Need A Doctor In Twin Cities Mn Area, Pancreatitis Pain (Top voted first)

My pain doctor is retiring in September. I have idiopathic Chronic Pancreatitis (not caused by drinking), I have never been a drinker. The last 14 months I have been functional and continued working despite my pain. The 8 years before that, I suffered every day, looked like a walking skeleton, because the docs at my previous pain clinic made me get a splanchnic block that caused severe sciatica so I could not sit for 2 weeks after each one, trying to work was pure hell, and I could not get my under-treated pain treated properly. It was not enough to keep me living life well. This disease slowly worsens, I will die early as a result of this, and I spent every day off work in awful sleeping/waking hell (fragmented sleep that was not restful) because of maltreated pain. Now I know what it is like to live, and enjoy life again, I am terrified to lose that, as my doc is retiring. I have gained 15 pounds, can eat again every day, never failed a drug panel anywhere, not a doctor shopper. PLEASE HELP! My doc will vouch for me.

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This does not always cause early death, it does happen in some cases, I won't lie to you, but it is not applicable to all.

What medications are you taking that help?

If they are controlled substances, you will most likely have to see a pain management specialist.

The FDA lists the typical side effects of controlled substances as including nausea, dizziness, headache, constipation, and dry mouth, they also carry the risk of being habit forming.

Can anyone recommend a doctor in that area?

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Re: Verwon (# 1)

Thank you for your kind response. I am in the medical field, so I am current with the life expectancy issues (also a gall bladder removal in my 20's- not due to obesity), and that alone lowers life expectancy by 10 years across the board for both sexes, and the current surgical options (slim, and not proven to cause pain relief), I have the best pancreas doc in the Twin Cities (according to multiple sources, opinions, only of course, however the surgery he co-developed is just not an option for me). The comorbidities caused by the surgery are not an acceptable risk at this time. It is a pancrectomy followed by an islet cell transplant into the liver which only stops diabetes onset in about half of patients in the short term, but the stats a few years out from surgery are not good, and the numbers for morbidity and mortality are still not good in early post surgical patients. I need better than this if I am going under the knife, it is not an option, results are the same even for those who are healthier at surgery time. I looked at going to NY or Mayo for surgery, but the options are pretty much the same everywhere. No doc can believe I still work, but I WANT TO, but I will not be able to soon without help. My pancreas doc has no clue who to refer out to for actual pain control, vs a clinic that tries all sorts of woo.

To anyone looking for a pain clinic, please never allow anyone you like or love to go to MAPS (Medical Advanced Pain Specialists), in my opinion. My friend went there, and what we saw there was appalling, They WILL cut your meds right away, then you will be a human lab animal. She ended up in the ER, unconscious for 5 hours due to a too-fast increase of an anti-seizure med (the 5th they had tried on her, as those meds made her sick and did not work, but they could not take the hint). Do your research. The stories are out there. Again this is only my opinion.

I am in a pain management clinic now, but the remaining sole doc is retiring. I do not wish just a clinic name, I would like, if at all possible, a specific doc's name, as in the same clinic 2 docs can be completely different. I spent 6 years fighting for meds to keep me active enough to work, and do things outside of work too, with zero results, and mandatory splanchnic blocks that caused much more pain, but no Rx is written until you allow them to make money on you despite the fact that the doc knew it made me sicker and less able to do things, this is a progressive disease, with worsening pain, and ONE med bump in that time.I worked, and came home and laid in bed ad that was it the whole time I was there.

Found a new doc who was an angel, did everything the right way with counts and UDS's, etc, and for the last year, I have learned how to live again, and I am frankly terrified as to what will happen in September.

Current meds: Fentanyl, MSIR for breakthrough pain, Lyrica (makes my sight blurry, but dose dependent, so keep it low), enzymes, Phenergan (anti-emetic PRN)- all of the things suggested that I am able to take.

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