Chronic Pain Thoughts: Provider Call Out

 Dear Reader,

This is my own personal experience. Someone else may have a better visit or communication.

Being in constant pain sucks. It's literally the worse and per my records I've been dealing with this since 2015. I was at a pain clinic that wasn't listening. Left and Right I was running into roadblocks with my care. Injection after injection and nothing was helping. The office was rude and kept basically telling me I was out of options except for an experimental treatment that I couldn't afford or take a chance on.

I can speak up now about this provider since they have dropped me as a patient.

I reached out to Prevea Spine & Pain with a short history and questions. Dr. Koch stated he had other things he could offer so I switched clinics. My first visit went great, he offered a few suggestions, refilled my medication and scheduled my next appointment.

While at this clinic I was talked into 3 more injections. 2 of which I followed through with. The first one landed me in the ER the next day with complications, when I reported this and advised them, they didn't even bat an eye. The second injection went better but still offered no relief.

Appointments are few and far between. This provider has no availability, they don't answer questions and make you feel like you are doing everything wrong. I ran into an issue where they said I was short on my medication, after contacting the pharmacy and going back and forth I still didn't get a refill. I was forced to go through a long holiday weekend without anything for my pain.

I have found this provider and their office staff to be less than compassionate. They don't listen, they don't answer questions and are extremely rude when you reach out to them. It's a horrible feeling, to feel stuck in your pain because the provider you are trusting with your care doesn't in fact care!

All of this is the exact definition of medical gas lighting.

I would never recommend this provider to anyone. When dealing with chronic pain patients, when there are test results on file that show where it's coming from, it's important to work with the patient and offer compassion. I will call them out for what has happened.

Helping patients to understand their specific diagnosis and providing optimal care for patients are important goals for me.  I work to individualize each patient's treatment plan while listening to his or her unique needs and goals to facilitate maximum recovery."

Key Services

• Evaluation and management of:

  • Back pain

  • Neck pain

  • Sciatica

  • Musculoskeletal pain

  • Work injuries

• Spinal injection treatments and radiofrequency neurotomy

• Electrodiagnostic studies for nerve-related conditions

• Electromyography (EMG)

• Steroid injections for extremity pain

• Ultrasound guided procedures

Education and Affiliations

Medical school: University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison

Residency: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Indiana University Medical Center

Fellowships: Spine/Musculoskeletal/EMG, University of Michigan Health System

ABMS Board Certification: American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine

Have you been referred to a provider? Google them, check them out on www.healthgrades.com, Web MD and even the reviews on the provider's web site. Don't be afraid to leave one!