I’m from the northeast their much more conservative in the midwest on pain meds. It seems like you ask for darvon and they act like you want a shot of heroin. Where can you go to get treated in Kansas for neck and back pain. I’m 60 and I don’t want to hear about physical therapy. I’v had 20yrs. of that! I just want meds to be able live a normal life without being in pain all the time. Where are some good doctors?
#1 by michelle on February 3, 2010 - 5:39 am
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Yes, it is true that here in the midwest, Drs are much more conservative when it comes to pain medication. It is unfortunately because of the high rate of addiction, misuse of prescription narcotics (resale), and cases of overdose.
Although I can’t tell you of any Drs you should go to, I suggest that you obtain your medical records from your prior physician and bring them to your current Dr. This will allow your new Dr the opportunity to see what past treatments and diagnostic tests you have had, what the diagnosis was, and what treatment works best for you. This will save you time and money.
Unfortunately, while your prior physician may have come to the conclusion that the best way to treat your pain was through medication, other Drs may feel that because there are other treatments available (such as PT), that just continuing to give you scripts for pain meds is unreasonable and could be dangerous, as most people build up a tolerance and require stronger meds, or more of them. Wether or not you choose to follow their treatment plan is entirely up to you, if he recommends PT, and you tell them no, they aren’t likely to just write you a script. If you have documentation of having PT and it failed, even if he still doesn’t want to give you pain meds, he might have another treatment option available. And it may work. But you have to keep an open mind and at least give it a try.
I have had serious back problems most of my life. I had a 2 level spinal fusion about 18 months ago. I just returned home from the hospital this morning where I had an EMG/NVT. I have cervical spinal stenosis, and will be seeing my surgeon next week to go over treatment options, its definately going to be another major surgey, its just a matter of what type. Either a cervical fusion, or disc replacement.
My point is, I understand how painful and frustrating chronic back conditions can be. My best advice to you is to shop around for a Dr that can adequately treat your CONDITION, not just your pain, and keep an open mind. It is possible that the Dr you were seeing in the past did not have the experience or technology available to do any more than just medicate you.
Although most of my physicians are within 10 miles of my home, my surgeon is in Chicago which is about 1 1/2 hours away. Although I live in a city where the population is in excess of 100,000, and I am within 15 miles of 3 very large hospitals, they just don’t have capacity to treat every condition that walks through their doors. I go to RUSH University, which is a teaching hospital. Maybe you can try using the internet and research which hospitals and university have had success treating your specific condition.
Good Luck.