Pain relief is a major consideration of medicine today. The goal of every medical professional should be relief of patient’s pain , as much as possible. Your doctor is right to be concerned, but he needs to make more of an effort to help you. If you have been diagnosed with arthritis, make an appointment with a rheumatologist who has dealt with chronic pain. He/she may be able to offer some solutions. If you think you have nerve damage, try to get an appointment from a neuro-surgeon, although you may need a referral.

Are you taking an NSAID regularly? Do you wear a splint on that wrist at night to keep from banging it around during the night? Wear a splint or ace during the day? Do you ice it down after a long day, then apply heat at bedtime for some relief? Are you seeing an orthopedic surgeon? Different doctors approach problems from different angles and priorities; perhaps it’s time you saw another doctor who will start from scratch and have new ideas.

Make an appointment with your doctor again and tell him that your quality of life is greatly diminished by the nagging, unrelieved pain. Ask him to refer you to a specialist or to a pain clinic. Good luck.

****Addendum. I’m sorry to hear you lost your job. That must be an added stressor in your situation. As for presenting yourself to doctors, some of my suggestions may sound frivolous, but as a nurse, and the mom of 20 year olds, I’ll tell you what I’ve seen. Make sure you go in there dressed like a responsible person, clean and neat. Before you go in, know what you want to say. If you jump all over the place trying to explain your situation, it will be difficult for them to know what you’re getting at. If you sound jumpy and nonchalant, they may not take you seriously.

You can start with "I’m here with a problem that has become serious enough to greatly affect my ability to work and my life, and I’m hoping you can offer me some help because thus far no one has been able to help me." Then BRIEFLY but thoroughly explain your situation. You broke your wrist, you have had 3 surgeries to repair it and improve function, but the pain is severe and you cannot seem to get relief. Doctors have mentioned arthritis and possible nerve damage. You have tried OTC meds, creams and stimulators but have had little to no relief. You feel that you need a stronger medication or something to help you get some relief because the pain is wearing you down and you are feeling desparate for help.

Then listen to what the doctor has to say. If he suggests something you’ve already tried and didn’t work, respecfully tell him you got no results from that. Be confident but open to what he’s saying. That’s about all you can do. I hope your Medicaid does go through so you are able to see another doctor. You may want to call around to see which docs take Medicaid; all of them don’t, particularly as the year goes on. Good luck!