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I am a 25 year old male that suffers from really bad lower back pain and sciatica. I have my first appointment with a chronic pain management doctor in August and am worried about a few things. The main thing I have encountered is unsympathetic doctors who think that because of my age, I am only trying to obtain narcotics to get high. This is completely false and VERY upsetting. My MRI show's 3 bulging discs and spinal stenosis. Nothing like a hernited or ruptured disc, but still enough to cause pretty bad chronic pain.
It has affected my life in very negative ways. I have an 18 month old daughter. It kills me inside that just doing everyday things with her almost puts me down for the count, and even sometimes does. I'm really depressed. I've had doctors put me on narcotics but only give me enough to last a week or two. Those two weeks I am able to function and work and play etc.. and then they won't refill them and it's back to hurting and being depressed because of the pain. My job is a physically demanding job and it gets harder and harder each month just to do my job.
So, what should I do or say when I go to the physiatrist(pain managment doc) to make them believe I am in as much pain as I say I am. I am NOT trying to get a high etc... I want to be able to live a normal life and not worry about fighting with my girlfriend because I'm always grumpy and not wanting to go do things because I'm hurting so bad. My pain ranges from a 3 to a 7. Most days I'd say a 5 or 6. RARELY is it an 8 or 9. It's bad enough to warrant some type of pain management or else my current doc would not have referred me to the physiatrist. So, what should I do??? I've tried all kinds of drugs. Lyrica, voltaren, lidocaine patches, flexeril, ultram, motrin, tylenol, right now i'm on a muscle relaxer meant for MS patients. I've had steroid shots, medrol dose packs, shots of dilaudid, etc... I'm tired of living in pain everyday and all of the stress that it causes in my family's life. It's a constant battle every day to find a way to make the pain bearable. What should I do when I go to this appointment?
My first meeting wife a psychiatrist was with worker compensation. It sis not go well he gave me some neurontin and some ultram. I was in much greater pain than these would relieve.he had me kick off work comp. he said I smiled to much to be in that much pain. So my family doctor sent me to pain management doc who believed me about pain I was given fentanyl patch, antiseizure meds was eventually given a implanted neuro stimulator I have a different PM doc now he is a God sent.
Tell the Doc the TRUTH, keep a diary of your pain from this moment until your appointment. Explain everything you did in your original post, plus everything else you suffer. Take the pain diary with you. Any good pain doc will take urine samples almost every time you walk in the door so the fear of being a druggy should not be there. Mine does for every pump fill, prescription renew, injections etc. The only time he doesn''t is when I go in just to talk about new symptoms or something else, like a program modification to stimulator or something. Good luck, and above all be truthful and honest.
Well, I had my appt today. I was copletely honest with him and told him how this pain affects my life. There were no urine samples or anything like that. He told me I have chronic pain syndrome and fibromyalgia. He would not put me on anything stronger than ultram even though I told him that's what I"m currently taking and it isn't working. He also prescribed me an anti depressant called lexapro and put me on ambien for sleep. I don't want the symptoms of my pain treated, I want the PAIN treated. I've tried everything and no doctor has put me on a narcotic pain management routine yet because of how young I am. It's the only thing that works though. I've tried countless medications and none of them do anything and the side effects are aweful. I dunno what to do.. I"m crushed.. today is aweful...I can't take the pain anymore.
Sorry for my last post. I had more to say but for some reason it did not all get thru. I am 53 I was hurt in 1980 and have had cronic pain since then, and I know what you are going tru. Your age does paly a factor in getting pain relief and the fact that you live in ore is another mark not in your favor. I lived in ore from 1984-1996, at which time I had my 3rd major back sugery. While I was living there it was next to impossable to get pain relief from the docs up there. the BME keeps a close watch on docs that RX narc meds to people. They are afraid of turning us into addics. I was working as a respiratory theripist and knew the docs very well when I had my sugery in 96, after that my surgon would only give me enough meds for 30 days after that i was unable to get anymore relief. My family doc also a working freind told me of ore view on cronic pain, and told me that I should move out of state, being that I was no longer able to work due to the pain. I returned to calif and stsrted to see the doc that got me on my feet back in 81. He even put me thru all the treatments from spinal blocks to tens units. He sent me to a pain doc who finally started to treat me with meds that would work. I have a morphine pump and use oxycodone drops Q4 as needed. I am sorry you are having a hard time, but being up in bend does not help your case. You also said that you do hard physical work. that does not help matters. If you have the mri's and other proff that you do have a problem you should find a good ortho doc. I used to work at St charles there for a few years but I can't remember any of the docs. I am going to see my doc in a few days and will ask him if he knows anyone up there that can help you. I really do know what you are going thru as I said I was hurt in 1980 and ahve been hurting every day since then that is 29 years and 7 months. BTW was you hurt on the job?
I am one year older then you; and I completely symathize with you. I have had chronic back pain for over a year. I was in a couple minor accidents in 2008; then another In August 2008; and then finally one in April 2009 that increased my pain significantly. They have never been able to find what was causing my pain; and therefore I often feel like Doctors think I am just trying to get drugs. The thing is that my pain is so bad, that drugs don't even work for me. I don't get euphoria or high; the doses that I am on now would make most people pass out; but do nothing for me. It's so frustrating...it's not my fault; yet I feel like Doctors look at me like; whats wrong with you? It's really hard. Hang in there.
Posts: 2 | Location: Milwaukee, WI | Registered: 08-17-2009
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