I am in my 70s and have arthritis and degenerative disc disease along with stenosis of my spine. I have had barbaric disc surgery in the 70s that have in part created a lot of my problems. i take 15mg. Meloxicam daily.. My doctor will not prescribe any pain medication. I can not stand on my feet for longer than 5 minutes without having crushing pain in my lower and upper back. I really don't want to take pain meds that wiill cancell out my mind. I don't know what to do? Should I change doctors?
I live in a town that has less than 1700.00 people. We have one surgeon. Our hospital is tiny and we must travel great distances for specialists. Most of the good doctors don't stay becaus they can make more money practicing in larger cities. I have over the past 14 years changed doctors 4 times. I had diabetes for over 6 months and was not told. I had been diagnosed as pre-diabetic and was prescribed Metformin once a day. When I went to my drug store to pick up a refill I noticed that the bottle label instructed me to take it twice a day. I called the Dr.s office and spoke with her nurse and asked her about it, she said, "oh...you're diabetic' and I asked her why I wasn't informed of that news and she claimed I was. I certainly would have remembered that. The blood test i had taken was over 6 months ago! She told me to come in and pick up a glucose meter in the morning. I did...she gave me two of them and I asked her to show me how to use them and she said for me to "take them home a play with them." Needless to say, I changed doctors. The medical care out here is sloppy & poor. I originally came from Boston Mass. and the medical care was the best in the land. I am elderly and I can only hope and pray that I can live out what is left of my life in some comfort. Let me say this, I will not allow myself to be poked and prodded and i will seek out relief where I can get it. Too bad marijuana isn't legal here. :)
You won't get addicted when meds prescribed are limited. These meds give me somewhat of a life and more than I had before them. Don't be afraid to tell the doctor how severe the pain is; between 1 to 10 if your pain is a 10 - tell him or her. (I didn't and regret it) For some reason early on, with other doctors, I felt they wouldn't believe me if I told them it was a 10 - perhaps it was their demeanor; and from research I had done, some doctors think patients are "drug seeking". No one should live in pain, no one. I pray you find the right doctor and some relief. Take care.
. These tests are expensive and so are the trips to specialists. I cannot get medicaid because I am less than $100.00 over the poverty line. So as you can see I am in a catch 22. After the orthopedist gives my doctor his report only then can I recieve pain medication. This is the way of the medical proffesion protocal. Thanks for reading this.