Pain Management in Orange County

[drconn]

To be brief, I have spent the past 8 years working with some of the best Ortho and Neuro Doctors in the area to fix a back injury.  I have had injections, a spinal fusion, PT, Tens, etc.  I have been told that at this point, there is not much more to do than to manage my pain through medication and a cautious lifestyle.  Usually in the past, the pain management centers I have gone to always try to start from square one and try everything again themselves.  I need a pain management Dr. who with my medical history and continuous appointments will help manage my pain through medication treatment.  I am not talking about an open supply to the pharmacy, but a Dr. who is willing to work with me to reduce my pain while minimizing my dependence on medication.  Is anyone aware of a good Dr. in Orange County, California who has these qualities?  Thank you very much.

[sandee1818]

I do understand what your saying. But don't give up all hope as there are new procedures and different treatments coming all the time and if you have a doctor who does keep up on these things it makes a huge difference. When you have tried something and it does not work for you tell the Doctor this and tell him you are not against trying things his/her way you just do not want to waste their time or your and the money for something you have tried and doesn't work for you. But as I said do not give up on new things just because the other things you have tried did not work.

[drconn]

I completely understand your point of view.  The issue is, is that I have pretty much tried every procedure, injection, exercise, yoga, electric stimulation, etc.  If it exists, I have tried it and spent over 300,000.  I am at the point where every Dr. is recommending everything I have tried and I am sick of feeling like Doctors will not treat pain without padding their bank accounts with a few expensive proceedures.  I have been told by numerous well known Doctors and Surgeons that my condition will remain for my lifetime.  

[sandee1818]

You will not find a good PM Doctor if your only searching for one that will treat you with strictly pain medications. pain medication is only one part of pain management.
To have a truly great PM doctor you need one that will keep up on all the newest treatments available for pain and not rely only on medications. As I said the meds are only a small part of pain management.
Mollyrae is correct you need to have your PCP refer you and have ALL your records sent to the referred PM doctor. No doctor will prescribe these medications blindly or without trying other procedures that may help.

[Mollyrae]

Your best bet is to  get a referral from your PCP and go from there. Have your Doctor write your new PMP a letter explaining your ongoing problems with your back. This way, the new Doc has something to go by.

You may also want to take your records (from all clinics) with you so that they have something to go by. This is the best way for the New Doctor to re-evaluate you. Have you tried Googling Pan Management Clinics in your area? That is always a big help. You might want to call and make inquiries as to how they operate their clinic and their success rate at easing other patients pain.

If you follow this protocol, you may find a clinic that will get right to the point. Please take care and good luck,
Mollyrae

[Tuckamore]

Hello and Welcome to the Pain Management Community,

Sorry that I cannot help you. I live in WI but hopefully one of our members will be able to offer some assistance.

Good luck to you in your search. Tuck