Hi Craig!

I am glad you have had your appointment!
I am sorry it is leading you places you feel you are not so interested to visit.
I do understand being tired of the talking, the testing, the med trials, the re-testing, the various opinions, the politics, the re-testing, the side-effects, the re-testing and the... overall chase.

Yes, I have heard of this type of specialist. Our hospital system used to have a physiatrist. With budget cutbacks, we do not have a qualified one anymore. (We have one, but he is reportedly so poor at this that no doctor will refer patients to him.)

I have also heard of centralized pain syndrome.
I have also been told I have this in addition to my other issues.
Do I truly have this? It may depend upon whom we ask.
At this time, all of my current doctors agree on this.
Yet, they may change their minds anytime. We will see.

They had started to add in meds like Namenda, etc.
I had tried it for awhile and then stopped most of the extra meds.
In this past Fall, I was told there was nothing more they could do for me, except to admit me to the ER for a few hours when in severe pain and give me more morphine IV to try to break the pain cycle for awhile. This was their bottom line as the very best they could offer to me.
(There was talk of a drug called ketamine, as well. I have never taken it. I hope to never have to take it.)

They also had told me to order my wheelchair now. (Last Fall, and again.)

After dumping a few meds, again, I am still in pain, but I am not needing crutches to walk to my kitchen. My feet are recovering yet again.

Everyone is different. I cannot suggest anyone else is reacting badly to meds. I only know myself, my own pattern, and I also know when I truly think "they" are "off" in what they are saying or in what they are prescribing.

Please allow me to say I have good doctors. Most of them also teach at a teaching hospital and/or do research...and are published. Yet, I still l have really good hunches about my own treatment(s). They types of treatments I had wanted to try were the types they had said my insurer would never cover for a centralized pain syndrome patient. Yet, hey... why not and.... that is not all I am! I am still bucking them on this.

I do hear you, Craig!
It all gets old!

Please let us know how you are doing!

My very best to you and to yours!

~DejaVu