Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

Peach, I think that younger doctors just coming out of med school are actually taught how to have a better bedside and office-side manner. Far too many of the older ones have god complexes. They are right, and YOU are wrong. End of story.

When you think of the amount of study these doctors have gone through, starting with having to achieve, achieve, achieve in high school, then putting in impossible hours throughout med school and residency and so forth, many of them grow to feel entitled. Many simply do not find the time or ability to communicate effectively with patients. Many had no interpersonal skills to begin with; the crushing load of study didn't help. (My oldest friend in the world--we've been buddies since 8th grade--is a psychiatrist. I used to visit him when he was doing residencies and internships, and I rarely saw him. He put in 24- and 36-hour shifts, fell asleep on a cot at the hospital, or came home and crashed. Medicine is a brutal study track.) So, no, it is not YOU.

May I suggest finding a nurse practitioner as a primary care? They actually are trained to listen. They give you far longer appointments. My primary care has a doctorate in nurse practitionership, and she is a marvel. She schedules appointments for at least a half hour. She LISTENS. And she has no problem saying, "I don't know, so I'm going to refer you to a specialist."

Hazel

I have been disheartened by the posts about physicians/surgeons/dentists who appear to be less than caring. My experience has been totally different. As my structural issues became more critical and CMPS and SFN started impacting pain levels and quality of life....i received nothing but genuine support and understanding through all the surgeries and recoveries with only one exception. I sort of think that when our physicians realize that they can't totally "fix us" they become saddened by the fact the contemporary medicine with all of the technology and pharmaceutical options just doesn't do the whole job. We age, we fall, we risk, we cope and we struggle. Recently my neurologist simply said...."I know your are suffering and I would give anything to be able to help you more". My orthopedic surgeon devoted his private time to coming to my room in the evening to just chat and provide compassionate care. His words when there was nothing more that he could do that would help, "I am so sorry, Chris", followed by a warm hug and his cell phone # for "just in case". He also made sure my favorite wine was on the tray at dinner time after one of the surgeries. I check in every 6 months with my pcp and that is always a welcoming and supportive experience. I am always open and honest about my choice of alternative therapies and the rest of the specialist team are accepting and interested in the efficacy of those options. I don't think I could ask for anything more.

@artscaping, You had some very thoughtful Drs. It's good to hear of your experience, gives us hope for the same.

@artscaping I agree with you, almost all of my doctors are really great and seem sincere. Unfortunately the one I cannot say that about anymore is my PCP. Initially he really seemed to care a lot, I even commented on it to him once and his response was that he felt that was the most important trait a doctor could have. A while after that though it began to seem like he was just going through the motions unfortunately. As I said though, despite that not being a positive doctor-patient relationship I feel like all of my others are, thankfully.
JK

@kelseydm I would like to start a different category. Not sure how to do it. I can't handle all responses I'm getting on my email land cell I'd like to turn them off until I can choose the right one.

@jerry4info and all...to start a new discussion, scroll up to the first post on the page to see the name of the discussion you are in. Then click the Group name to the right of the small house icon which will take you to the Group page. Then all you have to do is click the Start a Discussion button and type the discussion subject and description.

John

To turn off email notifications, you can click the unsubscribe at the bottom of the email or you can click your Profile in the upper right corner of the screen and select Account Settings. Then go to the bottom and find Email Notifications. There you can select/disable which notifications you want to have sent to you (or not!).

John

It sounds like you have some pretty remarkable doctors.

My primary care has been wonderful, but there's nothing she can do other than to send me to others, such as an ENT. That person gave me a booklet on TMJ pain, and that was that.

My dentist was great at first. Weekly anesthesia injections to the trigger points in my mouth. When those didn't work, he sent me to an oral surgeon. The oral surgeon was helpful and thorough and honest. He found nothing structural going on. So, he couldn't offer me a surgical alternative. He wrote a prescription for a muscle relaxer and said that was all he could offer. He sent me back to my dentist.

I'd continued to do the exercises my dentist told me to do. They didn't help, but I still do them. The dentist sent me to a physical therapist, who was an absolute weirdo. He didn't listen to me. He tried to force me to come to his "other clinic," where I'd pay $150 per visit, which insurance wouldn't cover, and where he'd "cure" me with magnets. Um, nope.

I went back to my dentist for more anesthesia shots or something. Anything. He told me that the anesthesia shots were obviously not working. He didn't recommend botox for me, given where my trigger points are. He suggested I go to a pain management specialist, but he refused to write a referral for me. I fired my dentist.

I went back to my primary care, and we talked about pain management specialists and which ones she prefers and why. At the time, I was going through a more than two week long pain free (relatively) cycle. So, I wasn't in a hurry. And then the pain started up again, as suddenly as it had back in September 2016.

Sometimes I wonder if there's something other than TMJ going on. Should I get a CAT scan or an MRI? Should I go back to the ENT? Believe me, I do NOT want surgery. From everything I've read--and I've read a lot--surgery for TMJ pain usually leaves one in a far worse condition. No thanks.

I'd rather not take pain meds. They fog me over, I can't concentrate on work, and I'd hesitate to drive. So, next week, I'm seeing one of the few docs in my area who are "allowed" by the state of Florida to prescribe MM. His major area of expertise is hospice and palliative care. A friend with severe back problems has spoken very highly of him.

Will he approve me for MM? I don't know. Will MM work for me? I don't know.

So, I've had a combination of good, bad, and mediocre, as far as pain goes.

Hazel

Me too Chris. I've had excellent doctors for the most part. Also get a new primary care doc every few years as they rotate in and out of the Mayo Family Clinic. I've had to "educate" a few and vice/versa but that's all part of life in the fast lane (well, fast for me anyway!). I really think being your own advocate and learning as much as you can so you can ask better questions and help the doctor help you is the key.

I'm in Denver, CO. It is a Presbyterian Church since I was born Presbyterian! I wonder if you have a Senior Center in your neck of the woods? The way it works here is that when you turn 65, you apply for a Silver Sneakers Card and Medicare will pick up the expenses for any of the gym activities. I'm not sure if it also covers the activities in the adjunct center but I would think so.