The gift of a mascara streaked face.

Hi Jennie,

Sorry your appointment with the PM didn't go that well. It is possible that you could get a referral from your PCP to another PM for a 2nd opinion or even better yet to a neurosurgeon?

I can understand how frustrating it is when your in pain and it seems like all your doing is spending money and nothing is getting done. I have an old T12 compression fracture and its enough to drive you insane.

Have they told you that its not healed. Generally unless you have an underlying medical condition a compression fracture will heal within a few months. Not saying there still isn't pain. But from personal experience, your PM may be right the pain may not be from the actual fracture. Baffled at why he says nothing can be done though. But I can't remember was this your first visit with the PM? If it was they generally don't do any injections or such on your first visit.

Have you had an MRI or EMG done to see if there's anything pressing on a nerve root or irrating the nerves? With me even though the fracture is stable, my pain actually comes from everything erroding the thecal sac. Something to look into anyway. If it is there's a lot of medications for nerve pain that work great. It's all about trial and error. And I know with me those nerves being inflammed set of muscle spasms.

Hopefully your feeling a little better this afternoon.

Want to know the sad thing, when I said I'm doing ok right now I really was doing ok, but now after finishing this reply my pain level went from a 4- a 7....sigh

Jenni I almost cry when I have just read this. I feel identified with you.
Yesterday I was talking via telephone with my sister and I was in a terrible pain, a minutes later the pain was declined (from 8 to 4 more or less) and my sister tells me: "you seem different right now".
A lot of hugs from Spain.

Hello Jennie!

…after reading several of your post, I think I would go back to your Primary care Dr, and request that he refer you to another PM. It appears that the one you are struggling with is not takings your symptoms seriously, or has prejudged you,... based on maybe because of your young age?

I have been in your shoes somewhat, and immediately went back to my primary care Dr, and he now takes care of all my scripts and chronic pain care. Even with him, I eventually had to have a heart to heart talk, and he finally got over the Dr to patient misgivings. You must be direct, but respect his/hers profession. If you are being accused of lying and or other things, then that is where I draw the line. There is no need to belittle and or judge a patient, unless there are absolute signs of misuse on the patients part.

One thing that irks me to death, is being accused of something I did not do. It makes my blood boil instantly!



Take care,

SE

Jennie89 said...
Seymor, Thank you for your hugs. I appreciate them. Yeah I'm a bit different when I'm in pain vs not in pain. I'm a lot more moody when I am in pain.

I do not know why but I need more love and affection when I am in pain.

Seymor, I can see why you would want more love and affection when you are in pain. I would think it's because when we're in pain we just want comfort and even if it's not comfort in relieving our pain, it's still comfort. I send my love from the U.S.

SE, I called the pain clinic to ask if they had a chance to verify what medications I've been taking & she said she has & she wrote it all down. She said she noticed I haven't had anything yet for April and that shes going to try talking to him about RX me something at my apt on Friday, so like you said we can only hope. It seems the receptionists can see that I really am hurting and that I'm not some pain patient fraud or something, they're on my side....too bad they weren't the dr, lol. My "episode" either showed hey this persons really hurting, help her or it could back fire on me. I know that frauds would probably get upset like that too....unfortunately. I want to just tell him "look, I'm seriously hurting, I'm not playing around, so quit playing games with me" lol....Oh the joys of being treated un fairly. lol. I think the receptionist was surprised he didn't spend the time with me that he spent with the other patients. :/ I still don't understand that part....then again all the other patients there were age 50+ & I was the only one in early 20's. (24)

You know, my husbands brother is a complete junkie and he and I were talking one night, (surprizingly, lol, I don't like him bc he steals anything he can from me, I had gone through an asthma attack without my inhaler bc of him. But sometimes I just need someone to talk to, not about anything just to get my mind off things plus it's SOOOO boring in the cuts with no car or license....woa I spelled that correct, lol. ok back on topic) he tells me I am "lucky" to have a messed up back. What? Wait, what? lol. No, I do not consider myself to be lucky. Yes _____, I am just soooo lucky to be hurting 24/7 to be in so much pain that it takes strong meds that make me loopy to just take the edge off. I couldn't believe my ears....but then again, what do you expect a junkie to say. He doesn't see it as I'm in too much pain I can't handle it he sees it as Oh you can easily get such and such. Which is what he said, but it's like no I can not easily get anything, I can't even get an injection that you don't feel a "high" from let alone meds that you feel something from. Plus I'm like I don't understand what he get's out of it, I don't like how the meds make me feel, to me it just makes me too light headed, dizzy & loopy. Not to mention how much fun it is when I accidentally forget to take a dose. Geee, some people just don't get it. Another reason I don't care for him, bc it's kids like him who screw it up for kids like me. He's a few months older than I am but you'd never guess that if you met him.

Oooops kind of started rambling, once I get started on something that upsets me I just keep on going. lol. about your question of my blood pressure. idk my readings but I do know that I've had high blood pressure on & off since I was 15. It use to be so bad that my sister who was caring for me at the time had to check it through out the day. I didn't have my blood pressure done at the PM apt though. But yes I know pain raises the BP though. I've noticed when I've been in a lot of pain and went to the er my BP would be up.

…Jennie, I'm appalled that your PM did not check your blood pressure at your appointment. I don't ever recall my blood pressure never being taken in all my life of Dr's appointments. Something is not right with that office, especially if you have a history of high BP. It would be dangerous for them to treat patients without doing this. I'm a bit stumped at this! If that happens again, then you insist that they do so for your sake. Wozer!

…even my dentist takes my blood pressure!

SE

Vickie, yeah I had brought the journal with me, he wouldn't even let me get a word in, I don't even think he was paying attention to half the things I was saying. :/ All this dr did was looked through my records and press against spots on my back which made me flinch from pain & then asked "did that hurt" When I would try telling him things he just noded went uh huh uh huh and said he doesn't see how I could be in so much pain. I again tried explaining to him what was wrong but he just wouldn't listen. I tried asking him questions because I was curious, if the compression fractures not causing the pain that starts directly in my spine then what could it be so I asked if he thought it was the curve that the compression fracture caused, he goes" curve?" I said yeah the "kenosis or something like that" he looks back at my MRI readings and said oh Kephosis I said yeah that would that cause pain then because there's times my spine feels like it's going to snap in half. I start off with I don't...he interupts saying that can't happen I said yeah I wwas saying that right now but that it feels that way, so is that what's causing the pain & he just kept avoiding answering my questions. yeah my husband was of no help he just sat in there playing a game on the tablet, when I told the dr how I really hurt even ask my husband he comes home to me on the ground in tears & my husband just looked up & went back to his game. I wasn't even going to have him come to the back with me, I was trying to introduce the two but when I said I'd like you to meet my husband he just said yeah uh huh uh huh he can come back with you, I said oh no I just wanted you two to meet, he said again yeah you can have him come back with you. I have an appointment with him tomorrow, I'll see how it goes, I want to explain to him why I had such a meltdown, I want to tell him that I know patients of his that he gave way more interest & respect to and thats one of the reasons I was so upset.

SE, Yeah no vitals, no weight, no height, nothing just a question or two and pressed on my back.

Jennie,

Can you get to see a different doctor? I've never, ever been to any provider, of any type, who did not at the very least, take vitals.

One thought is to stick to open ended questions, stick to only two, maximum three major questions,....and most of all, exercise your patience. Sometimes when there's silence or they don't answer fast enough, we can feel the need to fill in that silence with more talking. Ask your open ended question, such as: "What, in your opinion, is causing my pain?" Then,......say,....nothing.

Don't try to offer suggestions, just wait.... if you can be calm and patient enough, your silence will encourage an answer from him. I know it's tough when you're in a lot of pain....but you may be better served to either see a different doctor,...or if you stick with this one, make a few appointments, but restrict the conversation to only 2-3 topics, calmly stated.

Let us know how you make out....






M.

I only signed a pain contract on day I was prescribed. I have never heard of signing one with meds not being prescribed.

I agree if you move on to another doctor make sure you send a registered letter to him saying you are firing him and the contract is void.

…I think the last thing I would do is go in and insult them with these kinds of questions. And they will take them as an insult!

Simply go in neatly dressed with a clean appearance, and answer their questions with simple to the point answers. Excessive yapping, and additional information may be seen as a potential whining problem patient. If they need additional information to the questions they ask, then they will ask for it.

There is nothing wrong with letting them know where and how much you hurt, so let them know and be honest. If they ask you to rate your pain, and you say a 10, and your not screaming and rolling on the floor, then they will know what kind of patient they are dealing with.

If the treatment they offer is not sufficient for the type of pain you have, then you have a choice to make. Either stick it out and see if they continue to adjust your needed medications, or continue to seek out another PM.

I hope this help some, and wish you good luck!

SE

Thanks you guys. I appreciate your help....When did going to the dr, finding answers & treatment be such a hard thing to do. :( I always feel I need to, as SE put it, excessively yap, because I feel the dr's don't care enough to ask me the questions they need to be asking, especially if they don't even care enough to do vitals. I didn't see a nurse. He comes out to the waiting room to call the patient in and we sit and talk.

I miss my old dr. He was great. All I had to do is go in and say how my backs been hurting because yada yada yada & he was like oh we can't have that & helped me no problems. He was so good with me though & he was my PCP, yet he still took care of everything I needed. Not just pain wise either. When I started having horrible migraines he ordered a CT scan of my head and did MRI's, x-ray whatever. If I felt something wasn't ok with me he took time & did everything he could to find out the answers. He's retired now though.

These dr's get away with so much these days.

Thank you for you good wishes. Oh yeah that's what I forgot to say in my reply. I don't tell them a level 10 unless I really am in that much pain, even in most cases when I am in that much pain I still wont say level 10. I stick with 8 maybe 9 if it's bad enough. I always am honest but in these days the dr makes the true patients feel like they need not be honest with them. Feels like you get penalized for being honest. I just don't know what this world has come to.

One thing I hate is when the dr says "oh yeah I can see why your in so much pain" & yet they wont want to help you. Same thing with my sister when she saw PM he looked at her MRI and showed the nurses, explained her pain yet wouldn't help her. Don't they realise what they're doing to CP patients? I've known many to get it off the street, they tried the legit way but got no help. They claim that all these rules and such are to prevent that but it's only making t worse.

I'm sorry but that's just how I feel. I don't think it's right to leave someone suffering when they know darn well that they're hurting. It's not right taking their money and not helping them.

To be absolutely honest, every night I think "I don't think I can go through another day hurting this much, I don't think I can, nor do I want to." It really brings me down.