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Post by omaklackey on Oct 3, 2012 22:09:12 GMT -5
I just did a huge search for any info on Pain Clinics and saw several of you ladies have been to one but didn't find any threads specific to Pain Clinic. Anyone want to chime in and explain what they do at a pain clinic and what kinds of options they offered? Are they willing to work with you? Can you request no or very minimal Narcotics? If there is a thread on this that I didn't find in my search, could someone scoot me in the right direction? If this is my only option for the next eight months I would love to know what I'm getting into.
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Post by cortney on Oct 4, 2012 13:33:05 GMT -5
I hope people reply to this thread with their experiences. I asked my obgyn to refer me to a pain clinic since I'm not using hormone therapy and trying to control symptoms with diet. My thinking was that I may need to experiment with pain killers to find the perfect doses at different times of my cycle. She told me that she never sends patients there because only "drug seeking people" want that. I tried to explain to her that addiction is a concern of mine and that I would like help managing the drugs which I think is what they do at the clinic. If I want to adjust my pain killers that she prescribes me, it takes me a month to get an appointment! The clinic you can call anytime and talk to someone about it. Her answer was to write me a three month script for Tylenol 3, and told me I could double or triple my dose if pain is too bad. HOW IS THAT BETTER? ? She doesn't want me to get addicted, then gives me an endless supply of drugs. WTF??? I'm thinking of making an appointment with my family doctor and discussing it with him. Also, the clinic I want to go to offers psychotherapy with a focus on chronic pain. That's something I feel would benefit me a lot.
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Post by chibineko717 on Oct 4, 2012 15:15:24 GMT -5
My old gyn referred me to a pain clinic last year. Although they don't give out narcotics, they still use drugs. Essentially the clinic would just try to prescribe anti-depressants and try EMS.
Some doctors at the clinic do a nerve study to figure out a treatment plan, but mine just did an x-ray and wanted me to do EMS/TENS and anti-depressants. I have my own TENS unit so why would I need to go to the clinic every week for the same thing?
Even though I did a nerve study in the past (I lost feeling and movement in my left side about 6 years ago due to a back and neck issue), they didn't really do anything helpful. My old doctors just tried EMS/TENS and physical therapy for the loss of movement. I only got relief and my movement back when I went to a chiropractor who uses the Pettibon system.
The pain clinic I went to last year was an electrodiagnosis and rehab clinic, so I should have known that they would just focus on EMS and TENS. My pain clinic doctor did not even know what endo was and did not understand that it doesn't show up on normal tests or scans. Maybe if you can find a clinic that focuses more on the entire person and different types of therapy, you might have different results.
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Post by hellsbells on Oct 5, 2012 6:33:54 GMT -5
I've been to one in the UK. They gave me a TENS machine and advice on painkillers. At one point they prescribed amitryptilene and Movicol as a stool softener. One of the main things it helped me with was just having someone to talk to. The nurse I saw was lovely. They should help you with acceptance and 'pacing' - to remind yourself not to over do things that bring the pain on.
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Post by hellsbells on Oct 5, 2012 6:34:28 GMT -5
It was also through the pain clinic that I was referred to counselling which also really helped.
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roxie
New Member
Posts: 6
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Post by roxie on Jan 21, 2013 16:59:49 GMT -5
I have had two separate experiences with Pain Clinics. It's really important to do your research on their treatment philosophies! Also, some providers are pain (management and therapy) experts by trade, and others are anesthesiologists by trade. I have tried medication management as well as some invasive spinal injections (which were terrible!). Some pain clinics in Oregon do still prescribe and manage meds. Make sure you find someone who will listen to what you are looking for and not just push invasive surgical options, that are only short term solutions and won't make a dent in your long-term functioning. Another important step is to develop clear goals before you go in for a consult, and make sure they agree they are a good fit to help you meet them!
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