Friday, December 25, 2009 April D. asks

Q: Don't know how to talk to Dr. about the pains I am having. Please help?

Hello; My name is April. I never thought that I would be living with this much pain but I am and now I really need to do something about it. I don't know what to ask the Dr. or even how to aproach the subject. I need some advice.

Last year I was in the hospital. I thought I was having a heart attack and found out that I really was having problems with my Magnezium and Potasium. It seems that they both bottomed out. I have since been having pains in my feet so bad that I can't hardly walk. My hands both have trigger fingers and a lot of joint pain with swelling so bad that I can't even bend my fingers. My neck is always hurting. I have already had Carpo Tunnal surgury but it seems to have gotten worse.

Help me please I hurt a lot and don't want to go in the Dt's office and look like a hypocondriack.

Thank you

April D.

- A
- A
- A

Answers (3)

Karen Lee Richards, Health Guide

12/27/09 11:25pm

I can sympathize with your concerns. I can be hard to talk to a doctor about pain without sounding like either a hypochondriac or a drug seeker.

The best thing you can do is to be as clear and honest as possible. Here are some tips:

• Be prepared to describe what your pain feels like – i.e., burning, stabbing, sharp, dull, etc.

• Don't exaggerate. If you're asked to rate your pain level on a scale of 0 - 10, don't say 15. Rather than being impressed with how much pain you're in, the doctor will think that you're given to exaggeration and will not take your pain very seriously. Before your appointment, be sure to read: Using the Pain Scale Effectively

• Make a list of your symptoms and any questions you want to ask the doctor and take it with you to be sure you don't forget anything.

• You might try keeping a pain diary so your doctor can see when your pain is worse and factors that may affect your pain levels. For more information and a downloadable pain diary, see: Keeping a Pain Diary

• Don't start out asking for pain medication. That will likely result in you being labeled a drug seeker. It's better to ask what treatment options the doctor recommends.

I hope this helps some. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

Desperate

12/26/09 12:29pm

You know your body better than anyone. Which is what I tried to tell the doctors.

Make certain that they do not try to tell you what is hurting and that your pain is coming from something other than what your gut instinct tells you. After 5 yrs of chronic pain in my left arm, visiting 5 to 6 different doctors, several epidural blocks in my neck and back, then onto neck surgery and back surgery, with no relief, then more doctors, I finally found one that would listen to ME, that my pain was not coming from my neck nor back, but from my shoulder. Had an MRI of the shoulder, (which I had asked for from every one of the others who insisted it couldn't be in my shoulder) and I had a torn rotator cuff that I had been living with for 5 yrs. with no relief, until shoulder surgery to fix the tear. Don't let them give you the same RUN AROUND. I wish now I would have been more demanding. Now after the back surgery, I suffer with chronic nerve pain in my hips and legs. GREAT,,, THANKS A LOT!!

Desperate

12/26/09 12:31pm

the foot pain sounds like neuropathy, might want to check into that.

Q: Don't know how to talk to Dr. about the pains I am having. Please help?

Related Questions

Ask a Question