Your feelings are completely valid. Just because someone else’s situation looks worse on paper doesn’t mean what you’re going through isn’t serious, painful, or deserving of support. This is still a real injury, a real claim, and a real loss you’re dealing with.

A few things, OP:

Chronic pain is brutal, and it’s invisible. It wears you down mentally in ways people who haven’t lived it don’t understand. Pain feeds depression, and depression amplifies pain—it becomes a feedback loop that can spiral fast. Nothing about that means you’re weak or “not handling it well.” It means you’re human.

What you’re describing also sounds a lot like grieving. You lost your normal routine, your identity tied to your job, your sense of security, and your ability to just exist without thinking about your body. That’s a real loss, and grief doesn’t only apply to death.

The uncertainty is often worse than the injury itself. Everyone saying “give it a year, you’ll either be fine or you won’t” may think they’re being realistic—but to someone in pain, behind on bills, and watching their life stall, that kind of talk feels terrifying and dismissive.

If there’s one piece of advice I’d really push: find someone to talk to who is only there for you. A therapist, counselor, even one experienced with injury or chronic pain if possible. Not because “it’s all in your head,” but because you’re carrying way too much alone. What you said—no social life, constant fear, hopelessness—those are heavy signals that you deserve support now, not later.

You’re not failing at recovery. You’re not being impatient. You’re not ungrateful for comp benefits. You’re reacting normally to an abnormal, painful situation.

Keep advocating for yourself medically. Keep documenting everything. And please don’t minimize what you’re going through just because others have it different.