getting anxious over severe pain in leg

Hi Carol,

It's a really helpless feeling when someone we love so much is having difficulties like what you are describing.  I hope I can help a little bit. Anxiety can increase the sensation of pain, so you're right, he is causing more pain for himself.  He does need some help in learning how to keep calm when he has pain.

I'm not going to comment on the medication part of your question except to say consult with a good Psychiatrist about that.  Medication can be extremely helpful, but I also think your husband needs to learn both abdominal breathing techniqes and Progressive Muscle relaxation (PMR---although he should get an o.k. from his doctor before using PMR given that he has pain issues).  Finally, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy can help your husband address specifically what the fear is about.  You can find therapists both at the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) website and the Psychology Today Website.  If you like to read, Edmund Bourne's book, The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook is excellent.  Dr. Diana Walcutt and I have an audio CD that teaches the breathing technique and has visualizations to help people relax.

I hope this gets you started in the right direction.  It will take some work, everything I mentioned involves learning new skills and they take some practice.  But this practice can have tremendous payoffs!

Regards,

Dr. Jennifer Fee

www.thestressmasters.com

www.drjenniferfee.com

Hi Carol:

I agree with everything that Dr. Fee mentioned, but having worked with chronic pain patients for many years now, I also have a concern about the meds your husband may be taking. You didn't mention specific medications, but if he is taking pain meds (either prescription or over the counter), or being given pain meds at the ER, I would worry about him being addicted to these medicines, and/or what they might be doing to his body.

While pain medications are often necessary, we can have withdrawal symptoms from them, in fact, because of how they are prescribed, we can go into withdrawal EVERY NIGHT from them. When that happens, not only do we have the withdrawal symptoms that include agitation, anxiety, insomnia, sweating, but pain actually increases. 

What does your husband's physician recommend? If, for instance he is refusing to prescribe pain medications, you should ask him why.

What we have found in my practice (from over 2 decades of pain management) is that people sometimes have to go to a hospital to detoxify from their pain medications. The strange thing is that their pain does not get worse after they are off all the medications. In fact, my patients usually report a decrease in overall pain!

In any case, the two of you should go to your husband's doctor for advice. I worry that if you go to the ER too many times they will refuse to give your husband medication. 

In the meantime, go to the website, Chronic Pain Connection for more help.

I hope this helps,

Dr. Diana Walcutt

The Stress Masters

*Dr. Walcutt is a Psychologist, not a Psychiatrist. Psychiatrists prescribe medications. Psychologists study them, but the majority of Psychologists are not authorized to prescribe meds or give you specific advice about them. Dr. Walcutt's answers are not intended to diagnose or treat any medical or mental disorder. Any information given in a post about medication is for educational purposes only, and primarily to aid you in having an informed discussion with your own Psychiatrist/Physician.

Hi Carol - The info that you were given by Drs. Fee and Walcutt is very important. The only thing that I might add is that people tend to become anxious about the meaning that they attribute to their experiences. There is no doubt that severe pain can be incapacitating but if your husband has decided that this pain is a signal of something else that is really serious he may be creating a more anxious situation for himself than necessary. Situations like this can sometimes be helped greatly by helping the person identify the meaning they are giving to the pain and asking some important questions of a physician to find out if there might be anything to these concerns. Good Luck!

Dr. Rick Wirtz