Pain, Anxiety and Depression

Friends,

I have had chronic pain in my left foot for over two years now. Of course, this year I was taken down by my 127 lb. St. Bernard, and broke my ankle, which took surgery to put back together again. So now I have chronic pain in my ankle. I think it is needless to say that I am still very happy to be back on my feet pain or not.

Can pain increase anxiety and depression?

EJ

yes hon it can and does. I didn't really have a problem with depression until my injury in 05. now am on meds for it but mine was added to with other issues that are now on my table. ((((hugs))))

No doubt about it in my mind!

The way I see it and experience it in real life is that the physical and emotional are very much interrelated. If my body is in pain my psyche is in pain. When my psyche is in pain my body begins to feel pain.

Just today my son showed me he got a bad wound from a bad fall on concrete...I looked, I needed to assess the damage and see what kind of treatment he'd need....and as I looked I felt psychic pain and then a piercing pain went through my body. So for me, tis all connected.

I have been diagnosed with myofacial pain/fibromyalgia. So on lots of days I feel pain in my muscles, joints, or if I bump into a wall I will have pain for a few days right there where I bumped....
The pain is definitely accompanied by irritability, sadness, psychic pain.

On those very rare days when I can go through the day without pain (not carry any bags, not bend to pick up toys from the floor, not get worked up with the children) I definitely see an improved mood! I am cheerful and hopeful! And then when the pain returns I'm back to feeling sad and hopeless.
Wish we can abolish chronic pain for good!

Yes, I was reading about that just yesterday in regard to my neck/shoulder/arm. The American Physical Therapy Association website has a good "book" ("Head To Toe") about all sorts of topics:

http://headtotoe.apta.org/kbase/topi...in/descrip.htm

Absolutely it can. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis about 2 1/2 years ago. I have changed meds a few times, and now the meds I am taking have things pretty much under control.

When I was diagnosed, it caused me to become more depressed, and one of the results is my having to close down my business, which was losing money. The last couple years have been difficult financially, and I wasn't telling my wife the whole financial story. I hit bottom about two months ago. I am now working in the same industry, but for someone else. I had been self-employed for 24 years.

yes... I believe that it can and does... for me always there.. how bad will it get.. causes anxiety.. even if I am not "consiously" thinking about it.. I think your body/mind kinda adjusts to the extra pain... but that there is a gauge there.. that is sub-consious- how bad will it get gauge.. that we are not consious of..

,, and depression that to.. it never goes away.. so it causes the mind to just have to keep acknowledging it..

Friends,

As many of you know husband bounced out of his last job in record time -- three days!! It has been a month now, and there haven't even been any new jobs for him to look into.

Then I decided to teach an extra "live" class this semester, and with the constant pain in my foot, I feel like everything is falling apart.

Husband has been so depressed, he has brought me down, and with the constant pain in my foot, I feel like I'm sinking.

EJ

EJ -
I've suffered from chronic (daily) back pain since Feb '03. I tend to do a lot of research on issues I'm facing. I can tell you both from personal experience and from studies that pain and depression and anxiety are all related.

There are practical reasons for this (i.e.,how do you teach the class?, what about $), there are physiological reasons for it (pain, endorphins, neurotransmitters affect each other; also pain meds affect endorphins and neurotransmitters); and there are realistic emotional reasons (can't do what you want to do because of the pain, feel a loss of control over parts of your life, become isolated to some degree because pain may prevent you from 'normal' activities).

On top of that (like you needed more, right?) pain frequently disrupts sleep. You may not even realize how much. Disrupted sleep fosters depression and makes you more prone to anxiety.

If I read correctly, you have a spouse who is in and out of work, so you are primarily responsible for keeping your life running in terms of money? Been there, done that. First husband was a really nice guy, but steady employment was not his forte. I was continually anxious which peaked into a frenzied anxiety whenever I'd sense he wasn't doing well at work.

I know all this might not help improve your situation much, but I felt like I wanted to let you know you're certainly not alone -

Mary

Hi Sweetie, been a while. I agree with everyone. I get the connection. I think that is why my pain clinic has every patient on an SSRI as well as other meds for pain. If you are having nerve pain the meds like neurontin are very useful as are drugs like methadone which is less likely to cause psycological dependence as there is no high or low like with percocet. I hope you can get some help with the pain. Try a pain clinic. In the mean time do you know those boots with velcro many people wear after foot surgery? They make it so it's a big wedge. I wonder if just trying one on at a medical supply store and walking in their store would tell you if it is helpful or not. If it is get a script for it. Mine has been awesome. Just for kicks I will tell you that I was playing with a 4 year old and jumped and fell and broke my wrist. Clumsy gray haired women!