eskie, it's hard to relocate and find new professionals admidst settling in and getting to know a new area. Sounds like you are making good progress with that.

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he referred me to a pain psychologist who works with patients with chronic pain. It is very difficult to answer the questions because they never understand that while on the med, I just don't have the migraine pain at all

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">Can you tell the pain psychologist that you can't really answer his questions because of that (that the questions don't apply because your pain has been under control with meds)? What will you do with the pain psychologist? Will you see him/her regularly to work on ways to manage pain without medication? It sounds like both of the pain professionals do understand your situation and are supportive about both helping you manage your pain during the dental work and coming off the narcotics (eventually). I hope you can find a dentist who can do your work at low cost. Ouch!!!!

Good news that you have a new therapist, and he has a new diagnosis that seems to resonate with you. The good thing about therapy is you can start work on one thing--the trauma--and if it turns out that is not the right thing you need help with, you can just switch as the therapist gets to know you and discovers what you need. My second therapist helped me right off with trauma, whereas my first had not recognized that was an issue for me and instead focused on depression. When I got some of the trauma work out of the way with the second T, the depression was helped too. So I think indeed your anxiety may be helped by working on the trauma.

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I am still very leary of starting with a new pdoc here because I really don't want to go to one that pushed meds which I can't use because of all the side effects I'v had.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">If you don't want to take psychoactive meds, then why do you need a pdoc? You have a therapist to help you with the trauma. You have a pain specialist to help you manage the pain with meds and other techniques. Plus you have the pain psychologist. Just don't go to a pdoc if you don't want or need meds for your mental issues. It is OK to just have a therapist! Sounds like you have put a good team together for yourself--great job!

Take care.