Anyway, I've been reading some of the posts and I just wanted to say that whoever reads and posts here should really listen to the advice that is given. I mean these wonderful people take their precious time, and believe me when you suffer from chronic pain it is precious time, to sit and write their experiences with their pain to try and help others with theirs.
I was reading a post with a person who was debating whether or not to go to the er for some terrible pain they were experiencing. My two cents are going in here because I really hope that person listened. If you are having that much pain and have that much concern, PLEASE go to the er! You body is telling you, "Hello, feel this? we're not doing well here and we need to be fixed." If you ignore that because you don't want to be poked or stuck, or if you just don't want to hassle with the 5+ hours that you might be there, please understand that going through a little bit of discomfort and inconvienence just might save you from a lifetime of serious complications. Also, if you continue to have to go to the er for the pain you suffer from one of these doctors is going to fiinally, and yes, unfortunately it takes time for them to figure this out, they will finally figure out that this person really has some problems with their pain and will do something about it. What doctors really need from their patients is a journal from the patient that tells what they go through to try and keep up with their pain. What better medical journal can you get then a journal from doctor after doctor that states just what you are complaining about and the things that you have tried to do to help your pain.
The first 20 years of my life I was pain free. I'm 34 years old now and have suffered from IBS, large cysts on my ovaries, emotional distress from having to try and live with all this pain. I was in a car accident and fractured my left collar bone and it never healed up properly, I still have a contusion to my right knee. I have multipule injuries to my back and neck. I was assaulted by my husband and have some injuries from that plus emotional distress. I have TMD to my jaw from the accident. I also have numerous areas of my teeth that are being worked on and I had my first root canal last week. Hopefully I'm not leaving anything out because that certanly is enough.
Yes, I do suffer from chronic pain, however, there are many other people who suffer from a heck of a lot more then I do and it is so much worse. I don't know how they get through it and I applaude them for being able to. Still, all I know is what my pain is to me and how much I can tolerate until I break down and have to almost give up. I don't know what I would do without my pain management doctor. If you suffer from chronic pain then you need to see a pain management doctor to manage all of your pain. He will work with all of your other doctors to help understand what they are finding with your complaints and they will try to manage your pain. And that is all I want. I know I cannot be cured from my pain, however, all I am asking is to be able to have a doctor manage my pain with medications so I can live as close to a normal life just like the person next door to me does who doesn't suffer from chronic pain. Then it is good to see a pain therapist. They will help you learn to accept that you have to live with this pain right now and will also help you learn to do it. I have an appointment with one of these therapists and I can't wait to get started in the therapy. I also think it is so important to always keep your appointments. I know it is hard because you don't feel good and just the thought of driving makes you cringe. But you are gonna have to do it because it will show to your doctors that you are hurting and you are serious about kicking this pain in the butt and somehow making it more tolerable to live with. If you put off your appointments then what else will the doctors think then you are probably feeling better and don't need to go any longer. If we only had house call doctors or if we could only afford the house call doctors! It sure would be nice to let chronic pain suffers pick out a house call doctor and to be able to use that doctor when we just could not get to our appointments. I'm a single mother and it's like me winning the lottery when someone can take me to an appointment when I just can't drive. I have someone who can take my daughter to school this week (I have to pick her up but that is at 11am, she's in kindergarten) but him being able to help me this week while I recover from surgery by taking my 6 year old to school is wonderful, its a blesing to me!
I hope some of this helped some of you or encouraged some of you because that is all I wanted to get across. I think this board is awesome and I want to thank the people who take their precious time to give others help and advice.
My medication is kicking in big time right now and I need to go.
Hugs to everyone who needs one!
-- Heidi Jo