Re: Does anyone have severe pain long after surgery??

[Guest guest]

I can't relate to pain after surgery. I will say, however, that

chronic pain causes depression and depression makes your pain worse.

It is a horrible cycle. I suggest that you tell your doctor about

your depression and ask for an anti-depressant medication that will

help to alleviate your depression. Just note that it can take 2-4

weeks for these medications to work.

As for not going out and people not talking to you anymore, I feel

your pain on this one. I hardly go out. The only thing that gets me

out of the house is my daughter's sports. She plays varsity field

hockey, basketball and softball, so I am going to games almost year

round.

My depression has lessened with Zoloft, but I am still weepy

and have no motivation, even with important things. When other people

see me, they say that I can't be in pain because I look good. And I

still have a few friends left, but the others that decided to stay

away, I didn't need them in the first place.

It's hard for people to understand chronic pain when they don't experience it

themselves. Don't you just love it when someone complains that they banged their

arm and it hurts like hell? lol I tell them to live just one day in my shoes

and that banged arm won't even compare.

>you wrote:

>I was left with severe pain in the front of my neck and it never went away.

[Guest guest]

" bijou.iluvu " wrote:

> Are there other people in this group that have severe pain so long

> after surgery? Thanks for listening and I appreciate your support.

HI " Bijou "

Welcome to the group. I'm sorry you need us, but since you do, this is the best

Yahoo chronic pain group.

Because of the holiday season, the mail to the group is much slower than it is

during the rest of the year. Please stick around and you'll hear from many

people whose pain has been exacerbated by surgeries of all kinds.

I was glad to read that you are so far surviving your thyroid cancer. May you

keep beating it down for many years to come. I've been through two bouts of

cancer, so I know how rocky the ride gets. Right now I am considered cancer

free. I'm hoping it lasts. My sister was not as fortunate as me. She died from

cancer this month. Despite the pain and other problems, she was a trouper with

a great sense of humour right up until the end.

But I digress........

Chronic pain is a hard thing to learn to live with. Depression and withdrawing

from others are pretty common things for people to do when the pain first hits

and we realize that it isn't going to go away. The trick is to get mad, grieve,

and then get on with living life as best you can.

A group like this is great, because we can all come here and bitch and moan

about the pain and have others who understand. The people in our day to day

lives, who love us (or even like us a little :-) who are not in pain, often feel

helpless and guilty because there isn't a darned thing they can do to make our

pain go away. It makes them feel worse when we whine or complain too much to

them about how much we are hurting. Sometimes they will offer suggestions that

are useless or downright silly, but they only offer them because that's all

they've got.

Access to the internet gives us a freedom that previous generations didn't

have. Because of groups like this, we have others to turn to, besides family

and friends, to help us cope with the hand we've been dealt. Please feel free

to use this group to vent, to learn, and to offer support to others.

--

Lyndi

Moderator

[Guest guest]

<Are there other people in this group that have severe pain so long

after surgery? >

Normally this is a very active group, but due to the holidays many of us have

exhausted ourselves just trying to do things which we should not be doing at

all! Most in this group will be able to relate.

I personally take Percoset 10 mg every 3-4 hours just trying to stay on top of

the pain and my last major surgery was 13 years ago. I have had minor surgeries

since then things like knee operations and wrist surgeries and stuff like that

but it is 24 hour constant pain. It is just a fact of life, one of which we must

deal with.

It is not easy, but I just wanted you to know others do not understand no

matter how hard they try. So this group is a very good place to start with as

far as venting and reaching out. People will be able to understand in a way

that you have not found before.

I personally think the main thing to remember is that now there is a new

normal. And as I am known for saying, that " Normal " is only a setting a dryer

so what is normal anyway? We are all in constant pain and struggle each and

every day, but we make it! You can make it too! Gwen

[Guest guest]

--- " bijou.iluvu " wrote:

> I have advanced thyroid cancer. In May/05 I

> underwent a 9 hr. operation on my neck to remove the

cancer. I was left with severe pain in the front of my

neck and it never went away.

Hi Bijou

Welcome to the group. Have you had a neurologist,

and/or orthopedic surgeon look at your cervical, and

thoracic spine?

The position, you were in during a 9 hour surgery,

could have easily put quite a strain on your neck.

Your position should have been monitored very closely

every few minutes.

A person's neck, is very, very complex. It's full of

extremely significant nerves, muscles, tendons, etc.

At woman's neck, is even more vulnerable than a man's.

I'm glad you are staying cancer free, and I'm sorry

you went through that, and still ended up with chronic

pain.

I have several types of chronic pain, but my worst is

the neuropathy damage caused by the tourniquets used

when I had bilateral knee replacement surgery, in

2001.

It only happens to a tiny, tiny percentage of people.

Unfortunately, I am one of them.

Once again, welcome to the group.

Kaylene

Moderator

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