Sandy
Pain Management specialists are trained first as anethesiologists and their tool of choice is drugs, even narcotics. If you don't want to become a drug addict, expand quickly into alternative care also. Accupuncture, herbs, bio-feed back, massage therapy, reflexology, aroma therapy, yoga, accupressure, etc. should be tried along with medications because each of us respond to different treatments. Your best combination in treatment can only be found by experimenting. And above all, get counsel on handling narcotics before they handle you! Keep a diary of pain, time, what you were doing that may have caused pain to increase, food eaten, what type of pain - burning? throbbing? low grade? sharp? around the joints? increased by muscle movements? general pain or located specifically in one spot? Only when you chart it can you start to see a pattern and know what to avoid to prevent more pain. Then decide how much pain you can tollerate and how bad it can be before you will take any narcotic. You might even try a nonprescription muscle rub before you resort to narcotics. Don't just use the narcotic because you fear the pain will return. All drugs have side affects and narcotics can cause your bowels and kidneys to shut down, hives, etc. Get help as much as possible. And good luck.