Devastated!!!!

[Kara Isabel]

Went to my pain management appt. today and found out that my doctor is weaning ALL his fibromyalgia patients off of pain medication and is going to manage the fibro with benzodiazapines (xanax, valium, etc)

I'm completely CRUSHED right now! He's weaning me off the mscontin and norco and I'm supposed to go back to a life of FULL TIME PAIN AND MISERY!

FInding another pain management clinic around here is IMPOSSIBLE because there are NONE. None that do medicine treatment anyways so I'm basically screwed!!!!!

I don't know what to do, my attitude is SOOO bad right now.

Again............WHY won't doctors take this pain seriously???????? WHY do they think its all in our heads??????????? I've already lost 7 lbs from the last cut in meds and now I just might waste away because I won't eat anything and I don't CARE anymore.........I give up!

I'm so crushed!!!!!!!!!

love,
Kara

[leelee88]

Kara
I completely understand..I dont understand doctors..Mine will not even give me mild pain meds, so I suffer from pain every day..
I am so sorry you are going through this, but please dont give up, maybe if you go to him and plead your case he might see things differantly...
Good luck and God Bless You!

[jen74]

Hi Kara.
Wow, I am sorry about what you are dealing with. I dont get his approach as not everyone can take benzodiazapines. I know my GI doc has me take ativan which is like valuim for when I have severe stomach pain and nausea with my motility disorder. I do not take them all the time though as they say your body can become addicited to them in a short period of time. So like if you take them for more than 3 weeks straight everyday and try to suddenly stop them, you are going to have bad withdrawl issues.
I mean I just dont get it. If you are doing well with what you are taking, I think he should leave well enough alone, why screw things all up again and have you in pain. I honestly dont understand some of these doctors and their way of thinking. Good Luck Hon, and dont give up, if you have to, keep searching and maybe you will find another doctor, even if you have to travel a little further.
Jen

[blackcat25]

Hi,
Has your doctor said why he is doing this? If he's worried about addiction then surely he's got it backwards because benzo's are way more addictive than pain meds.
Wish I could offer more advice, but sending instead.
Hugs,
Blackcat

[patricia1]

I am so sorry!!! I will never understand why the wont believe the IC patients. If they could walk one day in our shoes just maybe they would understand

[ICNDonna]

Hopefully if you will work with your doctor, together you can find the right combination that will help with your pain.

Sending healing thoughts,
Donna

[dancemomof2]

So sorry to hear this. I don't understand why when someone is stable that they would want to mess them up. THis really stinks to hear this.

[jen74]

As sad as it is to say, most of these doctors are not in the business to help people, but rather to make as much money as they can. I would not be suprised if your doctor didn't have some deal going with the pharmacuetical company and is getting a kickback for prescribing these other meds. It just dont make sense that he would stop all his patients from using their meds for no reason. There is always a reason, and I rest assured it is a reason that will benefit your doc. I may be wrong, but it just seems fishy to me.
Jen

[Moonheart]

Gosh Kara!!! That is so wrong!!! I don't even know what to say. I think maybe you'll have to drive or be driven somewhere far away, or maybe can you go to a primary and get meds?

I feel ill for you.

[littlemyrn]

I am sooo sorry also. I wish sometimes they could live in our shoes for about a month, without all the foods they like, not doing the activities they like, and see if they feel the same way.

[Sarojini]

That is awful. I am always terrified I'm going to walk into my pain clinic and they are going to say something like this, because, yeah, doctors can get very strange regarding pain. I think it was Donna who asked if he had said WHY... if so, I'm curious....

[ihurttoo]

I am so sorry to hear this too. I know that had to be a terrible blow to hear that, especially since you have done so well on your meds. But, please dont lose hope on this. First of all, you are not like all his other Fibro patients, you also have IC. He may no longer think that narcotics are the optimal treatment for fibro, but there are tons of Drs. that agree that thet are entirely appropriate for the treatment of IC pain. I would start with that angle first.

To back your arguement, start keeping a pain journal. I know you used to keep one. Hopefully, you can find it and show this Dr. the evidence of how bad off you were prior to narcotic therapy and the vast improvements you have made while on it. If you cant find it, (or if I am mistaken and you didnt ever have one), then go back and print out your old posts here from before you had pain meds and then some from after you were on them and show him those. The difference is dramatic!

I would also take your husband with you to the appt, so he can "testify" as to the dramatic difference in your functioning and quality of life since you have been on pain meds.

I would also print off several of the articles on pain mgmt, including the ones of Dr. Brookoff's about the rat and his others. Also, the one about how the quality of life of IC patients has been demonstrated to be worse than (or similar to that) of patients with end-stage renal disease.

If you are still working, I would explain to him that it is because of your pain meds. If you are on disability, I would explain that it is b/c your DRs and the US govt all agreed that you are in that much pain. You get the idea. Use every tool you have.

You are a very eloquent woman and are always very persuasive. I truly think that you can change the mind of your Dr. when you do your "full-court press". But, if you still cant, then it is still no reason to give up. You see all of our signatures and know what meds we are taking. You know that there are heck of a lot of us on heavy duty pain meds. We all get them from Drs, so there ARE DRs out there who believe in our pain and believe in treating us compassionately with pain meds, if that is what it takes. You will find one too. You may have to travel to get to one, like I do, but you WILL find one. I have to travel 5 hours round-trip once a month to mine, and believe me, it is no picnic those days. As a matter of fact, I suffer worse that day and the next, than the whole rest of the month, just b/c of the drive. But, I have to do what I have to do in order to have pain meds the rest of the month. We are all stronger than we realize, and you will do what you have to do too.

I pray that your Dr. changes his/her mind. I know if anyone can change it, that you can. Please get your pain diary in order and your info printed off, and then make an appt to sit down and talk to your Dr. soon. Please let us know what happens. I am so upset for you, I will be worried sick until I know that you are okay.

Hugs,
Amy

P.S. If you need any support, feel free to pm me and I'll give you my number. Also, if you think it would help, I'd be glad to send your Dr. a letter from another patient's point of view who has Fibro and IC to tell him how much the pain meds help me function and that as a Moderator here, I have heard the same from patient after patient. I will also send copies of lecture transcripts with my letter, as well as copies of my medical records so he what I take and how it has impacted my quality of life. I will do anything I can for you. There is no detail in my life that is too private to put in my letter, if you think it will help you. Like I said, just say the word, and I will get right on it!

[curlycue]

Pain

[sacausa]

Wow, that's awful! I seriously don't understand those doctors. I've luckily never encountered doctors who did not want to prescribe medication for my pain... on the contrary my doctors have always been way to free with prescribing pain medication....... In what part of the country are you? I seriously just don't get why these doctors are so reluctant to treat pain!

[andrea1]

Wow- I'm so sorry. I can imagine just how you feel. I went through months and months of doctors refusing to help me because they didn't believe that I was really hurting. I guess for now, I would try the OTC and home remedies until you find a doctor that works better for you. Keep coming here for support... Best of luck!