the end of the road

[Darren1]

so after 7 months of neck pain, bloods tests, chest xray, full body ct scan, i was told it was anxiety.

a psychiatric nurse wrote to my gp and told him i have no mental health issues and that they should investigate my neck pain further and keep me on current medication to deal with my anxiety. however, she wrote that my anxiety would quickly diminish if the pain in my neck could be addressed.

Yesterday i went to my gp after this strongly worded letter from the mental health trust. the doctor didnt even mention the letter.

i asked him if he had recieved the letter and he said "yes, they've basically said carry on taking the pills"

he has re-iterated what the previous gp said that there will be no further investigations into my neck pain.

He has told me he wants to try me on a different antidepressant that will also ease physical symptoms.

ive had a thorough assessment from the mental health team - why dont they still believe me???

ive told him i wont be trying any other medication, i need to further investigate my neck pain and im going private.

this is becoming a dailymail soap opera.

he has told me not to visit an osteopath or chiropractor or get a private mri - it will all be a waste of money.

so i'll just sit here and die of cancer????

[nomorepanic]

Darren

Try and get out of the mind-set that you have cancer

If you want to see an osteopath then you can but why has he said you can't? What is the pain from then?

[nck44]

I have no idea if you have cancer or not mate but I too am sick to death of being told everything is anxiety
its like a get out of jail free card if they cant find whats wrong

[Darren1]

I have no idea if you have cancer or not mate but I too am sick to death of being told everything is anxiety
its like a get out of jail free card if they cant find whats wrong

nck44, that is the most supportive thing i have read in a long time. ME TOO!!!! I had a 90 minute asessment and was told I had been sent to the wrong department. They wrote to my gp and said i needed physio or pain managment.


Nicola - the GP has told me that the pain in my neck is essentially in my head.

He described how people often think their phone has vibrated in their pocket but it hasn't.


i am hitting my head against a brick wall - there is SOMETHING wrong with my neck and now i am without support to find out the correct investigations that i need.


i guess i will keep taking the diazapam and prozac! that will help!!???!!

[nomorepanic]

Ok well you can either go against his advice and go and see an osteopath or believe what he says and work on the anxiety side of things

[Gotagetthroughthis]

Hey Darren1,

Sorry to hear your going through such a hard time. I totally understand your frustration and have been through much the same with my doctors fobbing me off and saying things are anxiety if they cant work out what is actually going on.

I think when your doctors say its "anxiety" they basically mean, yes there may be something wrong with your neck and you may be in some pain but we don't think it is going to hurt or kill you so go away. Thats the impression I get. They make sure they cover themselves and that's it a lot of the time.

Atleast you have had some tests done and they have come back clear, that's a good thing but I know it doesnt make the pain or symptoms go away so its extremely frustrating. Remember the doctors would be in trouble if after all this there was something seriously wrong with your neck so its unlikely that there is something wrong but again that doesn't make the pain go away. This is not to say that anxiety isn't causing your pain, as it could be.

I hope things work out for you soon, im sure they will :)

[Fishmanpa]

There's a fella I know of who, in my opinion, suffers from HA. He believes he has oral cancer. I don't think everything he says is true due to inconsistencies in his posts but nonetheless, he definitely has fear and anxiety concerning oral cancer.

According to what he posts, he's seen 25 doctors, had dozens of tests, CAT and PET scans, palatine and lingual tonsillectomies as well as a neck dissection and the latest results are negative and apparently due to a thyroid issue. He also has been diagnosed with dysplasia.

This has been going on for the last 8 months. If it's all true, think about what he's put himself through to be told he's cancer free and yet he still complains and doubts the results.

Ask yourself, do you want to be like that? You've come to the proverbial fork in the road. You've been diagnosed. Sorry you don't like the answer but when several trained medical professionals all say the same thing, there's got to be truth in their words. So, you can continue on the same path or take the one that will lead you to a normal life. It won't be easy but these are the two choices you have at the end of the road.

Good luck!

[Brunette]

Is it the end of the road Darren - or, like Fishmanpa says, a fork?

You can choose which you want it to be.

[JustJules]

Darren, I don't know much about your earlier posts but I see you mention about possibly seeing a Chiropractor. My experience of these, if you see a really well recommended one, is that they know their stuff and they are certainly the people to see if you have neck problems rather than an osteopath. It could just be something as simple as a re-alignment of your spine that is required. I think sometimes, it definitely is worth seeing an alterntive practioner and taking the matter into our own hands. Just my advice of course. Good luck.

[yenool]

I understand and agree what you are saying, the pain isn't all 'in your head' as the GP might suggest (poor choice of words from the GP there if that is what he said). However, clearly they cannot find an underlying pathology like a tumour or pinched nerve that would account for the pain. They have ruled out all serious/life threatening problems.

So I've said it before but I will say it again: I think a pain management clinic might be of benefit for you. Assuming the pain is the main symptom/problem then they should be able to advise the best ways to manage it.

Pain is complex and chronic pain even more so. There does not have to be an severe identifiable physical abnormality or life threatening disease for there to be real pain. Pain can come from the brain and over-active nerves (central sensitisation) but that doesn't mean it is imaginary, made up or under our concious control.

[Freaked]

Docs can be very stubborn, Darren1. Find someone you can work with better. I managed in the end (up to a point). But it's sad that we're both still having such a hard time seven months on.

[AuntieMoosie]

Darren the choice has to be yours doesn't it.

If you feel that you want to try some alternative therapies, and some do have good results too, then that choice is yours to make.

So far as I know, MRI's are extremely expensive, but, once again, it's up to you if you want to have that done at a cost.

It's never the end of the road though Darren, you still have options.

I really would very much doubt that you have cancer though, as that would have shown up in the tests that you've already had.

Please let us know what you decide to do and how you're getting on :)

[Darren1]

thanks...you're right, i do have choices.

i am going to get some physio privately, i dont think it costs much

[nomorepanic]

You can self-refer for physio on the NHS now

[emlica]

The thing is, Darren, you said yourself that the psychiatric assessment DID suggest that you should continue taking your anxiety medication, which suggests that they do think you have an anxiety issue. When they say your anxiety would be better if the neck pain could be addressed - well, that's true for all of us with HA, isn't it? If the symptoms would go away, we'd be less anxious about them, but the truth is that most of our symptoms are there because of the anxiety. The fact that they're saying it's anxiety DOESN'T mean it's "all in your head" or that your symptoms aren't real. Nothing's come up on any of the tests you've had, has it? So the chances of it being anything truly sinister are surely slim. Having said that, if it is anxiety causing your neck pain then it might just be an issue of tension and stuff like that, so I am quite surprised that the doctor didn't suggest a chiropractor or osteopath - or some kind of physical therapy, anyway. That sounds like a much better option than paying for an MRI which would probably show nothing - and to judge from your previous posts, wouldn't do anything to actually put your mind at rest anyway.

[Darren1]

i know what everyone is saying. i am going to get the pysio or whatever and then i will get a private mri eventually. im too chicken at the moment and enjoying my life, even with the neck pain.

i dont care about the money for an MRI, i am very good with money and I never waste it on anything but that is the one thing i am prepared to gamble on. of course i need to get quotes first.

[nomorepanic]

Private MRI's are not cheap. My partner recently paid £550 for a head one