My depression is starting to get out of control , being stuck in bed or on the couch looking at the same 4 walls every day, being up most of teh night because of the pain....it seems like everyday I just sink further and further into the black pit. Even keeping up with my pdoc and tdoc isn't helping much...it doesn't seem like anything is helping right now....oh well sorry to ramble...just needed to talk to someone
Re: 3 weeks post surgery...Depression pretty severe
((((kmit))))
That has to be depressing as all heck, the pain and lying around in themselves.
Also, a friend and I have talked many times about the depression following any kind of surgery. It's part of the physical response to surgery and the anaesthesia they give you.
I.e., even without the pain and immobility, you'd be very depressed as a physiological response to the surgery.
I know all that doesn't help the depression, but it might help you see it as something that will run its course.
Your isolation: has to be severe at this point. Are there folks who could come and visit you at all? Can you watch TV or even read?
And, I think I asked before, but again - why are you in pain? Where are the painkillers that you should have?
Maybe it's impossible to medicate your level of pain, but I've yet to hear of pain that can't be helped in a major way with proper medication. Maybe you can pass this on to your docs and ask their help.
Did the surgeon give you any idea about how long this will last? When might you expect things to ease off? IF you can look forward to feeling better, it'd probably help.
I don't know what to say - I am so sorry you're having this. Having had surgery myself, though, I'd say there's a good chance most of your depression is the surgery reaction and, definitely, the pain.
Hope to hear from you, especially on the pain issue. If I can do anything, please let me know.
You're much in my thoughts,
Re: 3 weeks post surgery...Depression pretty severe
Seaturtle,
The surgery that I had was pretty major, it involved cutting the tibia from my knee, moving it over 2mm, raising it with a cement lift underneath, reattaching it with bone grafts on each side and screwing it in place with 3 screws on the top. I'm in an immobilizing brace for 2 to 3 months that I have to wear 24/7 and it's very uncomfortable especially at night to sleep. I am on very heavy pain meds Fentanyl, Oxycontin, Oxycodone and Ibuprophen so the pain is being controlled as much as it can....but at times the bone pain is just uncontrollable.
Now that all of the nerves are starting to come back to life, there are times when I just get shooting spikes of pain up and down my shin bone. I should be somewhat pain free by 6 months and completely healed in 1 year at which time if this did what it was supposed to do, then they will do the same thing to my right knee.
I keep the TV on and watch movies with my 18 yr old son, who is my basic care giver during the day, but how much TV can you watch? People came to visit the first 2 weeks, but then of course they get busy, etc. Which it's fine because I don't want to be around people, don't want to talk to them on the phone, pretty much just want to be left alone. I'm only sleeping about 2 and a half to 3 hours a night and everything is just out of whack.
I see both my pdoc and tdoc on Wednesday and am going to get something for sleep. I'm going to go back to my office for a few hours a day on Monday and maybe that will help get me out of this fog...I just know I'm slipping fast...and I don't want to get to where I was 8 weeks ago which was inpatient hospital for an overdose, you know?
anyways, thanks for your response and I hope your doing better, I know you've had a hard time lately as well.
