Hi Joely,

I don't disagree with anything that's been said here, but I have a few observations.... Rather than citing specific articles presenting possibly biased points of view (POVs), I prefer to suggest searches/search criteria so you can review different POVs on a subject and decide for yourself -- that's (usually) "just the way I roll"... Feel free to alter/expand the criteria, and/or follow up with some of the suggested related searches. You can also check the archives for posts I've previously written on these topics.

Pain journals -- there are many examples, templates, and articles about keeping them.
keeping a pain journal
pain journal template

Pain Management -- some pain management doctors/clinics just don't prescribe narcotic pain medications - period. They're sometimes referred to as "interventional pain management". There's no use arguing, pleading, or delivering ultimatums -- they'll wish you luck and show you the door. Unfortunately, more and more doctors and clinics are going that way -- not necessarily by choice, but by political pressure -- the politics of pain.
politics of pain
politics of pain management
Materials Distributed at AAPS 9/18/2004 Briefing to Congress - "Politics of Pain"

There's nothing wrong with "no narcotics" approaches either; what's important isn't (and shouldn't be) how your pain is being addressed, it's that it is being addressed sufficiently for you to function in your day-to-day life. I think most folks here who do have to take narcotic medications will also tell you they wish they didn't have to, and that they'd prefer something else if it would work. Even with opioids, the idea is not to be pain-free, but to reduce the sense of suffering and improve the quality of life.

Talking to doctors (pain mgmt or otherwise) about your pain -- there are good ways and bad ways.
talk doctor pain
how to talk to your doctor about pain

Sorry there's so much reading, but becoming our own advocates and taking pro-active roles in our care requires that we educate ourselves. I think (hope?) you'll find it's worth it.

Doc