Hi, I am suffering from neck and upper back pain the last 11 months after a car accident that was not our fault, doctors did not find anything broken or wrong in any imaging made,went to physical therapy and was feeling better but the pain in my neck was still there, causing nausea,dizziness, short breath etc.
I try to exercise but dont find the energy to so it because if I move wrong or too much the pain gets worse, doctors pretty much loo at me like I am lying, i have cried many nights not been able to sleep because of the pain, even my husband started to doubt of my symptoms, all this makes me anxious and depress, everyone around me thinks what I have is not real that I am just a weakling getting tired of listening that I feel pain too you just have to lose weight and eat healthy that is the solution, well it is not that easy.
I have 2 small children to take care of and is hard to not be angry or sad when you are in pain, but my love for them makes me going every day.
Finding this group I know I am not alone that just need to talk how I feel.

Hang in there, the both of you. Dealing with chronic pain on a daily basis is very hard. I have good days and bad. Usually it's pent up frustration that leads to sadness which leads to depression.
What has helped me is talking it out with a cognitive behavioral therapist. She has taught me how to process trauma and I find that often I feel much much better physically and emotionally after I speak to her. I can let all my frustrations go with her and not be judged. I no longer speak to any family except my Aunt about my health. They don't understand. After 10 years of suffering and being diagnosed with multiple issues, I lost contact with my family. I had to disconnect unfortunately but it was the healthiest thing for me.
I am getting stronger all the time and moving forward. I forget how much progress I have made in changing my attitudes and mental outlook. There are days I allow myself a full on pity party, eat ice cream, whatever. I let my body rest, take good care of myself (it's a chore for me as I'm not good at it), and then reset and go back to work.
I also am building a team of doctors including specialists that will be good compassionate caregivers and will guide me with good decisions. I have learned to weed out the ones who will not listen or treat me as a hypochondriac or what not. Listen to your gut. If you feel something is wrong, say so. Make sure you have a good PCP that will look at all your history too. I have found this most beneficial.

Many hugs and wishing you a reprieve from your pain. Oh, I am also on antidepressants and have an as needed, only if cannot sleep at all, anxiety medicine. We all need a little help sometime. I am working on resuming a social life after I get my work life in order. Good luck to you both xoxo, JP

G'morning:) I realize that this post is a couple of months old but I, too, have been out of commission due to a failed knee surgery at the end of November. I suffered horribly but not in vain. This surgery should not have even taken place as I had an active infection at the time and was on an antibiotic (the infection showed up in my pre-op physical). To add insult to injury, I had/have a toxic reaction to the the type of antibiotics that they had me on both pre-op and post-operatively. Knowing that something was seriously wrong- my pain level was out of control, I was intensely angry, suffered severe mood and behavioral changes on top of the typical gastroro-intestinal issues that are common with most antibiotics. I was on a rather large dose of Cipro (a floroquinolone antibiotic) for an extended period of time (6 weeks- 2 weeks pre-op and 4 weeks post-op). These side effects did not stop after I stopped the antibiotics. The insomnia and mood changes continued after I stopped the antibiotics. I have continued to see the Infection Control Doctor in charge of my case at the hospital. She confirmed my toxic reaction to the medication-it is now listed in my medical file. I have been given her approval for increasing the necessary vitamins and nutrients that were depleted due to this medication and I am infection free and feeling better.
As you said in your post- we are responsible for self-care and advocating for ourselves when something isn't right with our bodies, behaviors and moods. That being said, I began my quest to finding out what was going on with me. I had little, if any, medical support following this disasterous surgical event. My surgeon went out on maternity leave shortly after my operation. While she assured me that I would have numerous medical professionals at my disposal in her absence- this was NOT the case. I also found out (due to my need of pre-op treatment) that my PCP had left the practice that I have belonged to for 30+ years! No notification at all! I have been turned over to another doctor in the practice whom I don't know and more importantly, he is not specialized in my specific medical conditions (auto-immune). I have yet to find another PCP but have stayed on with the practice as I have a good medical relationship with the APRN who also does my 'female' work-ups. Back to your issue...it is important for you to know that you are not alone and what you are experiencing is, in fact, happening. No one knows your body better than you do and if you are not feeling well, no one has the right to tell you differently. I understand your frustration all too well. My medical nightmares began with a TMJ surgery where they had put in a proplast implant (made by Dupont). This, at the time was standard practice. Unfortunately, it took two years of pain and suffering, seeing numerous Doctor's including a Psychiatrist as, as you have experienced, no one took me seriously, for me to find out that the implant that they place in my jaw had been recalled by the FDA! This implant shattered sending particles into my brain resulting in two tumors- it literally shut down my immune system and I was forced to leave my job after an extended medical leave of absence in order to undergo the subsequent 4 jaw surgeries necessary to repair the damage. So- don't let anyone tell you 'it's all in your head' because in my case- it was literally 'in my head'! I missed the class action lawsuit (against Dupont) by 3 days because I was never notified I am not someone who automatically files lawsuits but, in this case, I consulted an attorney. The toll that this Medical Injustice caused caused fallout in all areas of my life. I too had young children at the time and an active career. The toll was not just financial in nature but we did incur our hardships with the loss of my financial contributions to the family as well as the medical bills not covered by insurance. It took awhile but after a couple of years, I finally settled out of court.
Needless to say, I developed serious trust issues with the medical profession. I wish I could say that it ended there but...I developed another medical condition that the Doctor's attributed to my TMJ incident. I mentioned that during this time my immune system shut down- I now have Systemic Lupus (an auto-immune disease) Learning to live with a chronic medical condition is very challenging. It has changed my life in ways too numerous to get into but that's my issue.
What I HAVE learned from all of these medical challenges is exactly what you said- YOU are responsible for your well-being and if something is not 'right' with you physically and/or emotionally you need to take the steps necessary to help yourself. Don't let anyone tell you that what you are feeling has no medical basis. You have a responsibility to yourself, and your family, to get the help that you need. It is true that people will get tired of listening to your medical woes, a lot of that comes from their sense of helplessness to help you- it becomes exhausting after awhile.
Become informed, check into your medications and their side effects, continue getting the support you need from compassionate therapists and physicians . Your pharmacist is also a good source of information. You are more than your 'medical condition' and you deserve the best quality of life you can have regardless of your conditions. Do things for yourself that make YOU feel better. I have found that vitamins and mineral supplements are highly beneficial in combating many medical conditions. Will you feel 100% Highly unlikely but no one really does. Even the most health conscious people out there have their 'down days'.
So, my dear, please take care of yourself- you ARE worth it! I hope that you get this message and that in some way, it helps. Take care! Lyn