Pain program info/update

[airedog]

To Shotspine and some of the others who PM'd in response to my Gotta Love It thread;

From what I have been told the program at Johns Hopkins Hospital is somewhat unique in that the program is tailored to the individual. There is no set duration and patients are discharged when they are ready.

My wife has fibromyalgia and depression as a result of work related injuries that started in 1984. Over the years her dosages gradually escalated with more meds being added to deal with side effects. The resulting witches' brew left her cognitively impaired and sedated to the point of literally falling asleep in her dinner plate. On occasion she suffered falls and spasms/convulsions, I still believe had she not gotten help that she may well have died or suffered a serious injury as a result of the meds or falls.

While the program adjusted her meds to a huge extent and addressed the immediate issues there are still major issues to deal with regarding self esteem, self confidence, pacing and quality of life. My wife has been given the tools to address these issues and directed to seek specific follow-up care. With time we both believe that she will continue to recover and regain both functionality and quality of life.

An earlier post of the URL for the program did not make it here, I may have made a mistake while posting or I may have unwittingly violated forum protocol. In any case a Google search using the criteria:

Johns Hopkins "pain treatment services"

will bring up a URL that gives the address for general information on the program and a link to their admissions information.

Airedog

[Mark N]

Airedog, so is your wife off all pain meds or has she reduced her pain meds to the level where she can function on a daily basis. I hope that her progress continues and she does better from now on.

[airedog]

Off all narcotics, still on some anti-depressants and Vistaril.

[ErinENj]

I'm gonna sound kinda stupid, please excuse me. It's about 2:15am and I've been up since 8 after getting too little sleep to be coherent at this hour of the day. Where abouts is Johns Hopkins? I can't remember if it is in New York City or Maryland. Or it could be somewhere else entirely and I'm way off base!

Thank you for posting this information! I've been trying to get back here to post to your earlier thread, but I've had a few busy days and haven't gotten a moment to post. I'm keeping my eyes out for any other programs that may help me more than the doctor I already see. I'm entering the working world for the first time since my health went sour and I'm very concerned about my pain levels being low enough for me to be able to actually work and do my best. So thank you for taking the time to post! And I sincerely hope that everything continues to go well for both your wife and yourself! I wish you both all the best of luck and that her pain levels stay at a place where she can function well and get at least a little of her life back, especially everything that makes her happy! :D

[airedog]

Baltimore, Maryland, hon ;> ), the land of Natty Boh.

[BrokenBladder]

I'm so glad to hear that your wife is doing so much better.

Please keep us posted on her progress as I think alot of us are interested.

Take Care,

[ErinENj]

Got it. Thanks! :D My brain was not working too well last night. I remembered a few minutes ago that while flipping the channels Thursday, I stopped on Cash Cab on the Discovery channel, just as the host was asking the contestants a question along the lines of "What university in Maryland is known for its good medical program?". And I even saw that the answer was John Hopkins. This happens to me way too often. I ask a question and then later remember that I actually knew the answer to it! :rolleyes: :o

I'm actually thinking of checking it out. Baltimore is a little ways away from here, but it's an easy four hour drive (or a nice train ride away) and for the success your wife had there, it seems to be worth the trip. Was it difficult to get into the program? Was there anything that either helped or hurt trying to enter the program? I have to do some research into it, but haven't had the chance yet. Thank you for posting about it! I'm definately going to look into it and see if I can figure out a way to get down there to at least have a consult or just to check out all of the tiny details. It's always fantastic to hear about a pain program that works so well for people. To me, I think some of the best news you can ever find on this board is when someone finds a pain program that works for them, especially ones that work such wonders like it did with your wife.

Thanks again! And I really hope that things continue to get better for your wife!

[airedog]

You will need a referral from your doctor/s and you need to have pre-approval and financing for an open-ended stay. Contact Jim Merrit at (410) 955-8069 for admissions information. There are only 8 inpatient beds so admission may take awhile. Beyond that you will be personally responsible should your insurance company be slow in remitting payment. My wife was sponsored by Worker's Compensation (WSIB here in Ontario), and they really went the distance, bending over backwards to make sure she got the treatment needed. Our biggest problem was convincing her doctors that there was a problem as they saw "no drug seeking behaviour", and wrote most everything else off to fibro fog, possible epilepsy or a possible heart condition.

We're Canadian and found Baltimore an interesting city with lots to do and the Inner Harbour renovation is spectacular. After dark though, a policeman said that he "strongly advises that you take a taxi" the 4 blocks back to the hotel we stayed at that weekend. While 9th in a Time magazine list of violent cities Baltimore soars to #2 for murder. Currently the whole crime/murder issue is a hot button in municipal elections. Ask cab drivers which areas are safe after dark, as hotels hate scaring their guests. Johns Hopkins Hospital, and their apartments, are in a rougher area of town.

If you do not want to stay in the Hopkins apartments while a day patient (at the end of your treatment); make arrangements for your hotel early as Baltimore is quite popular as a convention destination. Of the hotels we stayed in on various weekends (tourist season) the Tremont Plaza suites are excellent and as well as the JHH rate they also drop their rate for extended stays, my wife was lucky and stayed there for the duration of her day patient treatment.

[airedog]

We're a few weeks out from my wife's discharge and she is still having some adjustment problems.The doctor who supervised her taper is back from vacation and working on finding some solutions.

The important thing is that my wife has been able to stay off her narcotics and that is a major accomplishment. She wants some help with regaining some strength adjusting her mood and establishing better sleep patterns. Hospital settings can only duplicate home life to a given extent and it is difficult to know if one is fully ready to resume life after such a major change. The fact that I have chronic pain as well and still take narcotics makes flare-ups for her a little more difficult as well.