Help with doctors appointment please...

[vwvic]

Hi there, I'm wondering if anyone has good advice to calm me down and help me to be rational. I'm an occasional poster, although I haven't been on here for a while. I'm getting really stressed about a doctors appointment later.

I have a scholiosis, and get quite a lot of pain in my back. My previous gp prescribed a strong anti inflammatory painkiller, which I took for about two years. It allowed me to live a normal life, and be a good mum etc. We have now moved house, so I have to go to a differnt gp. He will not prescribe me the same meds, as he feels that at 29 I am too young to have as much pain as I say I do. He alsomade it fairly obvious that he thought it wasn't so important to be pain free because I'm a stay home mum.

I've not have any pain relif now for over a month. I'm in a fair bit of pain, not to mention very stiff and tense. I feel I can't cope anymore; I'm not sleeping, shouting at the kiddies, generally being horrible. So I've made an appointment to see a differnet gp at the same practise.

I'm sitting here shaking. I'm so afraid that this doctor won't believe me either, and I'm not sure how to deal with things if that does happen. Sorry this has been so lond, thanks for listenning.

Osteopath and Pilates!

I too have scoliosis (to what degree I'm not sure but my lower back is prone to locking up) and a course of osteopath treatments sorted this out. Pilates helps build up the core support muscles to keep it this way although it can still be vulnerable if you do stupid things IYSWIM :).

As an aside, I tend not to take pain killers for my back for the simple reason I need to know when it's hurting to avoid doing anything to make it worse.

Well, bumping this for you. I really hope someone comes on here with some good advice.

How horrible for you. Well done for seeing another doctor, but what an unbelievable attitude for the other one to take. You sound really ground down with this. Is there anyone you could take along for moral support to the appointment?

It can't be right to expect you to have nothing, although I know my mum took strong pain killers for years for back problems and the worry was that they are not good for the stomach long term.

Sorry Soupy - Xposted with you there.

there's a mother at my kids' school who is a pain specialist. I never knew they existed but essentially, she is a trained doctor who specialises in helping people manage chronic pain.

If the other GP won't prescribe the meds for you then insist you are referred to someone who can help assess and evaluate the pain you are in. They can't just dismiss you. Can you take someone with you? I often find that doctors can be more willing to listen if both you and your partner go along.

Thanks for the replies. I already do pilates and yoga, all with the aim of keeping me mobile and building up muscle strength. The problem is that without adaequate pain relief it's just getting too painful, and my mobility isn't as good as it usually is.

Avoiding doing stuff that makes it worse isn't always an option. my problems are in the thoracic region, which means my arms are also affected- I find it hard to do normal round the house type stuff. Not very good when I have to take care of little ones. My girls are good, and know that I can't pick them up (they have to wait until I sit/kneel down to hug them), carry their bags, etc. My dh helps as much as he can, but he works full time so can't be expected to do everything. I suspect my inlaws don't believe me really either, although they have got better since I was seen by a physio.

The stomach consequences worry me too, but right now it seems worth taking the risk. I'm not in any of the increased risk factors for developing problems, and certainly my physio felt it was important to keep taking them to reduce inflammation and therefore improve mobility.

Oh, I'm so tied up in knots about this. . I'm off to the doctors now to try and get something sorted- I'll let you know how I get on.

vwic, you stil there?

my DDadhas chronich back pain, but for different reasons. I whent to see his pain management consultant with him and he was fab. Try to get yourself a referral, His expaination of pain was that the cause of pain, sholiosis or injury would not nessesarily get worse however the cycle of pain its self would continue to get worse and worse if left. They give a holistic approach to preventing pain. Although he reccomende not over doing it, he said taking it easy would prob not help. Some antidepressants in mild form as well as medication orinionally developed for eppilepsy can be great for neurogenic/nerve pain. He also has a tens machine which he finds invaluable and has virious other treatments. Pain clinics are fab, you are not going to the drs to prove you are in, pain occurs where and when a patient says it does. But to get the help that you deserve. really hope you get to read this, good luck!

I'm appalled (although not surprised) at your new GP.

Dh suffers from chronic pain and has done so for quite some time. When we moved from Suffolk to here we did get reassessed by the GP and she made clear she wasn't happy about the pain medication that he was on (and in fact has basically forced him to come off it by refusing to prescribe it any more) but she referred us urgently to the local pain team and they have really been fantastic in trying to find more suitable long-term alternatives for managing dh's pain. So far no luck but at least they are trying - I would go f**king mental if someone said "just live with it" (as in fact an Out of Hours GP did to me not that long ago - tosser.

Not being believed when you suffer from a hidden condition (i.e. you look fine) is also a problem I have to deal with all the time. I know a lot of my friends think dh is just putting it on to get sympathy/attention/have me run ragged looking after him. He isn't.

I really hope this other GP will be more sympathetic - yes you need to explore avenues other than pain meds but as you say, exercise is becoming increasingly difficult and exercise is really important in managing pain.

Hey all. Chapsmum and Tribpot, thanks for your messages. The other gp was really nice, and whilst not prescribing my usual meds, has prescribed me a longer acting version of diclofenac, which I think should be a lot better. She's also going to refer me to a pain management clinic.
Oddly, it's not the pain that I find so hard to deal with- I can usually blank it out pretty well- it's the stiffness and lack of mobility which pain meds don't sort out. I guess that's why it's so important to have adequate pain meds to make sure I can still excercise and reduce the stiffness.

Sorry, pressed post too soon. I just want to thank everyone for their support- it meant a lot this morning.

so glad you got referres and the gp was sympathetic, it really does make such a difference. GOod luck!