Hi Sandy — Thank you for sharing your story here. Make sure to talk to your PA about your concerns, and know that managing chronic pain can take a long time, unfortunately. We also recommend reaching out to a chronic pain group to talk to others who understand what you’re going through and can suggest options that have worked for them: https://www.facebook.com/groups/11864244228/. Hope that helps.

I’m also being treated for depression and have been for many years before this back problem and related surgery. That caregiver has helped a lot by increasing my antidepressant, but when that’s been done, my Arizona Pain Specialists PA decreases my pain med and I’m back where I started. Since I’m now at the maximum dosage for my antidepressant, I’m feeling pretty hopeless about this situation that’s gone on for months and months.

I’m also doing physical therapy and walking for exercise. That doesn’t seem to help very much, though supposedly it should. Also, about half the time I feel more back pain the next day.

It seems that the goal of pain management is to keep you in pain. Whether that’s true or not, that’s been my situation.