Most people who are being treated for chronic pain are treated by their family doctor or their specialist for their specific disorder, but sometimes, that isn’t enough. There often comes a time when you need to go a step further and be seen by a doctor who specializes in pain management. That’s not to say that your doctor can’t do the job, but the pain management specialists can help find and organize a pain control regimen that your own doctor may not have considered.

Who is this pain specialist? The anesthesiologists.

Most people only think of anesthesiologists as the doctors who put you to sleep for surgery, but their specialty goes well beyond that. Anesthesiologists have spent many years studying pain and its causes, and they have developed techniques that help reduce that pain, if not eliminate it altogether.

If you do visit an anesthesiologist, usually at a pain clinic, you still keep your own family doctor or specialist. The anesthesiologist’s role is to help find you a good program to follow and then the continued care goes back to your doctor, with follow-ups with the anesthesiologist if necessary. Your own doctor can also use the pain clinic as a resource when needed.

Why can’t your own doctor do this? Doctors who don’t deal with high levels of chronic pain don’t usually have the experience and education to treat it. When someone specializes in a specific area, like pain management, they go to conferences, take courses, read journals, exchange information, do research, and so on, in the field. They become the experts. So, they become the go-to people for unrelenting pain.

When you first go to a pain control clinic or an anesthesiologist’s office, you will have to give a very detailed medical history. All medications that you take and have taken are very important. Even medications that are herbal or natural must be mentioned because drugs that your doctor prescribes may interact  with them.

While it may seem extreme to bring in a pain expert, he or she becomes another member of your healthcare team, with the goal of helping you live your life to its fullest.

Before you leave, please take our poll, What type of chronic pain do you have?  And don’t forget to leave a comment or email me if there is a particular topic or angle you would like to see covered in this blog.

Post from: Blisstree

Doctors who specialize in pain management

Pain is a very personal thing and sometimes it’s not easy to discuss this with a doctor or nurse. There are different reasons for that – you may feel that your doctor doesn’t believe you or feels you are whining, you may forget everything you wanted to talk about when you finally do speak with your doctor, or you just may be reluctant or unsure of how to help your doctor understand your problem.

This audio link How to talk with your physician about pain is a 7-minute tutorial, which was taken from The Handbook for Mortals. Heart-to-Heart: Caring for the Dying, is an audio documentary about end-of-life care. The GrowthHouse.org has made available this 18-minute program on pain control, discussing good pain management.

Although the original audience was people receiving palliative or hospice care, it is good information for anyone who experiences pain.

Let me know what you think.

Post from: Blisstree

Talking to your doctor about pain