Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

Thank you for your reply.
I suffer pain level 9 most of the day and have yet to find effective Pain relief mostly because there are no real reliable diagnostic test for CRPS.
Do u go to a Pain Center near Philadelphia ?

Awesome analogy! I tried to use a similar analogy with my neurologist and got treated like I was nuts. My Dad died of Bobar ALS and I was just beginning my new path in life with Peripheral Neuropathy as well as RA, etc, etc. Anyway, appreciate your positive attitude as it is what it is . . .take care. My sister has Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatique and keeps smiling too.

Hi i am Willis Fraley Jr. 61year old male . I am a Physical Therapist and have Reflex Symphthetic Dystrophy.

If you have any type of metal or metallic frag nesr your spine the MRI will pull it out causing burning pain

How did you get a doctor to believe your symptoms. The Pain Clinic at the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia thinks I am crazy. They don't believe me when I describe my symptoms so now I have to seek out another Pain Center. This disorder is a nightmare!

I have chronic migraine, depression and anxiety. The pain clinic doctors insist I have too much stress and medication overuse headaches. My GP believes me, but my case is too complex for him alone. I sought out a new headache specialist (my third neurologist), who believes I have chronic migraine that is exacerbated by problems in my neck and jaw (TMD.) It took a long time - 10 years out of work (still), a lifetime of migraine - to get to just one of the causes of my daily migraine attacks. My pain clinic is still skeptical, but I know I am making progress, finally. I am a strong self-advocate, and I am waiting for the pain clinic physicians to get onboard. They provide me with botox and nerve block injections. It is also the only accredited pain clinic in my state, so I have to work with them. I await the day that the doctors and therapists get together and start working together. I see that as my job, to get each provider to exchange information with the others. It is not easy, but I find I must direct my own treatment. @agmc, if your current doctors don't believe you, seek out additional physicians until you find one who supports you. You don't necessarily have to leave your clinic, but instead increase the size of your team. The doctors hopefully will work together to treat you the best they can. I wish you all the best.

I seem to have very similar symptoms like yours. I have tried Botox and sterile injections, physical therapy, acupuncture,,Chiro lately. Nothing is working. I am thinking about neck disc replacement. I don't know if anyone could provide some info or experience here. I have gone to my family doctor asking for a pharmagenic? Test because I am sensitive to medications. He said that he knew nothing about it. It is a little discouraging.

Thank you for your post. If you can believe it the Pain Clinic at the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania. ( the. 9 th best hospital in the US) told me to go to the Mayo Clinic!!!
Yes . It's time to move on to another Pain Clinic.
In the meantime, I cannot work because I have constant lower extremety pain at level 9 and sometimes excruciating for many continuous days and I am trying to pursue a long term disability claim .

Hi. So happy to find this group. I have severe scoliosis, spinal stenosis and nerve damage in my legs. I've tried all methods of relief. Injections. Epidural. Not a candidate for implanted spinal cord stimulator. Spine is too curved. Looking for input from others. Don't want to do pain meds if possible. I'm 64

@agmc Welcome, You hit an important point for all pain suffers. How do you get them to believe you have pain. In thousands of years of pain suffering there has never been an objective method of measuring an individuals pain. It has always been subjective such as the current rating scale. As long as this is the method of pain rating, it is easy for anyone to not believe you. There are rating systems used by researchers into pain and pain treatment, but the FDA has never approved an objective method of measuring pain, until this is done to many will be disbelieved. We need a push to get the medical field to accept an objective pain measuring system. As always there needs to be more research to find a system and get it approved for general use. Until this has been done too many people with real pain will be denied pain treatment and too many who have no real pain will get approved for pain medicine that they do not need.
Again welcome to the new people. 19lin