Day 4 Ways I've been discouraged by the words of doctors

The first orthopedist I went to when I began feeling knee pain described my cartilage like "the tread on your tires - it will get worn down over time, it's just a matter of how fast." I felt dread and panic about the inevitability of true/severe arthritis. I got the message "this is is something that can only get worse." And when it does, it's going to be my fault. It has made me afraid to use my body. And it did not allow for the possibility that my body can be resilient and can heal and repair and adapt.

Today I was looking into providers of Pain Reprocessing Therapy in my area, and I came across a PRT provider with an article on her website distinguishing between types of chronic pain. PRT she suggested was appropriate for "nocioplastic pain" but less so for other types. Osteoarthritis she classified as "nocioceptive" or "tissue-based pain" and suggested that medical treatment should be the primary intervention. I felt so disheartened as I read this - and I could feel the stress and fear rising in my body. Medical interventions have not helped my pain, but reading this I felt less optimistic that relief could come from treating my mind and emotions. Like maybe that is not a hope it's appropriate for me to have based on my kind of pain and symptoms and based on the existence of structural abnormalities on my imaging. I have experienced read many other things which give me confidence I am on the right track with this, but coming across words like this feels damaging to my fragile hope!

 

Doctors can be very good at crushing your spirit. I can definitely relate to that. I reckon they need to provide a definitive answer for your pain, even when most of it is purely speculative. I actually feel sorry for doctors, I'm sure if they are honest with themselves their job is overwhelming. Certainly, some of them need a great deal more care in their bedside manner. Some of them don't realise how devastating a few badly chosen words from them can be to those in pain.