This is the reason why it's important to test fire a gun before you buy it, especially a light revolver.
Have no fear OP, while the 9mm LCRs are nice and cool in some ways (ammo cost), a good .38 LCR is going to be fantastic for defense and with less recoil. They've got some GREAT .38 special +P defense loads out now like the awesome Speer Gold Dot .38 special +P 135 grain Short Barrel (what a mouthful!) ammo that is just the cats meow when fired from a short ~2" snub barrel. It gets about 13" penetration in calibrated FBI ballistics gel test with 4 layers of heavy denim, and typically expands to over .55 caliber. It does all of this with very manageable recoil and very little muzzle flash... I should know, it's my main carry load for my EDC which is a S&W 642 and I've fired quite a bit of it.
.38 special ammo is a bit more expensive than 9mm, but if you shop around (use the internet) you can get really nice deals on good .38 special ammo for not too much more money. Try ammoseek.com.
If using the gun for the defending of the self or the others, today's .38 special +P loads are just everything you could ask for in a small snub revolver. No 9mm, or for that matter .357 magnum, needed. If you think the 9mm recoil is bad, shoot a .357 LCR with warm magnums and get back to us. The great thing about the .38 special snubs are that recoil is manageable with practice, and still effective. The .38 special LCR is also well known to handle recoil very nicely. If I were you, that's what I'd do OP- trade in that 9mm for a .38 special LCR. Your 9mm LCR should sell easily, I'd use Gun Broker or a similar website so you don't get screwed by a pawn shop or LGS. You might also want to actually buy a .357 LCR and just use .38 specials for defense. The LCR .357 is the same weight as your 9mm LCR, and if you stick to .38 special you'll have even less recoil. If you want the lighter LCR .38, I think it should still recoil less than the 9mm LCR though so up to you.
I think you'll find that the .38 LCR is just what you need. Whatever you decide, good luck friend!
!