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should I seek a pain management dr.
Hi I've had chronic pain illnesses for 3.5 years in this time ive been on norco 10/325 3xs a day however since april I have been having to take 4 a day every 4-5 hours to get me threw the whole day..... I had asked my dr.for help, I begged him to send me to physical therapy to help reduce the stiffness in the morning and during the day.. however he refused he said take this, the pain will go away... but that is not working as I am taking one more pill a day than prescribed and I need more help... do you believe I should seek a pain management specialist, do you believe this type of specialist would try to help me or just dope me up more?
I agree with Sherry that it would be very helpful to know where your pain is so as to give more specific advice.
I also agree that seeing whichever type of doctor, Rheumatologist, Orthopedist, Neurologist-Neurosurgeon would be a good idea. Sometimes you need a referral depending on the type of insurance you have, if any.
Sherry is also right about doctors taking issue with your age. It's really unfortunate that some doctors will not treat someone who is young for pain, or they will under-treat you. There is hope, though. Many younger people with CP reduce our doses for a short time or switch to a different medication every so often to sort-of "reset" the pain receptors when they become tolerant to a pain medication. Since you have been on the Norco for a while, it might help to switch to one like percoset or a lower dose of a long-acting medication for a while so that the medication will be effective.
I think it's great that you want to do PT. It has helped a lot of people to recover from CP and is usually a great option for younger people. I know of some people who have really benefited from PT and it took the chronic pain away. Something else that might work is steroid injections.
There are a lot of options out there for dealing with CP. At the very least I would recommend finding a new PCP who is open to treatments for CP in addition to medication. There are also other medications that may help such as a muscle relaxer or nerve medication.
Be careful about taking an extra one a day. The biggest problem with that is that you'll run out early. Many doctors will drop you from their practice for taking more than you're supposed to and running out early, although I completely understand that you're not abusing your medication, you're just undertreated.
One option, also, is getting with a personal trainer who can show you exercises to do to strengthen the muscles that are affecting your pain.
I hope that you get a new PCP and/or get in to a specialist soon!
I also agree that seeing whichever type of doctor, Rheumatologist, Orthopedist, Neurologist-Neurosurgeon would be a good idea. Sometimes you need a referral depending on the type of insurance you have, if any.
Sherry is also right about doctors taking issue with your age. It's really unfortunate that some doctors will not treat someone who is young for pain, or they will under-treat you. There is hope, though. Many younger people with CP reduce our doses for a short time or switch to a different medication every so often to sort-of "reset" the pain receptors when they become tolerant to a pain medication. Since you have been on the Norco for a while, it might help to switch to one like percoset or a lower dose of a long-acting medication for a while so that the medication will be effective.
I think it's great that you want to do PT. It has helped a lot of people to recover from CP and is usually a great option for younger people. I know of some people who have really benefited from PT and it took the chronic pain away. Something else that might work is steroid injections.
There are a lot of options out there for dealing with CP. At the very least I would recommend finding a new PCP who is open to treatments for CP in addition to medication. There are also other medications that may help such as a muscle relaxer or nerve medication.
Be careful about taking an extra one a day. The biggest problem with that is that you'll run out early. Many doctors will drop you from their practice for taking more than you're supposed to and running out early, although I completely understand that you're not abusing your medication, you're just undertreated.
One option, also, is getting with a personal trainer who can show you exercises to do to strengthen the muscles that are affecting your pain.
I hope that you get a new PCP and/or get in to a specialist soon!
Hi Bethaniet,
It's nice to see you again!! I'm sorry that you are having this problem with your Doctor!!
What type of Pain are you suffering from that you are on the Norco's? By you mentioning the stiffness, I'm guessing that you have some form of Arthritis?
Would your Doctor agree to send you to a Rheumatologist for your stiffness and joint pain?
If he will that might be a REALLY good starting point. The reason I'm saying this is because my Rheumatologist is the Doctor that sent me to PM (Pain Management).
Now IF your Insurance Company allows you to go to ANY Doctor without a referral then you could call them yourself.
If you do that you will have to have a Diagnosis and MRI's and this type of thing. You MIGHT run into a problem from the fact that you are so young and a LOT of PM Doctors don't want to give meds to Young People because of the fact that you will run out of Pain Medication VERY soon in your life and there will not be anything left to help you.
It's NOT fair but that's the way that it works. Therefore, that's why it might be good to have one of YOUR Doctors recommend you to one.
Did your Doctor say WHY he wouldn't send you to Physical Therapy? Again, it REALLY would help to know the reason for the PT. Have you been in an acident? Have you had a fall? I know you do have to have a reason for the PT or your Insurance won"t pay for it.
I look forward to you updating your post so that we can be of more help to you!! :) ...Sherry
It's nice to see you again!! I'm sorry that you are having this problem with your Doctor!!
What type of Pain are you suffering from that you are on the Norco's? By you mentioning the stiffness, I'm guessing that you have some form of Arthritis?
Would your Doctor agree to send you to a Rheumatologist for your stiffness and joint pain?
If he will that might be a REALLY good starting point. The reason I'm saying this is because my Rheumatologist is the Doctor that sent me to PM (Pain Management).
Now IF your Insurance Company allows you to go to ANY Doctor without a referral then you could call them yourself.
If you do that you will have to have a Diagnosis and MRI's and this type of thing. You MIGHT run into a problem from the fact that you are so young and a LOT of PM Doctors don't want to give meds to Young People because of the fact that you will run out of Pain Medication VERY soon in your life and there will not be anything left to help you.
It's NOT fair but that's the way that it works. Therefore, that's why it might be good to have one of YOUR Doctors recommend you to one.
Did your Doctor say WHY he wouldn't send you to Physical Therapy? Again, it REALLY would help to know the reason for the PT. Have you been in an acident? Have you had a fall? I know you do have to have a reason for the PT or your Insurance won"t pay for it.
I look forward to you updating your post so that we can be of more help to you!! :) ...Sherry
I'm sorry that you're having all of this pain. I have never heard of a doctor not wanting to send a patient to physical therapy, as it does help a lot of people with chronic pain.
Can you see a physiatrist? PM and R stands for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. They focus on getting you back to functioning better.
Flower
Can you see a physiatrist? PM and R stands for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. They focus on getting you back to functioning better.
Flower
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