|
IDET or what?
I have finally had a discogram after waiting almost a year. Some medical professionals have dismissed my pain complaints. I have been forced to work at least half days depite my continued pain level of between 4-9 which only gets worse as the day goes on. Althought an MRI a few months after my initial injury showed 3 bulging discs, degenerative changes, and an annular tear I have been told that I should work full time without restrictions even though I have a very physical job.
The presence of bulging discs and an annular tear was completely dismissed and I was told that degeneration was normal. I've worked for over 25 years as an RN for the same hospital and have always had excellent job performance evaluations, so its not that I am malingering. It is torture to work on a daily basis.
In any case, the discogram results were positive and concordant (I think, I'm a little fuzzy because I was sedated afterwards for the pain, so we are going to discuss this at my next visit). I guess what this means is that when I felt incredible pain during the procedure, it was when the pain management physician was injecting the disc with an annular tear. I think that I heard him say something about a "large" tear to his assistant, even though previous doc's have dismissed it as a "small" tear or even ignored it all together. In fact, despite the previously stated findings on MRI, the occupational medicine department had told me that my MRI was completely normal, until I went to a physiatrist who reviewed it and told me it was not.
Will IDET help my pain? The thing is that I'm not sure if I can trust anyone's advice anymore. Some seem to have lied directly to me. Others are influenced by their relationships with my employer or the insurance company. I'm not sure if they teach Ethics in Medical school. I've read that it only has a 50% success rate, so I don't know if its worth it or not..At this point I am so tired of fighting the system and of being in pain all the time. I would just like to be left alone and allowed to be at home and take my medication when necessary. I can see how people are suspicious when someone wants worker's compensation payments, but once it is proven that there is a medical/physical basis that is causing pain, why is there still so much torment? I have tried everything that the physicians have recommended, and up to this point the only thing that has helped is pain medication which makes me drowsy and which I can't work under the influence as an RN. (I have had physical therapy, aqua therapy, TENS unit, ESI, and lumbar ablation.) The last physiatrist I tried to consult (since the previous one worked directy for my employer and the insurance company), said that he wasn't interested in treating someone with chronic pain, so I'm not sure where to turn next. Any advice, would be appreciated.
-- deehaver
to ask Dr. Tran.
[ home | articles
| ask Dr. Tran | forums
| resources | about
]