Kaiser PCP for husband's chronic pain
Hi, my husband desperately needs a new primary care physician at Kaiser. He has been a construction worker for decades and as a result he has chronic pain along with the occasional new, acute issue. He has had terrible luck with Kaiser just wanting to prescribe pain medication or dismissing his pain rather than exploring and treating underlying causes. For instance, last year he got written off by 2 doctors before going to the ER to discover he had occular shingles. I'd like to find him a doctor that will explore what's wrong rather than writing him off. He is also grumpy and dubious of Kaiser in general so needs someone who's not intimidated by his bad attitude toward a system that has let him down. I'd love to hear any recommendations you have! Thanks!
Parent Replies
As far as a new PCP there, I can't say for certain. I switched to a different one recently and he seems good - Neal Patel out of the Oakland office.
I found out earlier this year - after being with Kaiser for over 15 years - that there is such a thing as a pain clinic. It is geared to people who suffer from chronic pain. It's a whole function unto itself where you get assigned a team of a pain doctor, pain psychologist, physical therapist, and also have a discussion with a prescribing pharmacist. You do need to "do" the program which is 8 wks of an online class learning about pain and then meet with your team regularly to help you work out the best solutions long term. The most important thing I took from the class is how efficient our pain receptors get after years of chronic pain and retraining them to "calm down" is key. For many reasons, I don't take any pain meds so the other modalities are what I'm using to get better. It was also helpful to have my assigned PT because (of course!) I got injured separate from my chronic pain and we had to work out how to handle both.
Now, if I'd been able to see a PT as often as I needed to when I first got hurt, I wouldn't be walking around with chronic pain in the first place and wouldn't need the pain clinic, but that's the state of our healthcare system - so assure your husband he's not the only one frustrated. Good luck!