[old_busted]

Well ... i am going to my primary doctor, (new ... I now have some insurance) ... I have seen her once and got referrals for a psych and pain mgmt drs. I called both specialists yesterday and got the "we need referalls from dr, mri's, your medical records since birth, any surgical information, diagnosis, 1st born, left testicle (not the right!!), in triplicate before we will even consider seeing you" crap from the receptionist.

I have done this before ... was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in 1998, after i blew out 3 discs, got in a bad accident in 2005 (my foot was torn off and reconstructed along with various, rods, pins, screws etc.) after my accident ... I was in wheelchair for 6 mo.,crutches for another 6, and now hobble at about 1/4 speed with pain that varies from moderate to OMFG!!!! at any given time ... I saw a (term used loosely) "PAIN SPECIALIST" for almost 4 yrs ... received so many epidurals, nerve blocks, therapy, etc. I can't remember them all !!! But VERY few pain killers ... she was really good at making me hurt worse but not helping me to feel better !! I was even set up with a tinge implant that was supposed to help ... it worked for about a day before the pain was back to what i call normal ... come to think of it ... about the ONLY relief I got from that WHOLE DEAL was when I went in for a procedure (every other week) and they SOMETIMES gave me some versaid before they did it??

I am trying to work in the system and always have ... and i am staring at the doing ALL THAT CRAP OVER AGAIN !!!! Its not that big of a deal ... I go as long as I can stand it, without pain meds ... then I TRY and get a few months of meds in order to keep from going completely out of my mind and actually get a few things done without paying for it in pain, suffering, sleep, and sanity !!! I really don't see the big problem!?!?!?! I can only imagine that this has got worse since I was last involved!?!?

Isn't there someone doing something to help the people ??? The primaries all push u off to PAIN MGMT ... PM do everything BUT MANAGE YOUR PAIN !!! ... meanwhile they all get paid ... and cover their butts !! If I were an animal ... they wouldn't have done all the things to me that they have??? it would be considered INHUMAN and CRUELTY !!

this treatment of so many Americans is just not acceptable!! my pain directly impacts my mental state, and i have been to the point of making the decision to live with it or die just to escape it ... sometimes it is a day to day thing. The medical and the government may actually prefer us to go away??

I DON'T WANT TO HAVE PROCEDURE AFTER PROCEDURE THAT MAKES ME HURT WORSE ... I JUST WANT TO FEEL A LITTLE BETTER FOR A LITTLE WHILE ... HAVE A SMALL TIME WHEN MY BRAIN AND BODY CAN REST FROM THE CONSTANT ONSLAUGHT OF PAIN AND ALL THE COMPLICATIONS IT CAUSES !!! THE SYSTEM IS BROKE ... AND IT APPEARS NO ONE WILL FIX IT !?!?!

i am not a person that wishes bad things ... but I truly hope that all involved with the laws, procedures, and mess that we call "pain mgmt" get to spend a few years in our shoes !!!!

[old_busted]

yep ... as i suspected ... this dr is (as I believe 99% of are) useless !! as I said ... a new dr so I thought she may want to know my situation, my experiences, what I have done to help/take care of these problems ... but they don't even listen!!! DO NOT CARE!!! I should have stayed home and just talked to my wall?? I don't know why I try ... been there, done that ... DONE WITH IT !!!! the definition of insanity - doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome!!! the medical system is a BUSINESS plan and simple ... they DO NOT have the patients best interest in mind ... they do not CARE about your well being, quality of life, or helping you have some type of normalcy ... you are a PAY CHECK !! and if your insured ... they would rather you DIE AND PAY FOR IT TO HAPPEN SLOWLY ... BLEED YOU LIKE A TICK!!! AT BEST ...YOU ARE A CONDITION ... NOT A PERSON, AND YOUR CONDITION DETERMINES HOW MUCH THEY(and their cohorts)STAND TO PROFIT ... and how much they need to cover themselves legally ... they have it all figured out ... please the government, the partners, the insurance companies, the other doctors, the drug companies ... it really doesn't matter what is the right thing to do, the moral thing, the smartest or easiest thing ... its all mind over matter ... if they don't mind ... it don't matter

[gayleggg]

I'm terribly sorry you are in such pain and can't get any relief. I have pain issues but are minor compared to yours. And you are right the pain definitely affects our mental health.
gayle

[old_busted]

been a long week ... long from over. I don't know if anyone is actually reading this ... but I can't get a blog on here yet ... so ...
UPDATE: Fri. Aug. 9: Tuesday morning - went to Primary care dr....MISERABLE, at about a 5(overall) on pain scale (for the last 6 days) HOPING to get a FEW DAYS of pain meds ... she got up and LEFT THE ROOM while i was explaining my conditions and going to ask for meds ... i was sent to get MRI of lumbar on wed. (in order to get referral for pain mgmt)... got it (I walked out with a disc of MRI) the radiologist is across the street from primary dr.btw ... wednesday pain got worse ... no sleep, feet swelled to the point of bursting, at a solid 8.5 on the pain scale for a full 36 hrs ... I emailed the dr. at 6:30 am Thursday morning ... here is the email ... please read my earlier posts if u havent already (sorry about the ranting)

I wanted to pass on info that the pain mgmt office may ask you for ... my left femur rod was done at liberty oct. 2004, left foot pinned and right calcanius was reconstructed at KU in nov. 04, epidurals, nerve blocks, tinge unit trial at midwest spinal, and numerous mri through the same place i went yesterday and north kc hospital. since seeing you tuesday, conditions improved ... but my pain levels have increased since then. Tuesday my back was at 4, left foot at 2, and right foot was at 4 ... since then they have gone crazy !! I have been trying to manage them (like I always do) with heat/ice, rest, elevation, stretching/exercises, meditation techniques, aleve and/or enzyme/vitamin supplements, etc. It is 6:20 am thursday morning and my back is at 6-7, my left foot at 5, and right foot is at 8.5 (both feet are swelled up really bad also) it is not nueropathic (not sure about the term) and I also had 3 - 10/325 hydrocodone tablets i saved from a prescription I got when I had 23 teeth pulled in february ... they knocked it down for 4-5 hrs yesterday, and I will gladly come in to show you, if you could please give me enough meds to knock this down for a few days ... please feel free to contact me at XXX-XXX-XXXX with any questions or concerns !!! like i said i am in severe distress and can not afford to go to the ER ... 200 - 300 dollars is very hard for me to come by ... thanks

She NEVER replied,called, nurse didn't call or anything ... left to suffer thru it ... (she received the email at 8:52 am Thu)

Friday - The nurse from my dr. office calls me at 3:30 pm ... tells me "uuuuuhhh, we got your MRI results back ... uuhhhh ... you have 5 herniated discs and spinal stenosis (closing of spinal column of nerves) ... uhhhh ... we recommend that you go see a neurosurgeon as soon as possible" keep in mind there are only like 7 discs in the lumbar, and ONE of those is COMPLETELY GONE !! 2 vertebra are sitting on top of each other flat, no gap at all !! and the rest of my back is not much better ... but no MRI of that.

I asked her "did you get the referral to the pain mgmt office taken care of, they WILL NOT CONSIDER taking me as a patient until they get proof I am in need of it ??" she sez "you mean for the neurosurgeon?? i didn't know about pain mgmt referral???" and she digs a little and says "OH OK ... I will send that off too !!!" I asked for the referral to pain mgmt on JULY 26th !!!!!! I was in pain then (as always) She told me i wouldn't need one ... i called PM and they read me the riot act and rattled off the list of things MY PRIMARY CARE DR needs to send for me to "BE CONSIDERED FOR TREATMENT" ... SO I WENT BACK TO PRIMARY DR (using term loosely) in order to MAKE HER send the stuff to PM. ... I CALLED BACK TO MAKE SURE THE REFERRAL GOT TO PAIN MGMT ... to my surprise ... THEY ACTUALLY DID IT !!! although I am SUPREMELY CONFIDENT the PM office will NOT HAVE all of the things I need "TO BE CONSIDERED FOR TREATMENT"

2 WEEKS TO GET A REFERRAL SENT TO AN OFFICE !! OH BTW ... NO PAIN MEDS EITHER ... THEY MRI'D A SMALL PART OF MY BACK, SAW HOW MESSED UP IT IS (and at the moment is only about 1/3 of source of pain) AND STILL WON'T GIVE MEDS ... i didn't even bother to ask today !! ROFLMAO !!!!!!!!

I HAVE NEVER BEEN LABELED AN ADDICT ... granted ... I needed some help getting off them after the initial accident, and I have managed my intake, intentionally NOT taken them as long as I can stand the pain ... I have been on and off of them for 8 yrs and know all of the pitfalls, DO EVERYTHING I POSSIBLY CAN TO MANAGE CONDITIONS AND PAIN THRU ANY OTHER METHOD (supplements/exercises/rest/avoidance/etc) THERE IS NO REASON ANY DR. COULDN'T AND SHOULDN'T PRESCRIBE A FEW DAYS, WEEKS OR EVEN MONTHS OF PAIN KILLERS FOR ME !!!??? I WAS TOLD NOT TO EVEN BOTHER GOING TO THE E.R., THEY WON'T GIVE PAIN MEDS TO ANYONE EVEN IF I WALKED IN THERE WITH MY SKULL SPLIT OPEN !!!

HOW LONG WOULD MY DOCTOR LET HER DOG TRY AND LIVE WITH PAIN LIKE THIS ???? SHE WOULD HAVE IT PUT TO SLEEP IF SHE COULDN'T HELP IT ANY ... BUT ME ... IT TAKES 2 FULL WEEKS TO GET A REFERRAL TO "BE CONSIDERED FOR TREATMENT" BY A PAIN SPECIALIST ????

[old_busted]

Thru all of this ... I was determined to keep my head up, My head was feeling SO MUCH better this week (a mania episode maybe??) I was doing great with it too ... i am still hurting so bad, i don't know how I stand it ... but i do??? but i guess the "clash with reality" (not just dr stuff) has left me with the knowledge that this WILL NOT CHANGE, no matter how hard i try ... any relief will have to come from inside ... and I don't have much left in me, i am completely used up, spent, cashed, toast, fubar, emotionally and physically bankrupt as well as monetarily !!! unable to change circumstances and not willing to fight the system that is place to care for the unhealthy people of this country.

[Gr3tta]

I am sorry to see you are in so much pain, and that you are struggling so much to receive treatment. It is very difficult to receive pain management that works. It sounds like you are and have explored many different options. If you experience intolerable pain while you are waiting for your referrals, I DO urge you to go to the ER. ER's are sometimes more accustomed to dealing with people in extreme pain than doctors offices. If you need to work out a payment arrangement with them, it would be worth it if they help you. They can also order urgent tests such as MRI's or other imaging more quickly than a doctors office if they see urgent need.
I hope you will be on your way to relief very soon.

[old_busted]

I have been told the ER's are all full of drug seekers atm ?? I know A LOT of people that work there ... and others that have been there recently ... THAT's what REALLY bothers me about this whole thing ... I WAS TOLD BY AN ER NURSE ... that if someone is being treated by a PAIN MANAGEMENT practice, the ER has been instructed NOT TO GIVE ANY PAIN MEDS TO ANYONE THAT IS IN PAIN MANAGEMENT TREATMENT NO MATTER WHAT THEIR PROBLEM IS !!! so NOW that my doctor has pushed me off on them ... I could get in an accident, fall down a flight of stairs, split my head open ... go to the ER and NOT GET TREATED BECAUSE i am being seen by PM !!!??? what is that !!! THAT SAME NURSE had a full hysterectomy operation ... she is recovering IN THE HOSPITAL and they wouldn't give her anything for the post op pain !!! I am all for shutting down pill mills, getting addicts off of them and making it harder to get pain meds ... but that is just ludicrous !!!! people that could use the relief are being punished for BAD DOCTORS, failure to regulate, and gross misuse of authority !!! the doctors and hospitals are refusing to give them out JUST to make the government and insurance companies happy and prove THEIR POINT !!

I appreciate u caring enough to post, and thx for your advise ... at this point ... I don't really know if I want to TRY and go in to ER ?? I have had enough aggravation !! I am afraid I will go in ... they will give me a line about the evils of pain meds ... not treat me ... and I won't be able to control myself and end up hurting AND LOCKED UP !!! then labeled a DRUG SEEKER!!!??? I am honestly at that point !?!?!? I really feel those are my choices ??? I can SUFFER, or risk NEVER getting any pain relief ????? this is so miserable ... i am sure there are a lot of people in the same situation ... but what can i do

[Gr3tta]

I have not been treated at a pain clinic, so I cannot speak of personal experience there, but I work in a medical setting and know patients who are seen by pain clinics and receiev a variety of treatments from multiple disciplines. And this includes pain medications.
Some hospitals have specific rules about prescribing meds, such as no narcotics to outpatients, but may prescribe them if they admit you. To my knowledge this is a matter of hospital policy only, not state regulation. I have had good experience in emergency pain relief from the ER.
I honestly do understand how maddening it is. It is so hard to find the right things that work. Sometimes narcotics are not helpful either, because they deplete your bodies own dopamine producing abilities. (Not implying you shouldn't take them, just fyi) have you tried any modalities like diathermy or electrical stimulation? Some people find immense relief from these. That might be something the pain clinic offers once your referral goes through. I know the surgery referral is frustrating because it will take time, but maybe that will resolve at least some of your pain (I know it won't help your feet) in the long term. Do you have rx shoes for your feet? If not that might be another option to look into.
I hope once your referrals are processed you will start finding some real solutions.

[old_busted]

syea ... i have had so many procedures, and trialed a tinge implant ... and I have about 30 different things I do from every philosophy I can find ... and I can usually get my back pain down to a lesser level, but my feet (especially the right one) get to a certain point and NOTHING works to get it back down ... except pain meds ... unfortunately. Believe it or not opioids do lend a certain amount of relief for my body, brain and nervous system !! its hard to explain ... the pain is ALWAYS there (even with opiods) what I try to control is the pain level ... it seems like the constant pain at any level still drains your nervous system, brain function, bodily functions ??? i don't sleep much with or without and after awhile I am not thinking right, i can't do the simplest tasks without EXTREME difficulty, clumsy and uncoordinated, i end up hurting myself by accident 5 or 6 times a day, and just general zombie like actions ... and when you get some meds ... its like a recharge of the depleted systems ???? or at least a displacement of the energy being used by those systems that are taxed by constant pain ... allowing them to re coop a little ??? like i said its hard to explain ... and I don't want meds all the time ... I try and do everything i can, to do the same things the meds do, nothing works as well ... I just want some meds when everything is so run down nothing else works

[old_busted]

MON AUG 12 - ok ... so I went to the ER last night ... i just couldn't stand it any longer. They didn't give a crap about any of the tHings causing my pain ... but they did give me 12 pain pills. I overheard the doctor telling the nurses (they were outside of my room) "the guy in bed 12 is SO LUCKY, i am tired and don't feel like dealing with him"

I AM LUCKY !!!! while I do appreciate him giving me a few pain pills ... the ONLY reason he did it was because it was the easiest thing he could do to get me out of his hair ?!! otherwise I would i would have most likely been there all night, and received no help at all ??

The Pain Mgmt office called me today and i go in wed. AND i can tell you now, exactly what is going to happen when I go ... but I am trying to refrain so I will keep it short. They will want to put me on blood thinners and give me epidurals (i have had dozens of these, they don't work) I have been here, done this, ain't doing it all over again !!!

IAM SERIOUSLY TRYING NOT TO BE PESSIMISTIC, SOOooooo I will go see this PM Dr and the neurosurgeon, and the psych dr ... hope for the best, and prepare for the worst !! and i have actually found some solace in plan b ... i just need to get a lot of stuff taken care of !!

[old_busted]

Aug. 13: I have my 1st appt with pain management tomorrow ... I am hopeful

[Gr3tta]

So how did it go? Well, i hope! I hope you're on your way to feeling lots better. Please take care, and send an update when you are able.

[kindachaotic]

Holy Crap!! just read this thread, I have no words.
Can not imagine this day in & day out. You're one tough soul.
Am anxious to know if you got or think you're gonna get some relief.
You are in my thoughts.