chronic pain and er question

[behringtheweb]

Hi,
First off I am not sure if this goes here so please forgive me but I need a little help. Some history on myself. In 2004 I was in a car accident which caused back pain. I went to a chiro and maybe the er 2 times at the most. Then in 2008 I fell down stairs at work. I got a bulging disc. Since then I have been in horrible pain and could never find a doctor to care. They would always say you can take 20 people and half of them have bulging discs and none of them know it.

At that point I was at the mercy of a workman comp doc who kept saying nothing was wrong with me even though the mri said I had a bulging disc.

Since then I had been to the er several times because I would have unbearable pain episodes. That went on for 6 or 7 months. Then I was fortunate enough to get released from workman comp care(which I sued and won a lawsuit). After that I was free to go to any doctor I wanted. I was lucky enough to find a good pain management doctor. He had a test done and agreed and said I needed surgery. I had surgery called a discotomy with a fusion. For a few months after that there were problems and had to continue with pain management.

Well about october of 2009 I just stopped going to the doctors and have been off meds since then and well have been doing ok dealing with the pain cause it's not going anywhere.

Well may of this year I fell down stairs and hit my head into concrete. Well I was rushed to the ER. They did a ct scan and found I had a 2mm bulging disc in my c5-c6 disc. I don't have insurance right now so I have to keep going to the er. The docs see the mri report and agree it's there but they keep saying what I was told in the past when it was my back. There could be 20 people and hald of them have bulging disc and that half not even have pain.

Well that's all nice and all but I do have pain. I get insurance 7-1-10. Should I just deal with this pain and wait til then to go see a doctor? I don't want to keep going to the ER cause I don't want to look like a drug seeker, but in the same breath I hurt and don't know what to do.

What are some good views on this cause I really don't want to go to jail either for being in real true pain.

 

[panic in paradise]

This basically how it has been for me the past year+. I have an auto immune d/o, and several other arthritic and chronic pain issues, along with a looong list of meds I have bad reactions to(part of the pains med induced). I've been to the ER more times then I can remember for chronic pain. They dont like seeing CP patients, but you can only take so much you know...?

I went in once in aggony, I kept complaining of pain coming from my abdomen, the did a CT and saw my pelvis, hips, and sacro joints where fucked... that lead to a rheumotalogist, which to diagnosis after diagnosis, and I was just thinking about contacting the Pain Clinic Physician before seeing this... heh

So I say go in, tell them the truth and you should get somex-rays, a CT, and hopefully some relief & a referel to a specialist. Be prepared to be very patient.


Sorry for the late response, but maybe it will be of some help to you.
GoodLuck

btw, have you tried medical marijuana for this, especially for breakthrough pain, and as a tool to cope with the pressure of a life in pain? I'm often recommended it by various Des, where I live anyway.

Look for some MSN cream, and a Empi TENS Unit...