For those of us that are not doing very well, myself included, whether you're pre-op, post-op, or just contemplating surgery, I recently found a spine surgeon's website/blog that addresses some of the emotional aspects of chronic pain in spine patients. Some of you may relate to it, as I have, and may find it helpful. One of the excerpts from the site, in particular hit home with me & I realized I drastically needed to make some changes...or else I would never improve my situation whether I had surgery or not.
'One of the byproducts of anger is obsessing over negatives. With chronic pain it is deadly. As the brain focuses on the pain, the signal becomes stronger. As the pain worsens, you become even angrier. An endless cycle is set up and you spiral downward.'
He also addresses the fact that you have every right to be angry, for being in the current situation you're in. That it is not your fault and in many ways, you are a "victim" of the system. He offers some concrete ways to get you out of this downward spiral. Not by any means a quick fix, but something to work with while contemplating other options.
The surgeon's name is David Hanscom & he's developed a comprehensive program fro spinal rehab. He's also writing a book called: Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon's Roadmap Out of Chronic Pain. You'll find a draft of his book on the website. He was once a spine patient with chronic pain, had surgery (during his spine fellowship) and subsequently developed a spine infection.
He mostly deals with failed fusion patients - rarely even brings up ADR & while I don't agree with everything he says re:disc/spine pathology, I think the process could be applied to any of our individual situations. I won't say anymore, if you're interested, have a look.
The DOCC Project - David Hanscom, M.D.
http://www.drdavidhanscom.com