Fibromyalgia and Other Chronic Painful Conditions Second Edition

The Patient's Guide and Survival Manual for Obtaining Proper and Effective

This book was written for patients who suffer from fibromyalgia and other chronic painful conditions. I believe members of the medical community will also benefit from the book’s content. As a Dartmouth Rheumatology Fellowship trained Board Certified Rheumatologist, I have been treating patients with these conditions for over 20 years. Fibromyalgia is a medical condition which is quite prevalent, but unfortunately the medical community has not done a very good job at identifying, let alone successfully treating, this condition. Similarly, many people live with chronic pain (for various reasons and conditions), yet most of these patients are unable to find a doctor, who will effectively manage their pain. Many doctors do not even believe in the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. Oftentimes, patients, who suffer from chronic pain, are at the mercy of their treating physician to prescribe doses of pain medication which are adequate to give the patient a level of comfort which goes beyond the comfort level of the prescribing physician. I am a Dartmouth Rheumatology Fellowship trained Board Certified Rheumatologist who has been “successfully” treating patients with fibromyalgia and other chronic painful conditions for over 20 years. I have literally treated thousands of these patients, and have had significant positive impacts on their level of comfort whereby they have been able to live meaningful and productive lives with very good pain control. My basic philosophy is that “nobody” should have to live with unacceptable levels of pain and discomfort. This does not have to be the case. There are plenty of inexpensive (generic) medications that are available to treat all kinds of painful conditions. There are plenty of doctors, other than myself, out there who know how to appropriately manage chronic painful conditions and fibromyalgia. The trick is to know how to go about finding the right doctor, mainstreaming the process, and know how to position yourself where a doctor will embrace your problem so your life can be turned around. Unfortunately, there are many reasons why a person may experience chronic pain for a process in which the body does not have the capacity to heal. This is where chronic pain management comes into the picture. Most general doctors do not feel comfortable with managing patients with chronic pain. Aside from that, many who will attempt to treat chronic pain are not very good at it; I believe they are well intended, but good intentions alone will not make a person suffering from chronic pain feel any better. I wrote this book to help the masses of people out there who suffer from fibromyalgia and other chronic painful conditions. The management of these conditions has been underserved throughout the years. In the field of medicine we have amazing technology for treating all types of conditions, such as, various types of cancers, organ transplants, autoimmune conditions, joint replacements, reproductive medicine, and the list goes on. We have even cracked the code for the human genome. I find it amazing, considering the prevalence of fibromyalgia and chronic painful conditions, that there seems to be a big mystery about identifying and managing these conditions. The fact of the matter is, there is no mystery: it is a lack of understanding, not a lack of knowledge. The knowledge and medication is there. The connection between the patient and the appropriate treating doctor is what is missing. The purpose of this book is to empower the patient with the knowledge which will be necessary for them to take a proactive approach to the management of their condition. Of course, this is not a how-to book. You will need to work with your doctor, or another doctor who will be able to better manage your condition. All of this information and much more are in the book. I review different medications and also have a section with case presentations to help the reader identify with the information which is being presented.