Are There Any Real Pain Specialists Left In Richmond, Va???
UpdatedI used to live in the Richmond, VA area up until June of 2013, when I made the mistake of moving to Texas for 2 years, and now I'm back in the area. I have also been in chronic pain now for almost 14 years, have had 1 spinal surgery in '09 that was quite successful...until I was rear ended at a stoplight by some 'jerk' (note the PC term) going 65 -> 70 mph less than 18 months later. So now, I have 'Failed Back Surgery Syndrome" (yes, I kid you not, that's an ACTUAL diagnosis) on the disc I had surgery on (L5/S1), as well as herniations/tears on L3/L4 and L4/L5.
Another wonderful fact about me is that I have a little genetic mutation called EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome). That just means that I take 10x longer to heal, I bleed more than most everyone else, and I can do those really creepy bendy/stretchy moves like in Cirque de Sole. (sp?) But overall, with a bad back it makes things worse.
Well, now that I'm back in Richmond, it seems that while I was gone, the concept of pain meds is now a thing of the past! I've called a stinking LIST of supposed "pain specialists" and all I get out of them is "well, we can give you inj's. :)". For those of you that DON'T know, corticosteroid inj's. are fine...until your body has too many (like 15 years worth?), and then some very bad things start to happen - like your adrenal glands shutting down, and worse. Plus, inj's. take 2 weeks to cut in, they wear off, etc. and so on.
So the gist of the 411 that I've heard since I've been back, is that there was some employee at Westbury Pharmacy that was caught stealing (?) narcotics/other controlled substances and selling them - so the pharmacy was shut down, and that several patients of different doctors OD'd on pain killers (?) so now every doctor within like a 100 mile radius of Richmond is walking on eggs, so unless you're admitted to the hospital for surgery - you're basically not getting your hands on pain meds. But again I stress, the above is hearsay.
Here's my problem...I AM LEGALLY DISABLED DUE TO MY BACK AND THE PAIN!! I feel as if I've moved back into a town that supports prohibition!! As it stands right now, I am OUT of pain meds. When I moved back, I was on 75mcg Fentanyl patch every 2 days, and 30 mg Oxycodone every 6 hours. Yes, I could go to the ER, but why? Just to pay $100 (which I can't afford, thanks to my 'jerk' of an ex-husband...who *divorced* me for being disabled) and get 2 days worth of meds? So I'm putting a plea out to anyone who sees this...ARE THERE ANY REAL PAIN SPECIALISTS LEFT IN RICHMOND, VA??? I even have all of my records from when I was in TX!!! It's not like I'm coming back with some shady story or anything; I've got the docs, I've got the discs with MRI's, cat scans, even MYELOGRAMS!!! (And those things hurt like a _____!!)
So please, PLEASE...if anyone can help, let me know. To top everything off, my 79 yo father is in a physical rehab center after having hip replacement surgery a little over a week ago. He's going to be coming home soon, and *I* will have to be the one to take care of him. If I don't have pain meds, I'm not sure what will happen...right now I can barely get out of bed as it is, barely feed and care for myself and my furbabies. This is so not funny ladies and gents. I'm trying to figure out why it is that because of a few, the doctors in this town decided to just stop caring about people like me.
More Discussions:
Is there a pain specialist that can control my pain without making out like I'm seeking drugs? I've done everyth...
3 REPLIESI Have one of the worst severest cases of fibromyligia and something else going on but ii have quacks I have been dealui...
35 REPLIESI need find a chronic pain me dedication Dr., or Family Dr.(I need both) since I've bee living in the West Chester, ...
1 REPLYAre there any white triangular pain meds and if so what are they ## To the best of my knowledge the only white triangula...
1 REPLYI have peripheral neuropathy and anxiety disorder from HIV medication and the day to day running of my life as is normal...
I had a very serious mva 10 years ago, and have had chronic thoracic back pain, right sided hip pain, and bilateral shou...
I have moderate to severe Degenerative Disc Disease of Cervical Spine with severe narrowing (stenosis) along with bulgin...
198 REPLIESHello I need to find a new pcp in Richmond, VA that will take over prescribing my medications. I have a history of lyme ...
1 REPLYI am looking for a compassionate doctor in the Richmond VA area who will prescribe pain medication. ## HI, BlueBell! How...
82 REPLIESI have severe rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and carpal tunnel in both wrists. That's just the tip of the icebe...