Pain Management Community

Unfortunately, yes, there will always be those that do not take the time to try to understand what others are going through and just make uninformed and ignorant assumptions about other people based on little tidbits of information. Every obese person is lazy, everyone on welfare is abusing the system and just doesn't want to work, and everyone seeing PM doctors are drug addicts. It's an unfortunate part of society, but it's there. If you require pain management, then you need to go, especially if you are trying to raise children on your own. How can you be an effective parent if you all you can concentrate on is your pain? You aren't losing your independance; you are in need of medical care. Those w/ diabetes need insulin, those w/ asthma need inhalers, and those in pain need treatment too, be it medication, blocks, surgery, etc. That is all that it means. And not all pain medication is narcotic. They probably will not start you out on that type of medication at first anyway and will most likely try to treat your issue w/ other modalities, as you said, blocks and the like. If you need surgery, then you need surgery. If going through a few weeks of uncomfortable pain and inconvenience leads to reduced pain and overall better quality of life, then it's worth it.

Best of luck! Please know that there are millions of pain sufferers worldwide, so you are not alone. It does not make you any less of a person because you require medical attention. You and your pain manager can discuss options and come up with the best course of action to improve your quality of life. Everyone's situation is different and only your pain management Dr. and you together can decide which path will best alleviate your pain and allow you to lead the life you deserve. Take care!

You do not have to worry about what people think if you don't tell them. It's really as simple as that. Nobody has to know you're seeing a pain management doctor. It's not anyone's business. I've been seeing a PM doctor for years and the only one that knows is my husband and one close friend. I don't talk about that or any other health issue to anyone. Not my family, not my friends and certainly not my coworkers.

I appreciate your understanding, and yes it is true that me being on PM is no one business but mine. I do believe that this informations will have to be discussed with my supervisor due to randon drug screens. No one knows at work that iahve recently started seeing a PM doctor but like i said I am pretty sure that discussion will have to happen with my supervisor.

Thank you sooo much. Oh by the way has you ever had a Epidural Ceverical block, I think that is scaring me the worst right now... Do not like needles lol

Back when I worked at an ER that contracted with companies to do random drug screens, the employees' supervisors were not a part of the equation at all. One had to tell the person, usually a nurse, doing the drug screens what meds they were on in case they came up, but that was confidential information. I never even met anyone that the person getting the test worked with, and their supervisor never got a copy of my paperwork. They got different papers, saying whether or not someone passed the test. All that meant was if the person involved took meds that were not prescribed to them and they showed up on their urine. They were not even told what the drug was exactly.

Having been in your shoes several times, I would not suggest that you tell anyone that you work with. I am with Swank on this one, I would not tell anyone other than a spouse or a best friend.

You do what is right for you, just know that you cannot take back information once you have shared it, so think hard ahead of time.

I did not have an epidural, so I can't help you there. Just do your homework first, and find out all about them before you have one.

Take care, Annette

And if you end up needing to go on disabiility you can live on it I am proof of that. And when somebody asks me what i do i tell them the truth i am a Medically Retired Paramedic Firefighter from FDNY, and i don't get any more questions. And be very careful who you tell that you are in Pain Management because once the lion is out of the cage you never get it back in.

Peace

I had a big speel i was going to give you, but the others beat me to it. Dont tell anyone you dont trust 100%. And dont worry about what others think, think about you and your children. I have been living on a disability check for four years now. With help from food stamps and the like, you can live comfortably enough.

An epidural is no big deal. Please dont worry yourself over that. You go in, they give you some feel good, and the next thing you know, you are comming back out. Its really nothing.

The bottom line---do what you have to do to survive the pain! Good luck, and best wishes from a fellow sufferer! Dennis

No, you don't have to tell your supervisor. If you fail a drug test then someone will call you up and ask you what pharmacy you're using. They'll check to make sure you have a prescription and that should be as far as it goes.