Chronic pain and Mental health

[outlander]

Hi guys, i know so many of us not only have to try and manage our mental health but also chronic pains as well. Our mental health can be affected by pain meaning when our pain is bad often our mental health deterorates and vise versa. 

I wanted to start a thread for support and also a place to share tips and tricks on how we can try to maintain our mental and physical pains. please remember we cant share specific medication names.  

[Powderfinger]

@outlander this is such a good thread to start and much needed. 

[Powderfinger]

Never before has thus happened to me. For at least two months my left ankle has been in so much pain. I've had no physical injury to it. It kind of feels like water retention and it feels swollen but it's not. It hurts to put weight on it. My right ankle is fine. 

For a month my left arm has been in so much agony. It's the whole arm. The pain has gone into my elbow joints and wrist joints. I can't move it certain positions and some days, I don't want to move it at all cause it hurts. Again I have had no physical injury. 

I don't sleep well because I'm in pain. I get up throughout the night and sit in my lounge room to tend to my pain. It makes me very upset and emotional. I don't know what to do. I'm just tired and in pain all the time. 

[outlander]

@Powderfinger have you spoken to your gp? i know youvve said no physical injuries but it could be something else like arthritis of some kind esp since your saying its in your joints.

[Powderfinger]

I currently have no GP. I went through some trauma recently with the GP I was seeing and then the actual surgery. I'm taking it higher as I have to. I haven't dealt with the trauma so setting foot near any GP right now is just too frightening. I've spoken to my psychologist and she is disgusted and says I should report it. So if she us disgusted and thinks I should report it, it holds some weight I suppose. 

In saying that the GP said to just go get physio done. I can't afford to right now. I'm not in good shape mentally. I haven't even had a chance to deal with what happened. 

[Powderfinger]

@outlander I forgot to tag you in my reply. 

[outlander]

oh thats really tough @Powderfinger im glad you have your psychologist.
your gp if they hadnt caused you trauma could have actually written you a care plan to access 5 free physio sessions

[destructive]

Sorry to hear you’re in such pain @Powderfinger. I regularly get what I can only describe as growing pains. You know that burning pain you get in your legs as an adolescent? I got that throughout my whole body. I usually manage it with medication but I’m currently breastfeeding my boy so I can’t use it. I can empathise with how much it impacts your mental health. I hope you can find some relief soon.

[Powderfinger]

They were useless from the get go. I only attended three times as I was a new patient as I had just relocated. The damage they have done in that time has been nothing short of complete destruction and trauma. They were not interested in attending to me. I'm trying to find out where to go to take it higher and whether or not I will even be listened to. Most of the time no one has ever listened to me when I've tried to tell someone what happened. 

[Powderfinger]

@destructive yes I remember that pain along with the very painful spasms in my legs. I'm sorry you can't take anything for it right now. I do recommend trying magnesium cream and rubbing it into your legs. I use it and it does help. As pure as you can get it.