I just read your message about not receiving any response to your question. I admit reading it, but didn't know how to respond to you, I am in Australia, and our health system is different to USA.
So I apologise, I have thought about how to answer you.....so here is my personal experience, with a pain specialist - which was..... after chatting for over half an hour, and then him giving me a very thorough examination, he told me straight out that he wasn't an expert in my type of pain, so referred me on. He was impressed with how I was using several different techniques to help me cope with pain, and said that he was happy with what I was doing.
Bonnie, it is very hard when you are waiting for these appointments, it is easy to "stress" over what may & may not happen. My advice is to not dwell on this appointment. Make a few notes about your pain, what makes this worse, how I make this feel better, if I take this at this time before doing that....and so on.
When you arrive for this appointment try not to be nervous, this pain specialist is WORKING FOR YOU!! Tell him the truth, explain all your pain, answer his questions clearly & confidently. If you have questions for him, ask him in an even tone, and listen to the response. If his answer doesn't satisfy you, then ask him another to prompt him to give you a more detailed response. DON'T let him intimidate you.
If you go in there worried that he is going to take your medicine away, then perhaps that is what will happen. I believe that if you are honest with him, and he then says he doesn't think you need medication, ask him why? What information did he read, or hear from you that led him to that conclusion.
I use meditation, visualisation, relaxing baths, pain meds, heat packs, walking, reading, music, and currently I am seeing a pain counillor and chatting on the internet as a whole package to deal with my pain on a daily basis. If you come up with your own strategies, and let this specialist know that you have explored this or that, or tried this or that, it will show him that pain is interferring with your life to the point where you activly seek ways to overcome and tolerate pain.
I say this to you from long years of personal experience. I have lived with pain my whole life, with a steady increase since the birth of my children. I still lead an active & fulfilling life, yes there are comprimises, yes I know that if I do A on Saturday, then B may not be possible Sunday.....I have made adjustments and that's how I live. So Bonnie, please, I beg you, don't get distressed about what may be, while you worry, your body will pick up pain signals in a heightened state, try to put it from your mind until the day of the appointment.
Pain is a terrible distructive force, that could emobilise us all if we let it, our challenge is to live life as best we can, and make the most of it.
Best wishes to you Bonnie, take deep breaths while your eyes are close and sigh...while you sigh, let some of those tensions & stress leave your body, relax, I promise it will help lessen your pain. I am currently on medication used to treat depression, but I am NOT depressed, I use it in a much lower dose to change the pain signals to my brain. I take them at night so that I can sleep, during the day I use a combination of the things I listed earlier. So if this pain doctor says I am going to give you anti depressants - ask him why, ask him what they will do for you...I think you might be surprised.
Bonnie, I am not a doctor or nurse, just another person who lives with pain, and it took me a long time to realise the things I have just written for you. Each of us has a seperate journey, a seperate path in life, and we alone have to decide which path & which journey we will take.
Love, hugs & cheers, Jo (Australia)
-- Positive AffirmationSay this with your hands above your head (victory style) and repeat three times: I'm Alive I'm Alert I'm a LOT of fun!!
That should get you smiling!