Eduardo M. Fraifeld, M.D.

I went to Dr Fraifeld for about 3 years. I'd been prescribed pain medication and was taking it as prescribed, passing every pill count and drug test. It didn't totally eliminate my pain but made it tolerable where I could maintain a fairly normal life and work. But when the paper started running stories about the opioid problem he suddenly took me off the medication despite it being effective, and my following his guidelines. He started doing spinal blocks etc that didn't help the least bit. Despite this not working he refused to prescribe the medication that had been working. I retired at 62 because I had gotten to where it hurt too much working full time and planned on working part time but the pain was so bad I got to where just standing hurt and if I tried to do anything strenuous the pain was just unreal. The fine doctor left me suffering and reduced me to having to be a prisoner in my home because it hurts too bad to move around. Dr Fraifeld is more interested in telling everyone how great he is and blowing his own horn to actually care for a patient. My PCP is trying to refer me to a pain clinic in another city. Because Dr's like the great Dr Fraifeld is more concerned about apperances than his patients.

I wish I could give this quack zero stars. I brought all my MRI reports annually dating back to 2006, along with a recent cervical spine MRI (film and report). I meticulously described my neck (cervical spine), back (thoracic spine), and low back (lumbar spine) pain on the diagram of the outline of a body notating the type of pain and where it shoots, etc., on the new patient forms. Dr. Fraifield took approximately 45 minutes dictating to his computer his findings of the cervical spine MRI films I had recently had performed. Finally, he examined me, and not just my neck, but my entire spine while I was standing. After he finished he said, "I'll have to refer you to Duke University, or the University of Virginia in Charleston because I don't handle complicated cases such as your's anymore." In my head I was screaming angry, but I calmly asked a few questions and left. I did inform my insurance company about this quack, because he should have realized before coming in to meet me, that my situation was beyond what he preferred to do. No, he wastes an hour of my time combing over the recent cervical spine MRI films, missing the C6 neural foraminal narrowing which is causing me excruciating pain radiating to my head and left shoulder, only to say he doesn't accept complicated cases like mine anymore. He knew that from the paperwork, and should have been professional enough at the get go to say so, and not waste my time. I am sure he was in some way attempting to provoke me because I had divulged to his scheduler that I am on to these pain management specialists here in Virginia. They don't get rich off seeing patients once a month to write a script, but they make anywhere from $2,500 to $3,500 for injections done under fluoroscopy, such as ablations. They perform 3 trial injections (nerve blocks), then if relief from those is experienced, then the final procedure to burn the nerve. Four times $2,500 per procedure is $10,000 earned in 8 weeks! I don't think ablations are a good idea. God gave me those nerves to let me know I have an injury. Without those nerves I could injure myself more, maybe even seriously. Dr. Fraifield did mention that he didn't like the way I spoke to his 'girl'. I spoke very gently, but emphatically about how passionate I am about doctors that only see dollars in their patients, and not what's best for the patient. I was in pain management down in Florida for 14 years and prescribed opiates. Not once did I ever take more medication other than the directions prescribed on the label. To date not one doctor here in Virginia has requested my medical records from any of my doctors in Florida. I even had my insurance company contact my primary care physician's office with me on the line, and he still didn't request them. I tell these greedy Virginia doctors that I'm not stupid. I know that one will stop breathing if one takes too many opiates. Furthermore, if you take more than is prescribed, one will run out of meds, and then suffer withdrawal symptoms and pain until the next appointment. I'm smart enough to know better than to take medication contrary to the prescribed directions. Anyone who does not adhere to the doctor's prescribed directions, is playing Russian Roulette with their lives.