How totalk to Dr. about pain?

[whiterabbit11]

I see my neurologist about every 4 months for a pump re-fill and some in between for pain med re-fills. I tell him every time about the increased severity in pain. My right rib cage, shoulder and arm have sharp pains in literally every muscle,wrist, bicep, tricep, deltoids, pectorals and my big muscle down the back. By mid afternoon I can barely reach in front of me to pick up a pen or type. My co-workers used to say they didn't think of me as handicapped, but I no longer socialize or joke around--just do my work and keep to myself.
My Dr.makes me feel guilty when I tell him I think I need more or different pain meds. So far in two years he's bumped my duragesic patch from 75 to 125 mcg's. I've copied suggestions from this site but hedoesn't pay attention. I'm not looking for a high, just something to take the edge off. I think he is the only one around who can re-fill my Bac. Pump. It seems like mentioning "pain-killers" to some doctors is like bringing up sex at Sunday School. How do you talk to doctors about pain when they don't want to. It always seems to be a "sore" subject. Any suggestions?

[duramater]

Is there another choice for a doctor? Should you see someone new? Just a thought.

Mary

...and she lived happily ever after...

[duramater]

I should add to that. Sometimes its a matter of lack of experience or ideology on the part of the practitioner. It sounds like you need to find someone who will listen to you closely and consider the new information that you are providing. Good Luck with this.

Mary

...and she lived happily ever after...

[David Berg]

For sure, try to find another doc! I wouldn't even ask for a referral. Find someone through another source, or just go out hunting on your own. Sometimes I tell people they might try searching at a hospital associated with a medical university, simply becausee the doctors there often have more experience with difficult conditions, and your pain surely qualifies as a difficult condition.

Good luck! You deserve a doctor who will respect you enough to honestly work on alleviating your pain.

[whiterabbit11]

Thanks for the concerns. I'm dependent on him for pump refills so I'm afraid to dump him. Maybe I'm just not making myself clear enough to him. I read about others onthe board who have drs. constantly trying new things. That's the problem with living in the middle of nowhere. The Dr. selection is limited. WR

[Sci Mom]

Hi whiterabbit11~

You must feel stuck between a rock and a hard place...a doc who doesn't seem interested in your pain, AND he's the only one who can refill your pump! I like the suggestions already posted of finding a new doctor, but that may not be possible at this point and place in time. So...perhaps you should be blunt. (Some doctors are known for being blunt; he might appreciate this! http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif ) Tell him you are concerned because your pain has increased to the point where it is affecting your quality of life. Tell him "This is unacceptable." Tell him that you have the RIGHT to have your pain managed properly; this means to the utmost of HIS ability and to YOUR satisfaction. And then, sweetly point out that if this is not going to work for HIM (ie., if he doesn't HAVE that ability) you would like a referral to a pain clinic. (Doesn't matter if the closest clinic is 100 miles away...BLUFF. What have you got to lose?) Sometimes it's the catch phrases that work the best.

Keep us posted; let us know what happens.
Vicky

P.S. Here's a quote from "Through the Looking Glass" that you might appreciate, whiterabbit...(pun intended!)

Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said: "One can't believe impossible things."
"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
~Lewis Carroll~

[whiterabbit11]

Vicky-SCI mom
Thanks for the message. I didn't see your post till yesterday at work because my home pc crapped out last week and I just got it back. I tried to post last night just before 5:00 at work but the courthouse tech service shuts off all internet at 5:00 just as I was about to click 'send'.I enjoyed your 'pun intended" quote. As decrepit as I am I still remember believing those impossible things plus the entire J.A. song lyrics. I called my Dr. yesterday, helives about 200 miles away and they only let me talk to his nurse. He said "the Dr. would discuss my "pain problem" at my next appt.on Feb. 5th. I informed him I didn't have an appt. the 5th.The nurse looked and said I was right but there was no way he could fit me in. I sat in my office getting mad for about 5 minutes and called back. I was all out of pain meds and not due for a refill till the 5th. This time I made enough noise to where he said he'd get another message to The Dr. They close Friday at noon so he got back to me and phoned in darvon and "squeezed me in on the 5th. Darvon doesn't help much at all.At least the darvocet helps some though neither one does much. I can't hardly sit up today because the pain is so bad. He said the darvocet is bad for my liver which I know but I've been taking two nearly every 4-6 hrs since 1993. He keeps telling me that but keeps giving them to me even though I ask for different meds and I suddenly have to quit Darvocet cold turkey. I don't know why darvocet helps and darvon doesn't. I know the tylenol in Darvocet is bad for my liver but when it hurts so bad I don't care.He's the expert you'd think he'd try something different. I know it's not low pain tolerance. I've worked with broken ribs and a broken leg and about all you can think of having as a quad.I'm fed up with most Doctors. I'll try my local ortho surgeon Monday who has been good but I know he'll just tell me to wait till the 5th. I just wish they could feel it for 5 minutes. Just complaining again. I thank you all for listening.WR

[whiterabbit11]

I just wanted to keep Sci-Mom, David Berg And Mary posted. I copied and showed your responses to my post about talking to pain docs and it got his attention. I saw him yesterday and he raised my duragesic patch to 200mcgs from 125 and agreed to try some dilaudid in my Bac. Pump in a month if that didn't control it. I went to my local pc Doc after the pain doc cut off my Darvocet and he agreed with me and gave me a choice of more Darvocet or Vicoprofen.I heeded Alan's liver advice and took the Vicoprofen.The pc Doc also told me to add one 100mcg patch after 2 days and leave the old one on for breakthrough. I feel kind of bad for cussing my pain doc. so much but pain doesn't do your mood any good.WR

[alan]

Good to hear you got some help, rather than hassle.