Well here we are again back in medical land. After 5 years of this I’m now eligible for NHS Pain Psychologist. This was suggested by the amazing Pain Clinic who offered me a basket of help… acupuncture, anaesthetic patches, psychology, drop in advice clinic….I readily agreed to everything. Bring it on.

So off I go to my first psychology appointment. I have to say with some trepidation. I don’t like talking about pain and in my mind was thinking stereotypical lie on the couch and mutter meaningfully.

How wrong could I be? Dr S turns out to be the sort of person I’d count amongst my friends happy to chatter away about absolutely anything and everything. She indeed offered couch or floor or cushion should pain be too bad. We laughed hysterically when I announced I knew all about ‘pacing’ oh yes I said…when I know I am going out for a bit of a late one I will always have a ‘crepe-snoozette ‘as my Cornish cousins call it.  The relaxation tape she gave me is so good I never have got past the first 3 minutes. The idea of pacing turns out to be walk for 5 minutes then rest. Then next week 5 1/2 minutes then rest. You know? I really cannot do that. So she says for ( mad ) people like me we try to log a typical couple of days and work out which bits cause most pain which bits I really could leave til another day.  OK I am on it…just haven’t yet found time to write a diary.  Oh well…she is utterly lovely, says that some people arrive and need to be coaxed into talking..no problem there..she says one lady was so good at mastering the coping strategies she did not go out with her friends one night because she had not done the relaxation tape.  mmmm I think I have some way to go on this one. Still its a very jolly hour in great company with much laughter.