Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Pain Psychologist

I am just wondering if anyone has seen a pain pyschologist as a resource for dealing with the chronic pain associated with Ank Spond.

What were your experiences if any? Did you find it useful at all?

Amy:)

Pain psychologist? A guy once went to a psychiatrist. The doctor said to the patient what do you do for a living? The patient told him he was an auto mechanic. So the psychiatrist said good get under the couch.

Hey Amy,

I go to pain management once a month. I see the nurse for two months for a med check and then my doctor every third month. My doctor was recently on maternity leave when my appointment with her came around. The doctor I saw in her place wanted me to see a psychologist to see if I needed to be on an antidepressant along with my other meds. I had been evaluated by the pain management clinic's psychologist closed to two years ago who said he did not feel I would benefit from seeing him, but because this doctor told me I had to go get another evaluation I went to where I had previously been a patient. After talking with the pyschologist there she referred me to see someone else. After going to the second one they both told me I would not benefit from seeing them and felt I was well adjusted for the medical problems and pain I deal with.

I was however a patient for a number of years during the 1990's and can say it really did help me while dealing with the changes taking place after my back surgeries and being diagnosed with AS. I had problems dealing with not being able to do everything I had always been able to do in the past and dealing with constant pain. I would say go give it a try and see if you feel it helps you. If you go to a good pyschologist they should be honest and tell you if they feel you will find any benefit in seeing them after talking with you.

Good luck,
Brent

One other thing when you are looking for a psychologist check to see if they are Board Certified or a Diplomat in good standing of the American Board of Professional Psychology. If they are a Diplomant in good standing they are usually well trained and up to date on their education. I was given this advice by my neurosugeon before he referred me to see someone the first time, and when we moved from Ca to NC my psychologist told me the same thing to make it easier to find someone I could depend on.

Brent

Hi Amy,
You're not talking about pain management are you? Wanda

Hey Aims,

I saw a pain psychologist for a couple of months, and stopped for reasons having solely to do with his personal work quota (he'd be 10 minutes late, dismiss me 20 minutes early, and spend the time between searching for my file - it was way too expensive to spend an hour's worth of money on about 5 minutes treatment). He said we were going to do relaxation and some sort of hypnotherapy, but just NEVER got around to it . . . I was really looking forward to that, actually. I was having a tough time with depression ("I should be able to walk and write and climb stairs at 22 . . .") but I just couldn't keep seeing him. my next "quest" is for Occupational Therapy . . . maybe they can outfit me with something to make writing/artwork easier . . .

Sorry this isn't much of a help . . . my issues with him had nothing to do with his science. Hope you get one with good organizational skills!

-Bridget

I don't know what I am talking about really. My friends father has had arthritis since his 30's and she mentioned to me on the weekend that he sees a psychologist that deals with the issues that arise from chronic pain.

So what does one do? Is it counselling, dealing with issues in hopes that we don't flare. Is it learning to manage pain, finding strategies that work?

I went BACK to my naturopath in hopes of harnessing this terrible flare up last month and she told me I am harbouring anger about something and that that is what is causing this flare up. She told me that people with inflammation are most times angry about something?! Jeez thanks, I was kind of offended, and she was very crass about it, she made me cry for god sakes! I am not an angry person. I realize stress exacerbates AS, but it doesn't cause it.

I have never had a flare this bad, I mean two weeks ago if it had been during the school year I would not have been able to work. If I had had children I would have not been able to pick them up....every joint in my body seems to be affected now. I have been on Prednisone for a week and a half and seeing relief, but it has been a really [**BLEEP**] summer to say the least. I am not used to not being able to do stuff. Maybe I have been in denial about how awful this Ank Spond thing is all along, I have had it relatively easy, but man WHAM-O it all caught up with me in June. The doctor says that either the Remi has stopped working (which it hasn't - it is still working for my SI joints, he told me when I started taking it it may not help the smaller joints, this was NEVER an issue until 2 mos ago!!) or the AS has now spread. Great! lol

I will find out more on Sept 12 when I have my check up at the Arthritis Centre.I am also getting my Remi next Tues. I am hoping between the Pred and the Remi, there is no room for inflammation...........I am going to knock on wood! I guess whatever happens I will know for sure soon.

So what happens when I stop taking the Prednisone, you cannot take it forever. I am scared I am going to end up right back at square one again.

This post is so confusing, sorry! Just trying to connect all the issues I suppose.

Amy:)

Amy,
You've had a rough time of it. I've kind of been doing the same thing myself this summer. In between remicade infusions doing a pred taper. Last week my rib cage went all haywire on me again but he didn't want to put me on prednisone again because I had just come off a taper 10 days before.
I haven't been to either a pain psychologist or pain management. My kind of sister in law goes to a pain management center for her fibro. They give her injections and manage her pain meds. The doctor handles her other meds.
It sounds like your naturopath was generalizing and you were caught in the crossfire. It's bad enough having to deal with AS and then having someone like that infer that it's because of you or something you're doing. Hopefully your doctor can fine tune things and make you feel better. Take care, Wanda

Hi,
I understand that this is a huge problem. The more meds I was given to take the worse I got, of course, if it is what we eat, then we will get sicker. I am back on a lot of meds again!
When I was still in school, they thought I was crazy talking about the pain.
I have kept sane, through my faith, exercise and with the help of a few of my friends. Getting the right amount of grief expressed about our pain is hard to do.
We do not want a sudden emotional outburst, we want consistent listening and understanding. I think most of us need a few good friends, not psychology. So we often settle for paid listeners. Some can even train us how to think.
In the stillness of the night, when it is white with new snow and I am in a tent, I am being counseled.
When I hear the birds sing and the storms build I know there is hope. But we still need flesh and blood to tell us they care aobut our pain.
I go to one person, ask if they have time.
Can you do that?
You are important ot us Amy,
I want to send you, my love as a father hoping for better days.
Lon

Thanks! I appreciate the support. Like I said I have been feeling better over the last week because of the Pred, but I could feel the looming negativety hovering around me after dealing with extreme pain for over two months, so my mind is clear as I write this.

This is the FIRST time I have felt this terrible. I think the low point came after I went with my dad for a drive (to get out of the house - because I was unable to do ANYTHING) to get my mom from work. We got home from picking her up, I had to get out of the truck to get to my car so I could go back to my house. I couldn't get out of the car. The pain was so intense that I didn't want to move, I just wanted to sit there forever, or until it all passed. My mom started crying in the drive way. That was hard, on top of dealing with my pain, but now her burden too, and I love my mom very much, but I was upset now because she was upset. I found myself calling her when I got home, telling her I was going to be OK, when really I just wanted to scream....begging god to give me an hour of harmony within my body to gain more strength to fight this dumb thing. Does that make sense?

I have been irresponsible, assuming that my pain before this flare was the worst it was going to get, eating crap, not exercising like I should and I feel like it has all just caught up with me. I unlike other people do not have the luxury of being less then obedient when it comes to my health, there are too many things at stake. Over the past months I have come to realize that Remi is not going to make this AS thing go away. I am seriously trying to stay on a good diet, staying away from wheat, dairy, pork, coffee, and all the other things my naturopath recommended. Exercise has been tough just because of the not being able to do much, and there seems to be a very fine line between enough and going way over board. Does that make sense? I should have been exercising mos before this started, but I stopped.

It is hard to share the pain of not being able to do stuff with people, I am not one to burden people with my negativety surrounding this. I wasn't even negative until week #7 of not being able to move. I went to a friends house for dinner two weeks ago and starting bawling after the dessert was served cause I was just in so much pain, I could not hide it anymore. I felt like a fool after I left, but I just don't have the energy to try and pretend sometimes. The pain is exhausting & defeating.

As for my naturopath, she meant well. I have been dealing with a freak of an ex boyfriend for a year and a half now, so that has been weighing on me. There are still legal issues at hand, and it will be several months before it all gets worked out. This is stress! I was offended by her use of language, I do not consider myself angry at him......because to be angry at someone like him is giving them WAY TOO MUCH POWER OVER MY LIFE. The situation is not ideal, but it will be over soon I hope. I harbour no ill feelings, everything happens for a reason, he is mentally ill and I thank god everyday I am free of him, or relatively and will be forever shortly.

I figure there are several things that have to start happening - by that I mean me making a conscious effort to get better control over things in my life. I want to start going to Yoga, eating better foods, doing less at school because the school will still stand even if I decide not to work on all the committees or coach every team. There are other people around that can pick up some slack. Someone referred to me as the 'go to girl' last year, and it is seared in my head forever. I am not a go to girl! I do stuff because I love teaching and being a part of that community.

Again, way too wordy. But I guess I am fessing up that things have been less then stellar and I have not been handling them very well at all. This is unsual ground for me, and tough to admit.

I hate this dumb thing argggggggggggggggg

Amy:)