I went to neuro. today. Told him I felt like gabapentin he prescribed 4 months ago does not help with pain and that my unaffected arm seemed weaker. He told me to stop taking it and to try ALEVE and that he could prescribe an anti-depressant for me!! The only thing that is depressing me is the fact he can't understand what I'm going through. I demanded that I have an MRI done on bpi shoulder. It's like he doesn't believe ALL the pain I am dealing with. I asked him if he thought PT would help. His response was "can you afford that?" as I lost my job/insurance due to the work restrictions HE put me on. He said he could refer me to an internal medicine physcian and/or a PROFESSOR OF NEUROLOGY as he was only taught the 'BASICS' and did not have any answers as to what is causing my problems. What kind of crap is that? When we(my mom went with me) suggested that overcompensation for 32 years might be an answer, he just fluffed it off saying "I don't think that would cause the problem you are experiencing". He CAN'T tell what is causing it but has the KNOWLEDGE ALL OF A SUDDEN to tell me what's not(before even looking at mri on bpi shoulder/arm)!! Go figure!! Did not even mention a date for coming back to see results of mri? Not that I would want to see him again!!! Just so mad right now! I am going to call for the results. I think now that I don't have insurance and have to make payments as I can he is really not interested if I am in pain or not!! I really needed to vent. Any suggestions on my next step through this journey as I have no idea what to do now? I refuse to give up and just deal with this pain. Thanks for listening.
Tracy 32yr.old robpi
disgusted with neuro.!!!!!!
Re: disgusted with neuro.!!!!!!
I forgot he also oredered mri on my head to check for MS.
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jennyb
- Posts: 1183
- Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2001 5:24 pm
- Injury Description, Date, extent, surgical intervention etc: January 1980 Yamaha RD200 vs 16 wheeler truck, result, 1 totally paralysed right arm. I was 21, now 54. I had no surgery, I don't regret this. Decided to totally ignore limitations (easily done aged 21) adapted very quickly to one handed life, got married, had 3 kids, worked- the effect of the injury on my life (once the pain stopped being constant) was minimal and now, aged 54, I very rarely even think of it, unless I bash it or it gets cold, then I wish I'd had it amputated :) Except for a steering knob on my car, I have no adaptations to help with life, mainly because I honestly don't think of myself as disabled and the only thing I can't do is peel potatoes, which is definitely a good thing.
Re: disgusted with neuro.!!!!!!
Hi Tracy
I am tbpi, in tbpi the biggest issue tends to be the pain, despite the fact that many of us have such bad bpi that we amputate, the pain affects us more than loss of an arm, so I do know where you are coming from and I hope you don't mind me answering even tho I am not birth injured.
I just thought I'd say that almost certainly the doctor has put you on anti depressants not because he thinks you are depressed, but because it has been proven to help some tbpi with severe long term pain. It doesn't mean he isn't taking your pain seriously, in fact in some ways you should be encouraged-it means he has read up to date papers about long term bpi nerve pain which is very different to other kinds of pain.
The bpi nerve pain syndrome is often described as a constant burning, crushing, buzzing feeling in the bpi hand, with electric shock type pains shooting up the arm which are strong enough to make you cry out when they happen. If that's what is happening to you then maybe the antidepressants will help. They did help me but I hated the side effects.
Hope this helps, it's so hard to describe one's own pain even to a fellow bpi wearer, never mind to a stupid doctor who has no idea how it feels and can come to rule your life.
I hope you get some relief, I just wanted to tell you the antidepressants don't mean the doc thinks you are nuts!
Take care
Jen NZ
I am tbpi, in tbpi the biggest issue tends to be the pain, despite the fact that many of us have such bad bpi that we amputate, the pain affects us more than loss of an arm, so I do know where you are coming from and I hope you don't mind me answering even tho I am not birth injured.
I just thought I'd say that almost certainly the doctor has put you on anti depressants not because he thinks you are depressed, but because it has been proven to help some tbpi with severe long term pain. It doesn't mean he isn't taking your pain seriously, in fact in some ways you should be encouraged-it means he has read up to date papers about long term bpi nerve pain which is very different to other kinds of pain.
The bpi nerve pain syndrome is often described as a constant burning, crushing, buzzing feeling in the bpi hand, with electric shock type pains shooting up the arm which are strong enough to make you cry out when they happen. If that's what is happening to you then maybe the antidepressants will help. They did help me but I hated the side effects.
Hope this helps, it's so hard to describe one's own pain even to a fellow bpi wearer, never mind to a stupid doctor who has no idea how it feels and can come to rule your life.
I hope you get some relief, I just wanted to tell you the antidepressants don't mean the doc thinks you are nuts!
Take care
Jen NZ
Re: disgusted with neuro.!!!!!!
I know when I went to see a Neuro here for the first time in years, I was the first BPI patient he had ever seen. His answer was pain meds too. Wouldn't even consider PT. I was in tears cause he just wouldn't listen.
Afterwards I called my insurance company and told them I needed a Dr that at least knew what he was talking about. They get back to me with a Dr who saw 1 whole patient in his lifetime. I told them I was seeing Dr Shenaq with or without them. I needed a specialist not some guys who wouldn't send me to PT, let alone didn't even know that there were some surgerys etc that might help.
I went that first time to Dr. Shenaq out of network. Cost us a fortune. But it was soooo worth it! His office was great at getting our insurance company exactly what it needed to get him covered as in network since they had no BPI specialists that were in network.
I realize that without insurance it may be out of reach but I would whole heartedly recommend that your money would be best spent seeing someone who was a specialist than all these neuros who just try to treat the symptoms and not the underlying causes.
Afterwards I called my insurance company and told them I needed a Dr that at least knew what he was talking about. They get back to me with a Dr who saw 1 whole patient in his lifetime. I told them I was seeing Dr Shenaq with or without them. I needed a specialist not some guys who wouldn't send me to PT, let alone didn't even know that there were some surgerys etc that might help.
I went that first time to Dr. Shenaq out of network. Cost us a fortune. But it was soooo worth it! His office was great at getting our insurance company exactly what it needed to get him covered as in network since they had no BPI specialists that were in network.
I realize that without insurance it may be out of reach but I would whole heartedly recommend that your money would be best spent seeing someone who was a specialist than all these neuros who just try to treat the symptoms and not the underlying causes.