Dear Rebecca:

Yes, physical pain does make me depressed. I fear it, when it happens I fear that it will last and last. If it is a strong enough pain I will take the strongest pain pill (or injection) available, sooner than later.

I hope your wrist heals … sooner than later, take good care of it and of the rest of you.

anita

Hi Rebecca,

I feel that it’s important to be compassionate with yourself, and not set expectations (eg I want to heal by x number of weeks, and when that doesn’t happen one might get angry with oneself and wonder what is wrong). Different people take a different amount of time to heal, and it also depends with how each individual handles pain, a very subjective matter.

Also different people react differently to pain pills, sometimes being drowsy is the main side effect and definitely be careful when you’re doing daily activities eg having a shower (there is a risk of accidentally falling down) or handling sharp objects like scissors or knives (to prevent any injuries). Some other side effects may include vomiting and nausea, or constipation, and there are different ways of handling these side effects. It mainly depends on what your doctor prescribes for you, do ask the doctor or your pharmacist what side effects to look out for, and get some written information about the medication you are on.

Do take care.

Hana

Hi Rebecca,

Yes, I feel that pain can interfere with our well-being and moods. I am in the same boat. In the past two months, it seems like it is never ending, and now I am getting depressed because the bills from hospitals are coming in and x-rays. I am on SSDI disability, and only on medicare, and Medicare does not cover alot.

Over the course of two months, my chronic, severe back pain has gotten worse. (I had a bad fall off a horse during a horse jumping show, going over a large and talk water jump. I was an experienced rider, but I have the horse the wrong signals, the horse fell, and I fell hard breaking several vertebra in my my back and neck, in a coma. Since then I have been in Pain Management, on constant Epidural inhections, prescribed opioid and narcotics for pain, chiropractors.

I also from time to time get trigger point injections in my upper back. The opiods wreak havoc on your digestive system, and I have to take medication just to go to bathroom. I have to see a colon and rectal specialist this week, making me severly anxious. Now, I think I have two hernias that I have to get looked at, plus many other pains and problems, that interfere with the quality of my life. Yes, it can be depressing.

Hi Rebecca,

Yes physical pain can definitely make you feel depressed. For me it makes me feel very anxious. I have a chronic pain condition that comes and goes – usually the pain isn’t super severe but it’s severe enough to upset me. The only medication I can take for nerve pain are anti-depressants as they can work to reduce the pain signals the nerves are churning out. For me, there is a significant correlation with my mood/ anxiety on my pain. When I’m anxious, stressed or upset the pain amplifies by hundreds. It’s also worth remembering that this is not only psychological but physiological too. Stress, and only emotions can produce stress chemicals which actually amplify the severity we feel pain.

There is an amazing book I would really recommend for you (and others dealing with chronic pain). It talks lots about the two elements of pain (primary and secondary). Primary is the raw sensation of pain, secondary is our reaction and emotions related to the pain e.g. thoughts like “when will this stop?” “am I going to be in pain for ever?” “I can’t cope with this” etc. It’s much much easier said than done, but the book explores how you can tease apart the primary pain from the secondary and ease your suffering. I’m still working on this everyday, and was very sceptical at first, but honestly you can gain a lot of control over your pain with your mind.

In terms of meds – the antidepressants I take do make me incredibly sleepy and drowsy which is unpleasant. I also don’t find they help significantly, although with nerve pain they have to work over many weeks and months to diminish the pain.

Keep strong, and let me know if you want to talk anytime.

The book can be bought on Amazon – it’s called “Mindfulness for Health: A practical guide to relieving pain, reducing stress and restoring wellbeing” by Vidyamala Burch”. If you don’t want to buy the book they have lots of helpful articles on their website which can give you a taste. They also have some of the free meditations you can try:

http://franticworld.com/resources/