Chronic Pain and Bi-polar- related?

So my husband told me tonight that he read that people with bi- polar suffer with chronic pain? Has anyone heard this? He proceeded to tell me that these people exaggerate their pain but don't know they are doing it. I guess the neurotransmitters for both conditions are in the same place as each other, so the brain can't distinguish between the two. I just don't know what to think about this. The thought that I am exaggerating my pain ticks me off as I would never do that. And why wouldn't any of my Dr's mention this to me? All of my Dr's know I suffer from chronic pain and being bi-polar, so if they exaggerate each other wouldn't one of them tell me this? What do you think about this? Have you heard this before?

Thanks for your reply! He did read this online and I looked it up after he told me and I found some sites that said the two can be related, but not always. I know that chronic pain and depression go hand in hand, for obvious reasons, and I also wonder if he is confusing the two. It really annoyed me that he said pain can be exaggerated, as I pretty much put on a fake face everyday unless I'm having a really bad pain day. My Dr's are not working together, but this is something I am going to bring up at my next appt's with both of them. My husband went to my first appt with me at the PM office, and the only time he's gone with me since is when I have to have a driver because of procedures. I know he knows my pain is real, I think he was just trying to help as he was so worried about me yesterday with my pain being so severe, but he doesn't realize that his "help" is not always good help. What is really funny is that when he told me this last night I asked him how he knows this and he said "I just do, I know a lot about it," which is complete bs!

Interesting topic! I don`t know much specifically about bipolar and pain and I think Snowbunny answered your question much better than I could.

I think I`ll be going off topic, so I`m sorry in advance lol. But I am very interested in the point you said about  `exaggerating` the pain. (By the way here I`m referring to my experience and people in general, I`m not implying at all that your husband is in this category, it sounds like he does genuinely care.) Anyway it`s very easy to begin to believe it yourself if you have people close to you suggesting you are responsible for the pain, making it worse, making it up, being overly dramatic or need to suck it up. I have been accused of all of these from `friends`who have not really tried to understand my condition or treatments and they were very convincing, I started believing them. I`ve also been labelled a drug seeker, one friend said she didn`t approve of what I was doing, meaning trying out many medications which did happen to be narcotics as a last resort after exhausting non-narcotics. Also I apparently got in the way of getting better by refusing to do certain treatments, lots of exercise or constantly searching for a cure (after years of trialling things and becoming fed up and exhausted).

It used to upset me but not any more. Now I believe the reason they blamed me for causing it is that it`s probably easier for them to tell themselves that it`s my fault and I`m in pain because I`m `preventing my treatment`etc than it is to accept that the agony is real and permanent and there are no other options. Still most of these people I think were trying to `help` in their own way lol.

So, sorry I`m rambling but wanted to say you know and we know the pain is as intense and real as it is and please don`t pay any attention to theories like you `exaggerating`, you already have so much to deal with! xxxx Di

Hi, Fireflyhillary,
I think you've been given some good responses, so what I'm about to add isn't meant to disagree with any of them, just add a perspective that might relate to what your husband may have been reading (tho' of course I don't know what he was reading!).

There is a lot science doesn't know. There's a lot doctors don't know (tho' they may not act like it - lol). I'm wondering if your husband read something relating to what's called the neuroplasticity of the brain.

I'm retired now but used to be a mental health professional. Not in anyway giving you professional advice here, but yes, all these conditions - depression, bi-polar and host of other ailments - can all utilize the same or similar neural pathways. How the nervous system communicates signals throughout the body. Science is learning that certain things actually change the brain, the way the brain perceives something, overtime. That's why some of the scientists now are saying chronic pain is not a symptom but a condition unto itself. Because the brain has been permanently changed by the pain signals it's been receiving for so long, and it now has difficulty interpreting different pain signals. This science is still new and evolving, but in a way can hold some promise for us. Won't go into that now.

But I think the word "exaggerate" isn't accurate, although I can see why your husband may have used it, not quite understanding how sensitive we all are to anything that seems to say we're making up, or exaggerating our pain. What he MAY have been reading is that when someone's brain has been changed by chronic pain (and perhaps other conditions) it may interpret all pain signals as intensely painful, and no longer able to differentiate. I saw a brief presentation once where a doctor who's studying all this was trying to teach an audience by showing the difference between the sensation of a feather on one's arm, and the sensation of a blow torch. And he said in the brains of many chronic pain patients, what feels like a feather to a non-CPP feels like a blow torch to the CPP. But it isn't about exaggerating. It's the actual way the person is experiencing it, and thus why it's so difficult to understand and treat CP. Am I making any sense?

I hope this helps and doesn't further confuse things!

PaLady
p.s. BTW bipolar disorder is still poorly understood. There are still only theories about what starts or causes it, and doctors and therapists just do their best to treat it. And it's a struggle for patients, too, which I'm sure you know.

Post Edited (PAlady) : 2/20/2012 3:35:43 PM (GMT-7)

Yes Snowbunny, that`s a good general rule I think, I`ve learnt the hard way on that, even sometimes innocently people seemed to care and insisted on helping but once they realised the whole situation made up their minds quickly. Despite everything I said though I have been lucky to have some people who accept everything including my meds with no judgements, though it is rare!

I understand what you said PALady, that`s also another interesting point. The way you described it coming down to the way an individual experiences pain is a lot more sympathetic than the word `exaggerate`indeed! It`s very hard to define and measure CP, even from the language we use. A very interesting topic!