Hello, I am searching for a reputable physician specializing in Chronic Pain Medicine. I have a healed brocken back from an injury when I was young, although now that I m sporting double nickels in age the arthritis is visiting quite frequently. I use a walker to walk my dog, as my L ankle was crushed in an Industrial Accident, which was resolved, no more Workmans Comp. nonsense. When the injury incurred in my youth didn t keep me from being active in sports, since the injury occurred, my R ankle has broken consistently about every other year. With the L ankle basically out of commission and the R ankle not able to work properly due to all of the breaks over the years it is getting much more difficult to do the simple things such as walking, which is taken for granted, since most people can walk consistently without incurring an injury. With me, that is not the case. The scar tissue in my back and ankles basically cripple me, and the pain in my legs is getting worse and worse. I don t scream as much as I did when I was younger, nor do I wake up screaming anymore from the pain. I am on Social Security Disability due to the disabling factors of the accumulated injuries. I am a former Nursing Student, I was getting ready for the clinical rotation when my L ankle was crushed, so I am very aware of how detrimental opiates are. However, I have tried shots in the back, an epidural block that lasted for three days and the physician that did that procedure refused to do another one, due to the fact that the epidural only provided me with three days of relief. I have also had two different types of shots to thwart the pain, however my legs are in agony every day and when I used to drive, I d have to stop the car and walk around before I could concentrate on driving. The pain got in the way of responsibly driving a vehicle, and I didn t want to hurt anyone. Now I am aware of the current hysteria concerning the prescribing opiates for pain, however I don t think I should have to live in agony due to the current hysteria surrounding the prescribing of opiates for chronic pain. I would like the experts to deal with the pain I have every day, and than call me a wuss when I seek relief from the pain I endure every day. I need a pain management physician who is not caught up in the growing hysteria that results when the physician prescribes something effective to deal with the pain. I live in New Castle County in Delaware, and the politics the result from a physician prescribing effective pain relief when all procedures have failed is sad. The current mood in this area prevents physicians who want to help patients due to the hysterical politics that surround this mind set. I would like to find a physician who is willing to work with a patient who has valid, chronic pain and is not going to be hampered by the current mood in the area in which I live.
Hello, There is considerable anger and frustration involved here. The bottom line is "how to get opiates." There are many "pain management" centers that offer them--usually with other less proven modalities being more or less required. Injections for pain have not had critical evaluation. A doctor saying it didn't work and not doing it again is quite rare. On the other hand, some ostensible drug treatment programs such as Bel Air Recovery Center offers psychological counseling geared to pain mgt. along with methadone treatment. Methadone being quite effective on pain at far less than the usual doses used in opiate addiction. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Take care Regards, Dr Matt Wachsman, Addiction Medicine Specialist