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.
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 :).
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.
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}
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.