Quote:
Originally Posted by Penguin
Hey everyone! Hope everyone is having as good a day as possible.  As some of you may or may not know, I am STILL waiting for my doc to place the referral for pain management.  She was suppose to have done it Aug. 7th. I have called and left message after message after message, and nothing. I was told that if i don't hear back from her by Monday afternoon to call back and ask to talk to the NCOIC (non-commissioned officier in charge).  The past few days the pain has been getting worse and am now experiencing "hot spots" in my right thigh (it's my left leg that's got RSD). When i was Dxed, i was only given Calcium and Vit D. The Tramadol (50mg) does nothing. I only find some relief from the klonopin  that i still have for my anxiety, and it's an old PX. I start my fall semester tomorrow  so i'm excited, but nervous at the sametime. If i were to go to ER or urgent care, the army docs there would only give me 800mg motrin and then tell me to follow up w/ my doctor...that is what the did w/ my knee when i went there and couldn't walk on the freakin' thing...crutches, motrin, and go see your doc.
I need some encouragement and wisdom on how to handle the call that i know i'm gonna have to make tomorrow to the NCOIC. I mean, what do i say other than "where the hell is my referral?"  I don't want to come off as a *****, but i don't want to be a push-over either. Any advice on how to deal with this would be so great 
Hope all the best to everyone and thanks in advance!  |
Hi Penquin,
I can't even imagine he pain you are in.I think before I made the call, I would look up RSDSA and make a copy of the McGill Pain Index It's a Pain Chart-it lists RSD as 42 on a 1-50 scale- Above amputation and cancer-child birth. I would call can get the fax number of the NCOIC. I would tell them the number you are at-most people don't have a clue what kind of pain RSD patients are dealing with. I was in tears yesterday and I'm on several meds, but I am sick with the flu or some kind of infection, my lymph glands are swollen and soooooo sore.
Please know we are pulling for you. If the NCOIC doesn't sound ready to fight for you, ask him who you might call that he answers to, not as a threat, but as an emergency pain situation. Ask to be hospitalized if you can't get anywhere. This is 'unacceptable' as my Dr. would say.
You can't be sleeping with this kind of pain. Make a dailey diary of what you are going thru. Actually dailey journaling can help us to figure out what we are going thru and what needs to be done. A lot of us seem to think I'll just tought it out. Well that only last so long.
Besides pain meds, there are other meds that help calm the sympathetic nervous system- anti-anxiety, anti-depressants, sleeping pills, meds for fibromyalgia, patches, compounding creams for the burning, made by a compounding pharmacy. Counseling helps, distraction of different forms, music, scented candles, essential oils, MASSAGE done gentley by someone knowledgeable. physical therapy, water therapy, swimming epsom salt bathes,
comedy, reading, drawing, number paints
talking to your friends,support group, join a support group. RSDSA has under support a place where you put your zip code and will give you the closest name and phone number, rent a movie, go see a movie, put some flowers in your room,house,they are a gift from God, meditation, visualization-putting a favorite beach or stream in your mind, think about a favorite vacation spot. I found a wonderful counselor-not the first one either. Been seeing him 5 years. Had RSD 14 years.
When you are under more control of this monster, calling others or writing others and 'giving' in ways that helped you or at a support group, will in turn be a gift to you.
I'm so deeply sorry you are in this place-it truly is torturous. We all care and will be thinking of you tonight and tomorrow. Your friend, loretta soft hugs
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