Pain Management Community

First off let me say I'm so sorry that your having to go through this! I have had Chronic Pain Sydrome for the last 7 years. I started having surgeries 11 years ago and went through 8 surgeries on my shoulder and have had 4 surgeries for the medtronic implant to block the pain. I know what your going through. First off you need to find a really good ortho doctor that will listen to you. If you get one that just brushes you off, go to another one. I was blessed with a very good one, but he was trying so hard to get me fixed that he was referring me to other Doctors that I would have to say that they needed to go back to school to learn about bedside manners and how to have some kind of compassion and kindness for what a patient is going through and not a time clock of how to fit in another patient in 15 minutes! That is my biggest beef right now is these Doctors that have forgotten their first oth and that is "I will do no harm to my patient"! They are all thinking that everyone is a drug seeker now and that no one can have that kind of pain I guess untill you just pass out from the pain right in front of them! It shouldn't have anything to do with your age at all. This sounds like a Doctor problem to me. Again you need to find one that cares which is getting harder and harder to find. You should be able to call the Doctor finder in your area that tells you what Doctors are the best in their field and that is where I would start and I would dump this guy. When you see the new Doctor and he asks why you stopped seeing your other one be very honest and just say because he didn't care enough to help me and I have kids to take care of and I can't take the pain anymore and I need help! Explain to him that your not in it for the drugs but that your in there to get some kind of help to get this fixed so you can have some kind of life with your kids. That way he or she will understand that your not looking for drugs but for help. They will see that you have tried all this other stuff to make it better and it hasn't helped so they will see you have tried to do something other then just take the meds. As a patient you have rights, and that means you can take all your records from that doctor to your new doctor so they can be up to date on what you have had done and what they haven't done. Don't let them beat you down because your the patient and their a Doctor, remember they work for you without you they don't have a job! All I can say is don't give up. Don't take their crap either as far as their getting cranky or mean or trying to say all these big words. If you don't understand what they are saying, stop them and say excuse me but can you please say that so I can understand that. They tend to get a little carried away with their words. Don't be a victim to these Doctors, as patients we all have to start to stand up to them as they are getting out of control. If they had to be in the kind of pain we are in for just one day I know that their treatment of Chronic Pain patients would be totally different. I know they have to protect themselves because of all the people that are scamming on the pain meds which is hurting all of us, but that is no reason to not take every patients complaints differently. I will pray for you to get the right help that you need and just stand up for yourself and move on is my advice as I don't think your going to get any help from this guy or you would have already have had your MRI. Good luck, and God Bless

Hi my advice is you really need to find a new doc I have had two back surgerys in the last 5 months and still in pain was luck to find a great Primary doc that referred me to a surgeon has helped but still in pain cant sit for longs periods of time or bend without alot of pain I had L5 S1 disc herniation but it took me over 16 month of pain till we found out what the problems were but was able to get meds to help with the pain you should not have to be in pain without help you really need to stand up for yourself find a new doc hope this helps. Kellie

"Marv05," we can't help you without a diagnosis. X-rays are not very helpful, as they only reveal dense material. Tumors and extruded disc material will not visualize. An MRI is useful. A Cat-scan would further enhance diagnosis.

Age has nothing to do with spinal problems. I had a wicked disc herniation at L5-S1 just days after my 17th birthday. And, I was not injured or in an accident. The problem was congenital. I would run away from any doctor that suggests problems of the spine do not exist in young people.

Return here with your MRI results and we have a discussion. Otherwise, no one here can help you because we don't have your diagnosis.

I went through the same thing (I am 25), and saw several doctors before finding one to do an MRI. The new dr. MRI'ed my cervical, thoracic and lumbar areas. We found 2 herniations in my neck. I am now going to pain managment geting injections, and am trying to decide what sugury to choose (fusion, disc replacement, or disc decompression). If you do not want to try a new dr. at least go to the E.R. one day that your back is acting up really bad. They will do a mri or ct while you are there and give you meds to controll the pain- as much as I did not like the fact of taking pain medication, it does help me tolorate the pain. hope this helps!

Arrow: Why do you seem to intent on having a surgical procedure? Try everything else first. That goes for the original poster of this thread too. Surgery is the very last resort, not the first course of action. Injections can help, but only the right ones. Usually epideral injections, which they ALWAYS start with, only help a small number of people. A mylogram may be needed to see exactly where the impingement is.

I avoided two different surgeries through injections and pain management. There are many things to do before you go under the knife. You may be pressured by doctors, especially surgeons, who want to do surgery just to pad their wallets. I hate to say that, but it can be true. I'm not perfect, but I'm glad I opted for other means of relief other than the surgeries I was told were "THE ONLY WAY" and I would be in that amount of pain for life if I didn't have surgery. Both times! Once on my neck and once in the lumbar region.

Another thing that has not been brought up on this thread yet, that I saw(I could have missed it as Charles usually mentions it) is that spinal surgeries help relieve pain in about 50% of all procedures. One of a few things can happen after a spinal surgery. Pain can improve, pain can stay the same, pain can get worse(unfortunately this happens more than they would EVER tell you) and of course there is the morbidity factor with any and every surgery. I'd say morbidity is raised a hair when it comes to spinal surgeries since that is literally the "BACKBONE" (forgive me for that one-LOL) of your Central Nervous System, along with the brain.

So, please take all of this into consideration before allowing a doctor to pressure you into a surgery that may not help, or you may not even need! Look at your options. Research all surgeries, and mostly the other, not so well known treatments for back problems, especially if you know exactly what the problem is. It is much easier to find a treatment if you know exactly what the problem is. That is where the testing comes in: MRIs,CT Scans, Mylograms, etc.

Good Luck!!!

Rick

I agree with Rick, above. Surgery should be last resort until all other options are exhausted.

Complications and risk of surgery are much higher than people think. I endured 13 surgeries after a failed Tendo-Achilles reconstruction after getting osteomyelitis. Almost lost that leg!!

Please find 2nd, 3rd, 4th opinions that are in agreement when making a decision about treatment.

can anyone tell me why the drug "baralgin" has been discontinued???

I don't know. You should start your own topic. People who have read this topic but don't intend to read it again because they think they can't help might not ever see your question, even though they have the answer to that one, unless you start your own topic.

God bless you. You are really going through a hard time. I think you should change dr's, be careful about picking up children, laundry or anything else. Back injuries take a long time to heal. Did they tell you about taking epsom salt baths? When I was in a car accident the physical therapist told me to take these several times a day and they really helped. Plus you probably could use the alone time in the bath for awhile sounds like you really have your hands full. Take care and good luck.

I tried to look this up for you, but it is not in any of my drug books with that spelling. Could the spelling be different?

If you try Google you might find out why they have stopped making it.

Take care, Anentte

I Googled it. There is lots of info available. It is not used in the US.

Take care, Annette

I am in my 30"s and have to rely on family to help with my one yr old. zmy dr refused to fill my narcotics which landed me in the emergency room. Because I am currently try to join a chronic pain rehab, which deals with you as a whole person not just the pain. Until I am fully instated is the chronic pain Dr able to do anything, This I understand, but my Primary Knows me, Sometimes I think they worry so much about drug seekers. They forget there are those of us legit.

Count me in as also against surgery.

Every person I know who has had back surgery (about 5 maybe?) has said they got worse after the surgery.

Anyone with back pain -- Please, use surgery as a VERY last resort.

To the OP -- I recommend that you try another physical therapist. I have also had severe back pain beginning around the same age as you. I had fallen on my back very hard against a concrete stair just above my rear end and also had scoliosis (curved spine). The only thing that helped me was physical therapy. You have to be sure to do the exercises prescribed to you by the therapist even though it may hurt.

I agree with the other poster in that many doctors are overly cautious of drug-seeking patients. Don't rely on drugs to help you either, though. They will only mask the pain.

Good luck and prayers for a speedy and complete recovery.

I had shingles that went to post herpetic neuralgia, and got RA in the middle. After lots of narcotics, topicals, gabapentins, etc and a year of being bed ridden. I found a pain specialist on the National Pain Foundation, a non-profit website by typing in my zip. I have a Boston Scientific Spinal Cord Implant and got my life back! I am still disabled from the RA, but can now walk a half mile on a good day, not bad from being totally bed ridden and motorized wheelchair bound! Find a doc who understands and will listen. Pain is a terrible landlord. If someone your age is complaining there is definitely something wrong, you are too young and have too much to do to be suffering like this!