Pain & Doctors

[Zendik]

I am 48 years old and have had two spinal surgeries due to working in the commercial drywall industry. For the last 15 or so years I've had no insurance which makes it difficult at best to find any type of pain management. I have even gone back to school to earn a degree in construction management but having to work while doing this has been a nightmare.

I recently took a job that is less than half the wages I am used to so I could try and make it the rest of the way through school but again I am in a great deal of pain. This job has me once again insured. I went to the doctors office and was treated like a criminal, liar, scumbag for asking for some kind of pain management.

I have high anxiety, depressed, in pain and now I see that getting any kind of pain medication is going to be all but impossible.

Now, I just want to die.

I just want to thank all you doctors for being so worried about you DEA license that you could care less about people with pain.

Hope you sleep well.

[Zendik]

ABritt, I understand what you are saying and agree. Thing is I have been trying to earn my construction management degree while working which is killing me. I have dropped classes and failed them due to the pain from work. I have tried to explain to doctors what my plan is and every time I tell them I'm in school they look at my like I'm lying.

I need to get away from physical labor. This won't happen until I get my degree but I have to work to survive. My plan is to get pain meds so I can graduate while working then I want off the stuff.

I have no need for pain meds if I'm not working such a hard job.

But let's face it, doctors think they are Gods and we are beholding to them. They are just glorified maintenance men.They don't create life.

[abritt121222]

I feel ya I also did construction for a long time before my two back surgeries. The thing about general doctors is they are not going to give you refills of pain meds and not trying to make you mad by saying this but they shouldn't and this is coming straight from the addict. The reason they shouldn't and won't keep giving them is because and try and look a it from their point of view here but if someone comes in over and over wanting pain meds from a general doc the doctor is going to think they are blowing smoke because he will be thinking if they hurt this bad why are they not going to a pain specialist to get the problem figured out and get it fixed and he thinks they don't because they are not really hurting that bad. I can see it from both points of view cause I have been right where you are at now to tho. But if you think it's something that is going to continue giving you problems you should really try and find a pain specialist that has the ability to do cat scans and mri and whatever else to get the problem fixed because you don't want to rely on pain meds because becoming dependent on pain meds is no way to live I can promise you that much. Just my opinion tho not trying to make you mad or anything like that I just have been in your shoes and went down the wrong road using pain pills and turned into an addict taking enough meds to kill five full grown elephants every day and I am honestly lucky to be sitting here telling you this cause I'm lucky I'm still alive

Good Luck and Godspeed
ABritt

[Zendik]

I hear what both of you are saying..

I want a doctor to hear what I have to say.

I've been in commercial construction for 28 years, we build what the customer wants period. If they want an out of plumb wall at a weird angle they get it without any grief.

If I'm paying a doctor for their advice and service that doesn't mean I'm signing my life away to you and you own me. If anything I own you, I pay YOU, you work for ME.

When did these doctors get the idea we work for them? Would a doctor agree that if he hires a contractor to build the house he wants the contractor works for him?

I got the bill from my last doctor appointment. It was over $230.00. The doctor was late and in a hurry and spent about 7-10 minutes with me with 5 of them acting as if I were a criminal.

I can also see their point of view about their DEA license.
I agree, if a 22 year old kid come in for re fill after re fill for pain medication after a broke toe nail by all means protect yourself. If a 51 or 48 year old hobbles into your office with x rays and MRIs to back up their problem then do your job. You have NOTHING to worry about, you have proof the patient is in chronic pain.

You doctors make me sick.

[f6f3]

I understand your not in a good place at this time. I have been reading this forum for about a year or more and have read numerous stories about people who have bad experiences with doctors whether they be PCP or PMP. I believe for every bad doctor there is a good doctor you just have to find them. Yes, doctors are more concerned now about prescribing opiats due to being scrutinized by DEA which does not make it any easier for those of us who suffer from chronic pain every day. I was 51 when I started suffering from chronic pain and here I am 8 years later, two surgeries, tons of MRI's and it's not getting any better, my doctor's tell me the same thing. I say this for the simple reason that I understand about living with pain daily. It is no joke and not having insurance makes it even harder to bear. I'm not sure where you hail from but I bet if you look around you will be able to find a doctor who will understand what you are going through and help you deal with your pain issues. You sound like a very intelligent person so please do not give up no matter how difficult it may get. I wish I could offer more words of encouragement. Keep posting on this forum and I bet some others who know alot more then I do can help out.      

[abritt121222]

Did you ask about a pain management doctor or did u just ask for pain meds? A regular family doctor is not going to be able to help you with real pain management. I have also had two spinal surgeries fusions rods disc removed screws all that and I would strongly suggest you find a real pain management doctor I just actually said this in another post but if you look for a pain management doctor and it says anything about opiate therapy keep looking because that means they are just gonna give u a lot of pills and not really help you. I finally found a real pain management doctor and after a few nerve burns steroid and cortisone shots and physical therapy I no longer take pain meds and my back feels better than it has in A LONG TIME

Good Luck and Godspeed
ABritt