I have an appointment w/ a new PM doc tomorrow. Just curious to see what you all would suggest I look for or ask to check this guy out?onder:

One of the things I ve done is take one of the body charts and pin point where I have pain. That way I don't forget and the doc has it on file.....don't know it if it helps but made me feel better.

I think the most important thing is that they listen and offer a variety of options. It seems sometimes docs have an attachment to certain treatments be they blocks, SCS or certain meds. Many will not offer infusions which can be a nice adjunct if other options aren't working. (If they don't do them, do they work with another practice that does?) Do they give LDN? You want to be able to try different things, sometimes getting creative, yet always with a method so you know what was making a difference.

The other important thing is that they have an interest in helping you increase function as opposed to just reducing pain. You deserve both!

Some PM, mine included, will either do or refer out for nerve conduction studies. We don't all need one but I appreciate a doc who is interested in whether there is obvious damage. It can change the approach in certain cases and is an obvious rule out with trauma or surgical history.

Lastly, if they shrug about your diagnosis or haven't treated much CRPS run the other way!

Good luck!

Great suggestions. Afraid to expect much. Last PM said Ketamine was just a merry go round that you couldn't get off of. No meds offered. SCS only. Did refer me to Prager to check out Ketamine.The travel and expense were too much and in the you tube videos was not too sure about bedside manner. Very nervous about tomorrow. Thanks for your help!

Check Credentials to make sure he is an actual Certified PM. Pain management is one of the easiest "specialty" to add to their forte. Make sure he is specifically trained as a Pain Management Doctor. Strange but true. I've read a lot and have had experiences with Doctors that claimed to be Pain Management Doctors or specialists. In fact it's one of the easiest titles to add to their range of services as an M.D. that doesn't get the provider in trouble. Also at my upcoming appointment I am going to be looking to see if this new one LISTENS to me when I say this works, this doesn't etc. We have to be our own advocates and understand the ball is in our court. We can walk away at anytime! It's taken me a long time to reach that point and keep the perspective that I know myself better than ANYONE! Keep your head up, be confident, and keep in mind at anytime you can say NEXT and move on if it's not a right fit. That's my plan anyway! Best of Luck! I will be thinking about you and praying for you that all will go well! HUGS!!

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stillsmiling,
Thank you for your words of encouragement. You straightened my thinking out a bit---this is not a do or die appointment. If this is not the right person, keep looking. I am approaching the year mark and I know my best chance is now, but I need the right person to partner with. If not this one another. LISTENING is a good quality and I will double check credentials. Thanks again~mac

You want someone who has completed a fellowship in pain medicine. They are usually anesthesiologists first and then go on to complete a fellowship in pain medicine. If they are fellowship trained it will be clearly listed in their credentials.

I would also look for someone who offers more than one option. For example, "I suggest we try 'A' first and then add in 'B or C' if needed." If they only do injections or only do meds, walk away. CRPS is "complex" and needs someone who can think outside of the box.

Go with your gut. If it doesn't feel right then walk away. Don't waste your time on someone who is not willing to be open to other options.

Thanks again for all of your suggestions. Unfortunately, this PM doctor does not think outside the box. Once again, I was told a spinal cord stim. is my only option. He stated that all other treatments are considered "experimental" and were not offered by his practice. Got news, with CRPS everything is considered experimental. This includes SCS, that's why there are still research trials going on with it I would assume. I was assured the SCS was "relatively" safe with few complications. I was also told that what I was reading on the internet was purely anecdotal, therefore unreliable. I guess this includes Schwartzman, Chopra, Christo, Prager, etc... Not to mention all of you who carry knowledge and wisdom he will never know. No LDN, bisphosphonates and certainly no ketamine, which is after all a "powerful anesthetic" I was cautioned. I am more than a little angry. thanks for giving me a place to vent.

I would like to extend my sympathy to whgat you went through. The neurologist I am seeing said a lot of what you just heard with one exception, he was very sympathetic to my having crps.
He said right now the best to offer was a list of ms drugs that have been prescribed for CRPS. LDN was is one of them. But he is willing to work w MY needs. Wish you had that too.

Oh mama, I know what you are feeling.

My PM doctor supposedly trained Dr. Chopra, but will not offer me much of anything Dr. Chopra green dot listed. So far I have gotten neurontin. It doesn't cut it.

After waiting months to see this doctor he told me to "doctor shop" to find someone to give me the bisphosphonate infusions. Someone "might" give them to me.

I feel as if none of the people know squat about CRPS, because if they did they would know a CRPSer likely does not have the wherewithal or the energy of the unafflicted to be hunting down doctors. I have limited energy.

I believe that because there are no set guidelines for treating CRPS the doctors are afraid to be "experimental," which often translates into no treatment.

It infuriates me to read what others got or are getting here for treatment, when I have gotten literally nothing, despite seeing many doctors. One doctor told me he might give me lidocaine or topical ketamine. "Maybe in a couple weeks." I never went back. I needed help right then, not in a couple weeks and certainly not "maybe." Perhaps if he had helped me cut the pain then I could have made better progress.

Mama, I was warned never to google by multiple doctors. "Never." You have to wonder why researching your illness could be wrong.

What has helped me the most is the LDN I am using to self-treat. And before anyone gets upset about it, let me add this, I contacted one of the big CRPS doctors by email who did not admonish me or lecture me for going down this path when he responded. Although, he did offer to see me in his office. If I had the wherewithal I would go.

PT is another positive. Epsom salts baths. DMSO. NOW MSM and arnica cream.