Pain Management while pregnant...(boston area)

[DREW45]

Hi all,


I was wowndering if anyone knew of any empathetic, helpful, pain management or obgyn doctors in the boston area? I was on tramadol for two years with great sucess but my new doctor switched me to percocet because of the pregnancy.  The  percocet, even though stronger than tramadol, does not seem to help as much unless I take quite a few....Three different doctors have told me to stay on the percs while pregnant....and while the baby doctor is prescribing them, she does not give me enough to sustain me or really help....in general she is not helpful, very quick with my visits (ten minutes or less), and not nice AT ALL....I know her job is to keep the baby safe and I respect her for that, but my pain level is unberable without meds and I get super stressed about not being able to go to work, IF I dont have meds....I have severe endometriosis ( surgery 5x since I was 18, Im 25 now), interstitial cystitis (IC), and a very problematic left ovary and chronic fatigue....all of these conditions are aggravated by my pregnancy witht he exception of the endo......I am constantly miserable and stressed and I need a helpful doctor! I loved my regular one but since the pregnancy I had had to switch....I was just looking for any suggestions, any at all would help, esp doctor recommandations!  I was also wondering if you can go to a pain management clinic while pregnant??? I want to thank all answerers in advance, THank you!

[sandee1818]

Hi,
Welcome to the community!
I am very concerned about your being in pain and needing strong narcotics to control it while being pregnant. How far along are you?
Tramadol in studies has been linked to birth defects and retardation so no Dr will prescribe you this med while your pregnant. I would try and get by on as little as possible because as I am sure your aware your child will go thru withdrawal when born. I know your in pain and I sympathize with you greatly. I had to go off my meds for both my daughters now 5 and 6 years old and I had basically been reduced to bed rest for the entire time. I was given some pain meds but the thought of having my daughters have to go thru withdrawal the first hours and days of their life was too much for me too handle so I endured the pain and I will not lie to you it was horrible and excruciating but everytime I look at my little girls I know I did the right thing.
I am not suggesting at all that you do not care for your child I an just telling you my experience. I do not think you will find a sympathetic Dr willing to prescribe the amounts of meds you need and if you do I would seriously wonder if they were concerned with your baby's health. When your pregnant and you hurt and have the stress the comes along with the pain it affects the baby greatly too. Some Dr's will tell you that taking care of yourself helps the baby more than being in pain and enduring it. There are many views on the subject and my opinion is too go with as little as you possibly can when it comes to meds while pregnant. I know this should be a wonderful time in your life and the ideal situation would be to treat your pain without harming the baby in anyway but unfortunately that is not really possible. Talk to your OB and ask her to help you understand all the options available to you and what she is willing to do to help you. If your not satisfied with what she says find another Dr that will listen and work with you to keep you as pain free as possible without harming your baby.
I wish you the best and hope you do find a Dr who will listen and work with you for you and your baby's well being and safety.
I know a lot of pain clinics and pain management Dr's do accept pregnant women and in my opinion you would be better off having a PM Dr that is willing to work with your OB to control your pain. Pm Dr's have many more options to offer than your OB and will understand your pain much better.

[DREW45]

Thanks again to all that responded....I find out the first week of october if it is a boy or girl.....healthy is ALL I want! I dont think I have ever been in a worse position.....

[Mollyrae]

Hello and I just want to welcome you to MH. I am glad you found us, it is a great place to get advise as well as meet new friends. I'm sorry that I do not have any advise for you as I would not want to give you advise that might be wrong or hurtful in your condition.

Please keep us posted and good luck in the future. I hope you can find relief.........

Mollyrae

[Tuckamore]

You are so welcome. Please continue to let us know how things are going for you. Do you know if you are having a boy or girl?  I hope your pain does not over-shadow the excitement and anticipation of your pregnancy.  Tuck

[DREW45]

Thank you so much  for your response....I am def stuck between a rock and a hard place and I agree that finding a doctor I can communicate with is very important! I am working on it and so is my mother, I absolutely need some good help fast! Thanks again for responding!

[Tuckamore]

Hi Drew,

Welcome to MedHelp. I have to admit that I would not venture a guess on pain medication during pregnancy. I think the best person to answer those questions is a good OBGYN.

So I would begin there. Look for another OBGYN. Rather you have pain or not communication and trust between a physician and patient is imperative, especially when you are pregnant. I am sorry I do not know of any physicians in your area. Others will post that most likely will be able to answer your post better than I.

I would venture a guess that a Pain Management Clinic would see a woman who is expecting. Certainly they have pain too. You may want to visit our baby forum at MedHelp. They may have more answers for you.

Best of luck to you for a healthy baby and a more comfortable pregnancy. Please let us know how you are doing. I will do some checking to see if I can come up with better answers fro you. Take care, Tuck