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Member
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Paradise
Posts: 855
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Paradise
Posts: 855
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I have an opinion, for what it's worth. CRPS when first realized, either follows no history that an ER doc will comprehend for the type I'rs and if you are type II, then you likely followed surgery, have some strange surgical complication for which they only want to make sure you are not going to die in the next 5 minutes then tell you to follow up with your surgeon.
Most if not all GP's, internist and any other primary doc while having heard of CRPS a long time ago in school, would not know a CRPS patient if it walked in and bit them on the rump. Cerebrally, they have heard about it, probably never seen one of us that they knew about and sure as hell would rip up the welcome mat and lock the door if they found out that you walked into their office. They have too many other patients for which they have a handle on their problem to pursue as opposed to taking on a patient that is out of their league. Of course there are exceptions.
So, we become "chronic" patients and have the best results with those that handle chronic conditions, PM docs, psychiatrist, etc. When we have an acute exacerbation and go to the ER, we are back to square one dealing with someone who knows how to keep a gunshot pateint alive for awhile but hasn't a clue (nor wants one) on how to deal with us.
The problem is a lack of exposure for the docs that most of us see first. They simply are outgunned because the have no experience base in dealing with us other than what they have read or studied in school. They don't see enough of us!
Then complicate the process with patients that game the system (not us whom are here) for monetary reasons as well as hired guns in the PI and WC venues who not only do not understand our condition but rely on miserable publications like the 5th Ed. of the AMA Guidelines for Impairment and think we are all a bunch of nut jobs in an effort to help those who purchased their services.
Everyone here has it correct eventually in that they will trickle down to some MD who cares or knows enough to help us! At least the way the system is now, most of us can get care, of some type, that is on a varying basis helpfull. I lose sleep over what happens when and if we go to a system where care is determined from what is cheapist. Chronic and terminal patients (those who cost the system money) will sit in the back of the bus and be put out to pasture. EBM will determine that there is no proven effective care so nothing will be covered; the response will be go to Ralph's and buy another bottle of ibuprofen!
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