At Mon, 11 Mar 2002, Nancy E. Hale wrote:
>
>Hello Everyone:
>
>I just got back from my second visit to the pain management
>clinic. Unfortunately from a Canadian point of view, I am not impressed
>with our system here.
>
>I went down in January for my assessment - 3 hours drive each way, so we
>had to send our 9-year-old to a sitter and stay overnight for me to be able
>to handle the trip. I saw an anesthesiologist, whose physical exam left me
>screaming in agony on the table (she walked out of the room without even
>asking if I needed help) and a psychologist who seemed intent on finding
>some traumatic event in my life to trigger the onset and continuing
>pain. I was asked to come back for a follow-up, so I went through the
>whole ordeal again, only to be told there was nothing they could do for me,
>but they were concerned that I would become addicted to the narcotic pain
>meds I am on. As if they couldn't have told me that over the phone.
>
>DAWN: I am so sorry the clinic cannot help you. I don't have any advice
>for you, but I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. At least you got
>a response - when I sent in my patient assessment form, I didn't even
>receive an acknowledgement that they had received it. Probably because I
>am in Canada and they wouldn't accept Medicare, but this is only my opinion.
>
>CHRISSIE: Love seeing your pink posts. If this great weather holds out,
>we'll be able to make plans for our meeting soon ;)
>
>CHRISTINA: Welcome to your sanity ;) The IAS site and members have kept
>me from going completely loopy many times over the past two years since
>diagnosis. And it has enabled me to learn more about adhesions and how to
>handle them than the "professionals" at the pain management clinic I've
>been to.
>
>DEBRA:Welcome to the site. I was going to send you to the ASAP good docs
>page, but I see Helen C has already done it (Good work Hell-yun!) As for
>the codeine, 30% of people in the world who are prescribed codeine for pain
>do not have the proper chemical receptors to break the drug down to make
>it effective. I am one of the 30%, I was on a lot more than 20 pills per
>month, and it had no effect whatsoever. I've been on Percocet since
>August, and have developed a strong tolerance for it. My GP is switching
>me to oxycontin to see how that works.
>
>EVELYN: Love and hugs to you and Zac. You are both in my prayers daily.
>
>HELL-YUN: I know exactly how you feel about the pain winning,
>Sweetie. I've been doing a lot of crying too for the same reason. Stiff
>upper lip Hon!
>
>JO: Just a thought on your post to Mary Lou:
>>You also need to include the people you live with, work with and
>>socialise with
>I had to insist that Chester be included in today's meeting at the pain
>clinic. They wanted him to wait in the waiting room, I insisted that he be
>included, because my pain and any treatment or pain management involves him
>as well. Huggles, my friend, catch you soon on MSN (when it's working) or
>on ICQ.
>
>KELLEY L.: I am so sorry things are so rotten for you right now. But your
>family is right - the final decision IS up to you. This is your pain, your
>body, your life that is being destroyed by ARD, and you have to put YOU and
>what is best for YOU first. If your son has to be inconvenienced by a move
>so that you can find adequate medical care, so be it. My Significant
>Other, my 9-year-old stepson, my 21-year-old daughter and my 3-year old
>grandson have all had to make adjustments because of my fight with ARD and
>everything that I have lost because of my decreasing ability to deal with
>the constant pain. I know this sounds so negative, but you have to do what
>is best for you. If you can find a good pain management specialist,
>great. Here in the backwoods of Eastern Canada, I don't have very many
>options, and the one option that I had exercised did not have a promising
>result. You are in my prayers.
>
>LISA: If you have had one doctor who found adhesions,
>congratulations. Now for you to find one that believes that adhesions can
>and do cause pain. As for finding other people who have experienced the
>kind of jabbing stabbing pain that you are experiencing, you've come to the
>right place. My best suggestion is for you to read back through some of
>the archives and the Adhesions Quilt to see what the rest of us have
>experienced, tried, had success with, etc. Good luck, and welcome.
>
>COLETTE: Keep the giggles coming, girl;) Sorry you've been feeling so
>rotten, but know that you are in my prayers.
>
>MARY LOU: I'm on amitryptiline as well, but I cannot take mine in the
>evenings or it leaves me a walking zombie the next day. Instead, I've been
>taking mine in the mornings, which helps me make it through the day without
>ripping someone's head off when the pain levels skyrocket. I also went the
>route of OTC meds for pain control, then went on codeine (see notes above),
>and in August I was finally prescribed Percocet. I have now built up a
>tolerance to it so that it is no longer as effective as it once was, and
>because of the acetominophen content, I can't take OTC meds for anything
>else. My GP is now in the process of switching me to oxycontin as soon as
>we can get approval from my drug plan. As for sedation, the Percocet did
>not sedate me at 8 tablets a day, but I do not get effective pain control
>from that dose either. At the max dosage of 10 tabs per day, I was
>nauseated and sleepy, with very little improvement in pain
>management. Pain-free days are unlikely for most of us, but they are
>definitely something to wish for. As for alertness on oxycontin, I'll try
>to let you know in a couple of weeks once I get stabilized on them
>(hopefully by this time next week). Good luck, and keep reading.
>
>MILLIE: Keep giggling girl ;) Catch you soon on MSN.
>
>LILLIAN: Thank you for taking me to lunch with God. That is so cute!
>
>ROBIN: Thank you for letting us all know that there is some hope with the
>right surgeon. Even though it has taken you three tries, you do stand a
>good chance of beating this! God bless you.
>
>ROSE: Hope you aren't working too hard. Love the rose. Will write to you
>after I finish this novel ;)
>
>SALLY: Twin lambs to help take the place of your poor little pygmy goat
>maybe? Definitely a gift.
>
>SUSAN: Congratulations on finding the site. I agree with the general
>opinion so far - surgery is not necessarily your best option. From what
>you said, I do not believe that the drugs you are taking are effective
>either - see previous notes on what I personally have been on to try to
>control pain. Good luck.
>
>To anyone I may have missed, I'm sorry. I'm just so distracted right now,
>I can't think straight. Hugs and prayers to all.
>
>Nancy in NB