Ankylosing Spondylitis :: Pain Management Successes And Failures


Jun 4, 2016

I wanted to hear some of your experiences with pain management doctors. I have been involved with pain management doctors (usually anesthesiologists that have branched off into this specialty) for about 5 years now.  Frankly I continue to see them since they have provided me with hydrocodone during that time and this does help to some degree. However, I have also tried many of their various treatments. I have had epidural injections, nerve ablations, trigger point injections etc. etc. Most of the results have been very minimal if anything and any results that I did get certainly didn't last very long at all. I was wondering if it is very common for people suffering from AS or one of the other related inflammatory diseases to seek help from pain management doctors. Have any of you actually been helped to any significant degree by them?  For the most part I don't believe they really understand the inflammatory process. They ask me where it is hurting and when I tell them everywhere in the lower back they look at me like I'm just a hypochondriac. They assume that the pain has a specific source and their treatments should be able to fix it. My pain is severe but cannot be localized to one source.  Have any of you worked with pain management people and has your experience been different?

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Can you please tell me everything you know about anti-tnf. Was it is successful? Did it give you a life back? Does it stop the pain? Does it help with the fatigue? I am so worried about trying it, but need to urgently do something, as quality of life is very low and nothing else seems to work.

I need both my hips replaced, does anyone know if it helps with hip pain? 

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Also at 19 I had my first bout of iritis, I've had it four times now in all, the last time being in 2009. The eye doctor I saw though it would be a good idea for me to have a blood test as he said iritis is a symptom of something else.

So I had the blood test and it showed the HLA marker, I was then sent to a rheumatologist who took an xray, told me I was hyper mobile and that was it... 

To cut a long story short, I have been back and forwards to the docs since then. Various referrals to physio who give me exercises (which I do do) and then dismiss me. My legs now hurt sooo much, all the time in fact, I'm not unfit and not overweight (I did leave the florist 2 1/2 years ago) and although work from home, I walk the dog three miles every day. But this is more than aching legs - I can't get up the chair and as for getting up from the floor, forget it. I have to hold on when I go upstairs and lower back is constantly aching

My body feels like that of an old lady.

Incidentally, I developed a frozen shoulder in January and a lump at the base of my neck which physio said was down to posture!!!

Was back at the docs today who finally said she would refer me again as its sounds very much like AS

Does anyone have any tips on how I can get them to take me seriously, I have only ever had one x ray in 25 years but I just can't cope with my body feeling like that of 90 year old.

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