Hi, barbo:

I used to live in the USA for eight years, from 1997 to 2005. That was six years ago. I miss the USA sooo MUCH! The USA is my HOME! Unfortunately, I only have a Green Card and I am afraid the U.S. immigration officers will take it away and deport me because I have not been the USA for more than one year. With a Green Card, one is not supposed to leave the USA for more than one year. I had to leave the USA for that long because I do not have medical insurance there. At that time, I needed physical therapy five to six times a week. With a session costing about U.S. $ 100, that would cost me about U.S. $ 2,400 per month. This is money I do not have. Here, in French Polynesia, the public health insurance company covers more physical therapy sessions, even if their doctors are not very happy about it. Besides that, one physical therapy session here costs about U.S. $ 10.

Quote: "You obviously haven't found the right psychiatrist yet. The ones you've seen are jerks, full of themselves."

The ones I have seen in French Polynesia are jerks, like you said. In the USA, I had two psychiatrists, who were very different from the French ones. They never challenged my RSD diagnosis, they never challenged my pain, they never challenged my use of strong narcotic painkillers to control my pain... I could even laugh with them. I felt I could trust these psychiatrists, ask them the questions I had without being judged or criticized, tell them everything I had on my mind... Surely the philosophy of American psychiatrists is much better and different than that of French psychiatrists...

When I am hospitalized for knee surgery, one of the nurses always tells my orthopedic surgeon I take narcotic painkillers to control my post-operative pain even though I have a femoral nerve block, which does not do much good with pain control. Of course, the nurse does not believe me. I have the feeling this nurse pushed the orthopedic surgeon into calling a shrink for me. When I see him entering my hospital room, I tell this shrink: "I do not give you the right to judge my narcotic use, you are not God, so go away; the door is right here!" By the way, these narcotics were prescribed by my primary care doctor because I knew that, in the hospital, my post operative pain would not be controlled very well. I know it because I had seven left knee surgeries and one right knee surgery.

Quote: "There are good ones - keep looking." How to trust psychiatrists again? I prefer psychologists, but the public health insurance company, for some reason, does not cover psychologists consultations.

The two problems I have with anti-depressants are:
1) I have the feeling that, if I take anti-depressants, my pain is in my mind (I know it is not the case). My pain and other RSD symptoms are in my full body; they are not an invention of my mind.
2) I am afraid of the anti-depressants that can cause someone to commit suicide (I heard these exist).

Quote: "I hate it when physicians patronize us." I also hate it.

Quote: "Here's a hug and I'll be thinking of you." Thanks for your kindness and your advice.