am!

I have been a Nurse for 16 years and am back in school again...there is always something more to go for in Nursing!

I also have suferred with Chronic Pain since I was in my early 20's, I just turned 49!! Mine is located in my Thoracic Spine, the most unusual place for the back to have injuries/disorders, etc. Usually it is the lower back or neck, as they are the most 'moveable' of the spine.

I've had 2 surgeries and about 30 Procedures. I had to leave nursing for awhile, and was able financially to do so. Now, I have to get back to work. I adore Hospice nursing and will be looking at that, although for some reason am being pulled to do some travel nursing, but still stay here in CA. Enough about me, except that I write a Blog about my life in pain, @ http://shaunaslifeinpain.blogspot.com and I think you may find a few things that could possibly help, the main focus is if I reached just ONE person that was in CP, I had done my job.

Feeling alone and being in Chronic Pain has to be one of the worst things out there! If I could only touch fingers with someone, I say to them, and let them feel what I do, then they would truly 100% understand. The most understanding I have gotten has been when my family or friends have a back injury for a few days or a week off thier feet and in acute pain, they ask me, "How do you DO IT every DAY?" How can I answer that?

I take Narcotics as part of my pain management therapy. I was blessed to find a good Pain Clinic at a World-renown teaching hospital that I live by, and was with them for about 4 years. I left b/c the new students would come in, (well, new doctors-residents), and be there for their rotation for 6 months, and I'd see them first, then my regular doc, thier teacher. Then in 6 months, a new face would walk in and I'd have to re-tell my entire story to them. I just got tired of that. I was then blessed again to find a Pain/Rehabilitation Hospital, and I have been seeing the Medical Director for almost 5 years now! He is an in my life. He beleives my pain, and has worked WITH me to find a regime that works. I still have pain regardless of the meds, although they will take it down (some days) to a 1-2.

Here is what you said that stood out to me the MOST.



"Anyway through trying all those different meds I ended up on the one I thought took care of the pain the best, Methadone. After trying all the others this med was a miracle 'cause it pushed my pain from about an 8 all the down to a 1 or 2 for the most part."

You said THE most important thing! You said that something had helped your pain go down from your 8's, to a 1-2 kind of as I feel. Honey, you really must find a pain doctor. Someone who has trained for this, has love for what they do, and most of all, belives in their patients report of pain. As you know, when we are pain patients, we do NOT feel the 'high' that the addicts do. For we are not addicts, and our receptors are busy at work to help with the pain, not to get us high. I do feel some side-effects at times from my meds but for the most part, I am fine mentally.

I suffer from depression, which came first? Pain or that? They do go hand in hand.

But to hear you worried (not good for Chronic Pain Patients!) that you are going to be either weaned off against your will, and I am so so sorry that your doc moved, that is always SO hard, and you have a new one that seems to be moving too fast....That is not cool. In any sense of the owrd. It does not matter if you are 20, or my age to be in pain hun. Pain is pain. Just b/c yours has not been diagnosed yet, means nothing when you say very seriously that you are in pain. I'm sure the non-diagnosis is so hard for you too. I've had an undiagnosed condition unrelated (?) to my back problems that has not been given a diagnosis after 2 years, and it is making me crazy. enet to UCLA and thought, ok, they are the TOPS, my Family doc sent me there and said they would examine me from head to toe. Ummm, NOT!! Never looked at my back, where this problem 1st started. I had to keep up with the obvious rush they were in, didn't get a chance to tell them all I HAD to, and I had to tell them, "Look at this, my scalp", when they had no intention of doing so. The ooooed and aaaahed when they saw what I was trying to show them, yet I walked out with NOTHING. Not that I expected a diagnosis that day. I did expect lots of tests. But they had no answer to the question as they are all walking out, "Well, can you tell me of a shampoo or ANYTHING TO HELP MY ITCHING, as I stood everywhere in that office itching my head like a monkey, they blankly stared at me and said, NO.

HUH??????

So, your predicament is one that must be handled by a Pain Specialist, or an Anesthesiologist who treats Chronic Pain. If you'd like, look at my profile, and you can write me directly, or just answer here as it would be a great way to keep this thread up to date!! I live in Southern California, and would be more than happy to help you in finding someone where you live.

Just remember, the one thing out of many that caught my attention in your post was when you said your pain had gone down. THAT is THE #1 thing that you need! AT your young age, it is easy to let others put too many 2 cents in, but you and your hubby sound strong and I agree with him that you should stay on your meds. Oxycontin was a horrid mind-freak for me. Fentanyl pathches changing from Morphine was the worst 14 days I have gone through. It gave me the feeling of what it would be like to live without pain meds. I can't do it. I now know that I will be on them the rest of my life, and I am certainly ok with that. If my pain keeps getting worse as the pieces of bone growing from everywhere on my spine keep sticking into my spinal cord, if my DDD keeps getting worse with age, if my spinal stenosis (narrowing of the cord), keeps getting worse, (which they all will), then my meds go right along with them!! And that is that.

I hope this gave you some hope, just to know I am out there, a fellow pain person that truly understands you.

Gentle hugs, and I wish you a low or no pain day,

Shauna

Oh cr** there's no spell check here????

My heart goes out to you for not be diagnosed yet for your pain, I'm very sorry for that. I went through that with my neck pain about 10yrs ago, my regular doc said it must just be arthritis, even though I had a huge knot on my upper left back at my neck, When I got in to see the specialist, he told me that was muscle knotted up from the injury, and the MRI was impressive (?) it showed the changing of color in my spinal cord from pressure on it. The cervical fusion was absolutely wonderful, until a couple of months later when I continued to have pain, not really knowing where it was coming from, he then told me he thought I just wanted to continue on pain meds, that I could not have more damage. Turns out I have 4 herniated thoracic discs, and stenosis DDD,DJD and so on and so on and so on...so when I had my consultation with the new doc, I faxed him a copy of the MRI results, and surgery notes. Just to rub it in a little. Anyway I'm sorry to get off on a tangent, it seems we nurses (and other people) get pushed to the catagory of"addicts" because we're not on deaths door. And one might think because we work in the field of medicine it would be easier for us. Soooooo Sorry for everything you've been through, getting a pain specialist (associated with Ortho Indy) 5yrs ago was the best thing for me. She never doubted me about my pain from day one. take care, hang in there....DO NOT GIVE UP!!!!

WOW! What a great find. As a nurse manager of a CHRONIC pain clinic and working in one for 10 years it is nice to see this forum. There is a vast difference between chronic and acute pain and the treatment of such. I work with a great anesthesiologist and have a nurse practitioner in a pain clinic based in a small hospital. We average 55 patients a day doing both medical management and procedures. We have found primary care physicians are very hesitant to write narcotics, causing the narcotic management of this practice increase significantly in the last couple of years. We find most physicians not in pain management are our of their comfort zone when dealing with pain medications, causing nursing staff anxious moments of dealing with patients acute pain. Hang in there remember you are making a difference.

I am a nursing student working on my BSN.

After I graduate, I plan to work 1 year in Med/Surg to get experience.

After Med/Surg, I would like to focus in pain management.

1) Can I get a masters degree that focuses on Pain Management? (Family Nurse Practitioner?)

2) What are their hours like? (Work life balance)

3) How much does a nurse with a masters in Pain Management make? Same as a NP?

Thank you in advance!