Pain causes depression, depression causes pain? - Pain Management Message Board

yvette777 · 12-29-2006, 05:21 PM

I am so fed up. I have been living with chronic pain for so long. 36 years old, originally injured back during childbirth, now the last two years have been a living hell. No insurance. Finally got state medicaid and have found out its just as bad as no insurance. Today I saw this neurosurgeon, who tells me that nothing surgically can be done to correct me. But, acted as if nothing was really wrong, when there is majorly. He wants me to go back to pain mangement which didn't help me before, back to physical therapy, which I can't go to because they won't except medicaid.

Then the comment was made that depression intensifys pain. Well i know I am having some depression issues that I believe anyone would going through this, after not working for a year etc living in pain. - The thing is depression isn't going to make my legs quit working. I feel like I've been blown off. Back to pain management????? The shots did nothing for me before.

My mri states clear problems, yet they are just dismissing me. Or atleast that doctor is.

I guess maybe meds for depression could help my attitude, maybe..but don't really think its gonna change my pain. ramblin ghere sorry.

ejreiss · 12-29-2006, 11:54 PM

I went thru the same garbage. After my third back surgery they sent me for a psych eval. It was routine evaluation nescasary to instal spinal stim in back. My evaluation results shown I was depressed. I got the same sort of responses from my doctors and they told me that my pain was exagerated because of my depression. Only you know how much pain you are in and although they say depression hurts, I know it does not hurt nearly as much as the pain I am in. They tried anti-depressant medicine but it did not help pain levels at all. I just don't understand why they don't realize that anybody that suffers from chronic pain is going to be somewhat depressed. In my case I felt angry because I thought they should be treating the pain and if they helped it would also help my depression. For some screwy reason they seem to take the opposite approach and treat the depression first in hopes that it will relieve some of the pain. Good luck and best of wishes
Ed

yvette777 · 12-30-2006, 07:53 AM

Yah, I wonder if these doctors would get depressed if all of a sudden they couldn't work and couldn't get any help and lived in pain everyday. And lost there life basically....and felt the financial impact etc. - I wonder if they would think they were just depressed then.

madhatter · 01-04-2007, 04:47 PM

I was in the same boat! I went to the orthapedic surg. he said theres nothing he could do for me,then went to the nero. surg. he actually said he's got good news and bad news,the good news is,i don't have to have surgery,the bad news was,theres nothing he could do for me at the time.He did say,way down the line i would need surgery.Now i have a doc. who is treating me for pain.I'm not going to lie,it was a long path,but now at least i do see light at the end of the tunnel.I know its easy for me to say now,but don't give up!

thylantyr · 01-05-2007, 03:58 PM

When doctors can't fix a person, they point the finger at you - you are the problem