getting a scrip from pain consultant

[czarina]

I have been seeing a number of doctors for the last year for pain in my knee, and body pain caused by said knee.Every doc has given me at least one scrip for vicodin, but will not refill me, and pass the buck to another dr. Vicodin is the only med i've tried that puts a dent in the pain, and i've tried several so far. At my own request, i asked for a referral to a pain management doctor who i am seeing tomorrow. I am worried that he won't prescribe me what works since my mri hardly showed much besides tendonitis and fluid in my knee. I was wondering what exactly i should say to get the point across without coming across as someone who just wants meds? i feel like most dr.s don't believe that i need pain meds that strong.

[doggboy]

Don't take what I say wrong please just my opinion, but it sounds like maybe its the vicoden causing more pain because you said you have been taking vic's for that past year and being on pain meds for sometime will actually cause the brain to make more pain receptors in which causing more pain.  IF you have seen many docs for pain meds and none of them will give you something stronger due to your MRI not showing much then going to a pain management doc is the answer.  I would first try all other options before going on stonger pain meds like Jaybay said try PT it does work just takes hard work to do it which is part of life ( sorry for the speach).  Just warning you that strong opiates is not always the answer due to the fact that long time use is no fun in the park.  Maybe in the begining it gives you all the energy and makes you feel great wanitng to talk with people etc.  Then it will get to the point where you always need more and there is never enough and it starts doing opposite of everything it used to do causing depression, more pain, more stress etc.  SORRY FOR GOING ON LIKE I DID BUT I AM A RECOVERING OPIATE ADDICT DUE TO AN INJURY ALSO GOING ON PAIN MEDS, SEEKING OUT THE GOOD DOCS, AND THEN AFTER TIME I COULD NOT STOP SO GOOD LUCK.  AND I DO BELEIVE THAT PEOPLE THAT SUFFER FROM PAIN AND DO NEED PAIN MEDS SHOULD TAKE PAIN MEDS AND NOT EVERYONE GETS ADDICTED TO OPIATES BUT ALOT OF US DO.

[Jaybay]

There really isn't any good way these days to ask for a narcotic med without sounding like a drug seeker.  I wish it wasn't that way, but it's something every chronic pain patient has to deal with.  

If you haven't done any physical therapy yet, I strongly advise you to ask about it.  Yeah, it's going to hurt, but it's supposed to hurt - at least for a while.  And for that, it's certainly reasonable to request pain meds to deal with it.  Ask your pain doc about both physical therapy and something to control the pain while you're doing it.  

You may end up being surprised at the results if you really give PT a good shot.  I had knee surgery when I was in high school, and it was nothing but a royal pain for years.  After getting on a solid weightlifting program, the pain was noticeably better after a few weeks.  Then I took up rollerblading and the side-to-side motion of skating really built up the knee muscles necessary to take the pressure off the bones and tendons.  No more knee pain for many years now.