Hi, I have noticed a lot of people on the board are on pain management, or are going to pain management clinics.
What can pain management facilities do for R.A patients?
I went to one, and they took my blood pressure which was really high because of the pain, but they just gave me useless lidocain patches. Of course these are for people with back pain. It looked as if all of their options are for back pain patients with slipped disks.
With all the stigma about narcotic/pain pill addictions, where can we turn to for pain relief when our flares arent under control?
Besides Enbrel, Mtx, and Prednisone-- what do people do when their flares are too extreme and they have nothing to turn to?
thanks
Thats a tough question because it really seems like the quality of pain clinics vary considerably. My insurance gives me almost no choice on where to go and it's a two month wait to get in. And, no one will tell me ahead of time what they are offering.
You can possibly look up Pain Management Specialists in your area on the Internet. A few do have web sites that overview their services. Also by looking at some sites, regardless of whether they are in your area, you can glean some things to ask.
RA actually has more options than FM. I think FM has doctors stumped. I finding that all my doctors just want to through narcotics at it. With RA, you first want to make sure that your RA is under control. That means you are on the right mix of medications that bring disease and inflammation activity down. Then, they can add anti-inflammatories, prednisone, and pain relievers. When they want to go up past Vicodin or simliar drugs, then the Rheumys don't want to be responsilbe for prescribing these meds as their are stiff legal ramifications.
If you can take advantage of PT, exercise, yoga, water therapy... all this strengthening therapies, you're going to do the most good for your body. Also, using TENS units, ultrasound, heat and ice make a difference. Understanding your limitations and requirements for rest and what triggers your flares also helps.
There are a few pain management specialists that will do biofeedback, acupunture, etc. But finding one that is covered by your insurance can be diffucult.
If I find something good, I'll be letting everyone know.
I have a good pain management clinic and I would ask when calling for a first appt. if they treat the pain that comes with RA and if they use narcotics. You have a right to get proper pain mgmt. and there is nothing wrong with using narcotics properly. I have used them for 2 yrs with no problems.
Take care
With my daughter, I have seen the worse case scenario with the narcotics. I know she has mental health issues. I know that those meds interfere with the pain meds and vice versa. I know she has an addictive personality.
But after dozens of trips to the ER and that one week with her in the hospital puking everything, them trying everything to get it under control, watching her teeth rot out -- well, I've seen the ugly side and it had made me afraid.
However, I know that talking to Roxy about her pain that was so uncontrollable, that she really didn't have a choice.
I am going to listen and try to get them to work with me on this stuff. Problem is that the neurologist believe that the oxycotin and the morphine would not be a good idea. Also, I believe that the oxycotin is a step up on the percocet which makes me itch. My primary was afraid to give me anything new so they just upped the Vicodin for now. They were afraid of a bad reaction.
For now, I'll go with the Vicodin. I just feel like I need a little more help. I'm getting the appointment with the Pain Clinic.
But if anyone has some good resources to read up on, I sure would be interested.