Pain management clinics?

[Cassie200721]

Hi my name is Cassie I'm a 26yro mommy of 2. I recently went to the doc in the worst pain of my life. I couldn't sit stand or walk. He ordered an MRI of my back & it showed that I have arthritis from my L1 to my S2 along with sciatic nerve damage. He referred me to a pain management clinic. My PCP will not prescribe any kind of pain meds that's why he referred me to the clinic. I'm in a lot of pain & it's really affecting my day to day life. What will the pain clinic do & how will it help me? Will the dr prescribe me meds so I can get back to my life? I already do physical therapy 2 days a week & it just seems to make my pain flare up. I just want some kind of relief for my pain I've been taking several kinds of OTC meds with no kind of relief. Pls pls pls help me understand what pain clinics do so I can get back to work & back to taking care of my children! Thank you all so much in advance have a great & blessed day

[Cassie200721]

Hi. It went really well. They changed my meds around. Now they have me taking 500mg naproxen 2 times a day 100mg neuratin 2 a day 10mg baclofen 4 a day & 5mg lortab 4 a day. Plus I had a nerve root blocker shot in my siatic nerve. They found out what form of arthritis I have & my pm dr. Said I'm the youngest patient of his with this form of arthritis. It's facet joint arthritis. He said with in the next 5 to 10 years I will be disabled that's a little bit of a downer but for now I can get back to a kinda normal life. Thank u so much for ur prayers.

[TuesdayPatience]

HI!
Just wondering how your experience with the pain management clinic went today.  I have been praying for you - that the pm docs would be able to get you back on the road to "normalcy" (well, as normal as a person in chronic pain can be!).  
{PAX}

[Cassie200721]

Thank you so much for the info. I'm glad to hear that ur getting the relief that u need. I start the pain clinic on Monday I hope it helps.

[TuesdayPatience]

Hello - I am sorry to hear you are having so much pain!  I am a 38 yr old wife and mother of 3.  I was referred to a pain management clinic for chronic upper back pain, arthritis, and fibromyalgia.  I had already had surgery on both knees to repair torn meniscus and chip away arthritic bone (I was a gymnast).  

PAIN CLINIC:
After making sure I was already doing all the things you are already doing, he prescribed Vicodin (generic) 3x a day and offered acupuncture, which I couldn't do due to cost ($80 a session not covered by insurance).  One of the BEST things he did was to make sure I knew that I DO NOT HAVE TO JUST LIVE IN CONSTANT PAIN - that it was okay for me to EXPECT my healthcare providers to HELP ME find relief.  He wrote up my treatment plan and it is now implemented by my GP - this was my choice, as I did not want to have to have one more doctor to see.  My GP now calls in my Vicodin every 30 days and prescribes the rest of my meds, except for the ones done by my psychiatrist (I have depression and a panic disorder).

OTHER:
My psychiatrist changed my antidepressant mix to include Savella (used for fibromyalgia) and kept me on Lexapro.  Added to my existing medications (including promethazine - an anti-nausea med that helps the pain pills work better), I am now able to function quite well.  

I am physically active and, like you mentioned, able to CARE FOR MY THREE CHILDREN in the way they should be cared for :).

[Cassie200721]

Thank you for ur info.

[msnova74]

It depends on the clinic.  The majority use a combination of pain medications, neuroleptics, and for back issues nerve blocks.  You can get relief and live a relatively normal life.