Ween off Pain Meds… um say what? – Treatment: Acupuncture for AVN & PSA Pain Part 1

During the follow up to my June nerve block my pain doctor said that I needed to start weening myself off the meds. I had been on them for the past year soooooo I.was.scared! My pain had progressively been getting better, but it was still there. Avascular necrosis causes pain and burning sensations that really won’t go away until the problem is fixed. It was still at a point where it was not bearable to live a normal life. I asked for suggestions on where to turn to for other pain management remedies. After thinking for a second he referred me to another pain management doctor who specializes in acupuncture. This doctor actually had my current pain management doctor as a fellow and practiced western medicine with a mix of eastern medicine. He said that he could definitely come up with an acupuncture plan to help my avascular necrosis (AVN), complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). It sounded great to me and I immediately book an appointment!

I was able to see this new doctor in July 2013 and I was really excited to hear what he has to say. From the moment the new doctor walked into my examination room I knew I liked him. He had reviewed all of my pain management doctor’s notes and was up to speed on where I was. The one thing that surprised him though was the state of my knee. He said he expected it to be much worse that it looked. To him, he said that the Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) was pretty much gone and all of the nerve blocks and treatments that my doctor had given me had been really successful. We talked about how the Avascular Necrosis (AVN) specialist wanted me to try to get my pain down to a tolerable amount where I could walk on my knee for another 10 years before getting a knee replacement. Right off the bat he was so positive and so certain that he could help me. He said that he would do acupuncture and cupping on my knee and that he could help get my pain down so I could walk on it. Thankfully he said that the state my knee was currently in was the perfect state to start the treatment. Had I come any earlier he would have told me my knee wasn’t ready to handle the treatment and to continue with the nerve blocks.

We agreed I’d stop with the nerve blocks for the Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and I would start coming once a week for acupuncture to help manage the pain for avascular necrosis and psoriatic arthritis. He also informed me that he had a ‘magic bullet’ that he would put in my ear that would help me get rid of my anxiety. Once he said that I was 150% sold on the idea.

The first week of August I booked my first session and eagerly awaited! Read about it here!

Wishing You A Pain Free Day!