Please forgive me for beating a dead horse.... - Page 4

gertrudecloset · ‎02-13-2021

@spiderw wrote:
There are good and bad in every profession but it's darn scary when you have an incompetent doctor dealing with health issues. People always say get a second opinion if needed and I can understand why.

I do salute all the great doctors we have out there and hope you have found one!

@spiderw You must be your own advocate. You really need to be able to ask questions and not assume doctors will get it right every time. I ask questions and sometimes they get perturbed (as if to say, I'm the one with the medical degree). I agree, I'm not a doctor, but why have me take three medications when two will do the trick?

A Negative Mind ~ Will give you a Negative Life

gertrudecloset · ‎02-13-2021

@ninjawife wrote:
@KarenQVC wrote:
The psychologist may help. Nowadays they do more teaching of techniques than talk therapy.

For example, he might help you with relaxation techniques which could in turn reduce the pain you perceive.

I would not rule the psychologist out.
In addition pain psychologists can help with the stress, anxiety and depression associated with chronic pain. They also used biofeedback techniques that can be very helpful in pain management.

I have a friend who suffers from chronic headaches and has not been able to find what is causing the headaches or an effective medical treatment for them. She has been going to a pain psychologist who has helped her tremendously in dealing with her chronic pain.

Very true @ninjawife . However, I would like to think her primary concern is the pain. It's nice to have enough money to run to all these different specialists when you're older. Fact is she needs a pain management/therapist. Of course talk therapy doesn't hurt either, but it's not necessary for her pain. Ease the pain, the rest takes care of itself. The only time I think adding talk therapy and help from this modality of care is if she will live with this pain for the rest of life. She will then need all the resources in the world to help her learn how to cope with it and talk therapy is at the top of the list, among other things.

Those emotional reactions are expected and not necessarily debilitating. They won't be able to dispense medication, however for her depression and/or anxiety.

A Negative Mind ~ Will give you a Negative Life

spiderw · ‎06-14-2010

gertrudecloset

I agree about being your own advocate. We should question the medications prescribed, do we need that many meds, what are they for if not explained, we should ask Questions. Our health is priority.

mom2four0418 · ‎04-23-2010

@gertrudecloset wrote:
@KarenQVC wrote:
The psychologist may help. Nowadays they do more teaching of techniques than talk therapy.

For example, he might help you with relaxation techniques which could in turn reduce the pain you perceive.

I would not rule the psychologist out.
Yeah, but that wouldn't be a psychologist. It would be a psychotherapist. They are different. Though, neither can dispense medication @KarenQVC . For all that, she can just go to a pain management clinic. That's what he should have recommended instead of telling her to go to a psychologist.

"A psychotherapist uses talk therapy to treat people for emotional problems and mental illnesses. Depending on what degree and specialty they get, psychotherapists can be psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, or social workers. They can work with individuals, couples, groups, or families.

Psychotherapists use talk therapy to help you manage with general emotional unrest or acute trauma or illness. They treat everything from daily overwhelm to grief to specific mental disorders like depression or anxiety. Sometimes talk therapy is used in combination with medications or lifestyle changes. However, not all psychotherapists are licensed to prescribe medication." WebMD

“The soul is healed by being with children.”
— Fyodor Dostoyevsky

gertrudecloset · ‎02-13-2021

@mom2four0418 wrote:
@gertrudecloset wrote:
@KarenQVC wrote:
The psychologist may help. Nowadays they do more teaching of techniques than talk therapy.

For example, he might help you with relaxation techniques which could in turn reduce the pain you perceive.

I would not rule the psychologist out.
Yeah, but that wouldn't be a psychologist. It would be a psychotherapist. They are different. Though, neither can dispense medication @KarenQVC . For all that, she can just go to a pain management clinic. That's what he should have recommended instead of telling her to go to a psychologist.
"A psychotherapist uses talk therapy to treat people for emotional problems and mental illnesses. Depending on what degree and specialty they get, psychotherapists can be psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, or social workers. They can work with individuals, couples, groups, or families.
Psychotherapists use talk therapy to help you manage with general emotional unrest or acute trauma or illness. They treat everything from daily overwhelm to grief to specific mental disorders like depression or anxiety. Sometimes talk therapy is used in combination with medications or lifestyle changes. However, not all psychotherapists are licensed to prescribe medication." WebMD

Psychotherapists/Psychologists can practice in the states that license their education. For instance, some states won't allow a Psychologist to practice if they are not Ph.D. in Psychology. A psychotherapist (in my state) can practice with a Master's Degree. Neither of these two can dispense medication in my state. Only a psychiatrist can.

@mom2four0418 In addition, A Psychologist can also be a psychotherapist in my state, but a psychotherapist can never practice like a Ph.D in Psychology. In my state only a Medical physician (Psychiatrist) can dispense medication. Oh, and of course a Nurse Practitioner or Physician's Assistant.

Thanks.

A Negative Mind ~ Will give you a Negative Life

gertrudecloset · ‎02-13-2021

@mom2four0418 A psychotherapist is much more likely to treat emotional disorders and personality disorders than organic mental illness as well.

Thank you!

A Negative Mind ~ Will give you a Negative Life

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

@GoneButNotForgotten wrote:
...but here we go again re: STUPID DOCTORS.

I've have spinal and hip problems for several years now. I saw a pain doc yesterday and I'm not sure how she got out of medical school without cheating. You know what she wants me to do to help with my pain issues? SEE A PSYCHOLOGIST!!!!!

Will someone explain to me (or to her) how talk therapy is going to help with excrutiating pain???

Later in the day I saw an orthopedist and he figured out what the problem is in probably less than an hour. He rememebered to take X-rays (a whole series, not just one or two little snapshots) and after the went over them with DH and I, he came to a conclusion NO ONE else had thought of.

Not even the genius who, 15 years ago, was going to put me through a series of painful tests because my hip was hurting, then thought oh wait, let's take a weight-bearing x-ray, then almost ran into my room and said, actually, you need your hips replaced.

Which he did, and left one leg shorter than the other (there's more to it than that but it's a long explanation which I won't subject you to) and that's probably what's causing my pain now. Dr. Genius made another mistake during surgery that required corrective surgery a few months later, too.

I'm so exasperated...there's not a whole lot that can be done for the arthritis in my back but we (I always think of my doctor and I as a team) might be able to come up with something. At least THIS guy has a brain!

@GoneButNotForgotten

I haven't read all the posts here, but two things come to mind .... first, they have so much pressure not to overly-prescribe pain meds that sometimes getting a psychological profile (is this person an addictive-type?) is required. CYA with regulators. If they can state you do not have an addictive personality, maybe they can ease up on restrictions for you.

Secondly .... might having an epidural help? Has it ever been suggested?

I've had back pain that was helped immensely by having a spinal epidural. Lasted about 6 months and was worth the trouble. I finally had about 5 over a period of about 3 years, and my back pain is minimal. After my results, I HIGHLY recommend them. JMO of course.