i met a new friend last month who is a resident doctor. over drinks, i immediately grill him on his pharmacological knowledge for treating neuropathic pain. it's not bad, but textbook, like he's reciting from a script. so i throw him a curveball.
"i have trigeminal neuropathic pain. what treatment would you start with me?"
he got quiet and said, "we don't know how to treat you. we don't know what causes it. i'd give you anything you asked for; we're told trigeminal neuralgia is the exception to all medical rules, and to give the patient whatever they need."
and that my friends, is the new word on the street from medical school. enlightening or depressing?
{we don't know what causes it} And with some directed research, psst, I've noticed, Vesper!
I will state, cautiously optimistic! My many "new best specialist friends" have the same compassionate, back to the drawing board look. With our extended (((TN-Family))), perhaps others will also take notice:P) bob
Interesting, Vesper, as I received, somewhat, of the same answer from the specialist I just saw, except for the "we'll give the patient whatever they need" part. I believe if my Pain Management were left to my Neurologists, or General Practitioner, I would be debilitated, as everything they have ever tried that they have given me for pain has either only made me dizzy, or sleepy, but brought no real relief.
I do find the face that this school of thought exists, is enlightening.
I suppose it is depressing, though, if no research is, or will be done, especially for those of us with Atypical TN, as we have no surgical correction offered to us with a track record of much success.
I can only hope that someone, somewhere is at least trying to "crack the code", so to speak.
It sounds as if your doctor friend is more compassionate than many I have known, or have heard experiences about.
I think after reading some of our stories about bad Doctoring experiences, it is nice to know that there still exists Doctors with Compassion and Humility.
If only more doctors were not AFRAID to prescribe what it takes to get us TN sufferers out of pain. I have yet to find a doctor that has had that kind of compassion! My hats off to him.
I have printed your comment about what this doctor said, to keep with me in my room so that the next time I run across a Dr. who has no clue, I will reread your Dr. friends comments will keep me going in search of a doctor who does understand.
Yes, it does sound, from another post I've read of yours that you have found one of the compassionate docs. They may be like unicorns, but they still exist!
Actually, the one and only time I had to go to the E.R. with Lvl 9-10 pain and in tears, the gave me a Fentanyl patch and 2 mg. of Dilaudid in the form of a shot.
The Fentanyl patch held me over, and helped me immensely until I could get back to my Pain Managment Clinic, because that month they had changed my prescription and it had left me fairly incapacitated.