High pain tolerance

[Sass]

Does anyone else have a high tolerance for physical pain? I dislocated my rib on Tuesday (or almost did, it was sticking out anyway), and while it was uncomfortable and sore, I don't know that I really understood how bad it was. Well, I say bad, it's not an emergency, but my doctor prescribed me some pretty strong painkillers and wants me to get x-rays :/

I seem to underestimate the severity of injuries etc all the time, and I *think* it's because I just don't feel it as intensely.

 

[Sully]

I thought about this recently, because people told me they couldn't understand why I wouldn't take painkillers for an injury (ruptured L5-S1), but it's difficult to know how other people experience pain. How can one be sure their pain tolerance is different than someone else? Even when two people have seemingly similar injuries there are so many unseen variables that could affect the actual amount of pain being experienced. I'm trying to think of experiments that can be done to test these things, but they might not get past an ethics review board.

 

[Sass]

I thought about this recently, because people told me they couldn't understand why I wouldn't take painkillers for an injury (ruptured L5-S1), but it's difficult to know how other people experience pain. How can one be sure their pain tolerance is different than someone else? Even when two people have seemingly similar injuries there are so many unseen variables that could affect the actual amount of pain being experienced. I'm trying to think of experiments that can be done to test these things, but they might not get past an ethics review board.

See I kinda thought that too. But if that's the case, I wonder why my GP worries more about pain levels than he does about the actual injury and how much damage it has done, regardless of pain or the lack of it.

It's all a bit fascinating really.

 

[watersprite]

It is fascinating I agree. Both myself and my daughter have a pretty high pain tolerance.

 

[Cosmophylla]

It depends on the type of pain or its cause. When I was young, light touch was painful. As I've aged I've found tolerance levels seem to differ under different circumstances. Maybe learning about deep relaxation, mindfulness, and pain has helped. Especially knowing that our minds lose focus on pain when we are distracted.

My son has odd sensitivities as well. Mixed pain thresholds, and mixed temperature thresholds. He lacerated his foot, nearly tore two toes off (don't remember the term for dislocation with laceration...), when he was five, but he was so stoic about it. Yet, he is completely over the top about other very mild pains if there is any kind of anxiety involved in the situation... Anticipation of pain makes the actual sensation far worse.

 

[FreeDiver]

I've always wondered if I have a high pain tolerance myself. Because injuries that would put every body else out of commission would, to me, just be a minor inconvenience. Doctors as well as my dentist would ask me all the time if I felt anything and wondered of I had nerve damage, because pain that I would perceive as minor, the doctor said would send all other patents screaming.

 

[Cosmophylla]

This topic reminds me of a story my husband told me about his younger days. When he was about 20 he was on his skateboard and had been drinking. His board went off the footpath into the gutter and he fell on his shoulder. It hurt but not too much, apparently. It was only the next day his dad convinced him to go have it checked out. Turned out he had broken his collarbone. Of course, because he delayed so long in having it attended to, he now has permanent problems with that shoulder and can't lie on that side for long.

 

[Astroganga]

Yes, I have been told by medical professionals that I have a ridiculously high pain threshold. Once ended up in hospital on a drip with a severe kidney infection, and was lucky to not end up with permanent lowered kidney function, or even failure. I should have been in agony but wasn't in any pain at all-just felt slightly odd and dizzy. Another time I had quinsy, that was pretty painful but the pain would have been much worse for a normal person. I also never experienced unmanageable pain during giving birth, for me it is the pressure feeling that is bad.

 

[Cosmophylla]

I also never experienced unmanageable pain during giving birth, for me it is the pressure feeling that is bad.

Lucky you! My first time was terrible because I wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared... I had to be induced because of preeclampsia, and I was terrified. The invasive stuff I had to endure just compounded the fear and the pain of the contractions without the natural oxytocin I should have been producing during a natural birth was incredible. I didn't last long before I was close to blacking out from the pain, and I'd only dilated 2cm at that point! Goes to show how horrible syntocinon is.

My second birth I had to have an emergency caesarean, again for preeclampsia. They were in more of a hurry the second time around, so no messing around with induction. I would have lost it with them if they had tried that trick again, anyway. No way was I going to let them stick a giant crochet hook there again.

Ah sorry, distracted by telling birth stories... I meant to say that my point is that mental preparation and understanding of relaxation techniques makes a big difference in pain intensity.

 

[EricD]

I have an astronomical pain tolerance. After my gallbladder surgery, I was hitting drivers a month to the hour of my operation. I was very sore the day I got home from the hospital, but had to do laundry. The only thing that bothers me are migraines.

 

[Phillip Cowdrey]

I suffer with kidney stones and have always been told I have an amazing tolerance to pain.Last winter I snapped my wrist the doctor was so surprised that I'd put up with it for 5 hours before I went to hospital that he got other doctors to come and see me.They could not understand why I was laughing and did not seem to be in pain.I was it hurt a lot but not as bad as the kidney stones so I just put up with it.I was out hiking in the summer and broke my foot.I walked four two hours to get to help and the hospital had me checked for brittle bones but found nothing.They said what I'd done was impossible but what was I supposed to do wait for help in the middle of nowhere!

 

[Phillip Cowdrey]

Lucky you! My first time was terrible because I wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared... I had to be induced because of preeclampsia, and I was terrified. The invasive stuff I had to endure just compounded the fear and the pain of the contractions without the natural oxytocin I should have been producing during a natural birth was incredible. I didn't last long before I was close to blacking out from the pain, and I'd only dilated 2cm at that point! Goes to show how horrible syntocinon is.

My second birth I had to have an emergency caesarean, again for preeclampsia. They were in more of a hurry the second time around, so no messing around with induction. I would have lost it with them if they had tried that trick again, anyway. No way was I going to let them stick a giant crochet hook there again.

Ah sorry, distracted by telling birth stories... I meant to say that my point is that mental preparation and understanding of relaxation techniques makes a big difference in pain intensity.

I agree mental preparation makes a big difference.I hope you and your babies are well and understand because my wife went through the same thing it's very frightening and out of your control.Id have taken her pain in a heartbeat if I could have done.

 

[Astroganga]

Lucky you! My first time was terrible because I wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared... I had to be induced because of preeclampsia, and I was terrified. The invasive stuff I had to endure just compounded the fear and the pain of the contractions without the natural oxytocin I should have been producing during a natural birth was incredible. I didn't last long before I was close to blacking out from the pain, and I'd only dilated 2cm at that point! Goes to show how horrible syntocinon is.

My second birth I had to have an emergency caesarean, again for preeclampsia. They were in more of a hurry the second time around, so no messing around with induction. I would have lost it with them if they had tried that trick again, anyway. No way was I going to let them stick a giant crochet hook there again.

Ah sorry, distracted by telling birth stories... I meant to say that my point is that mental preparation and understanding of relaxation techniques makes a big difference in pain intensity.

With my eldest I had an awful time as well, I wasn't induced but they felt things were taking 'too long' so they put me on a hormone drip anyway-then, they also gave me a heavy dose of Valium in the early stages of labour to 'help me sleep', the 'helping me sleep' part wore off and I ended up in a confused fog for most of the labour and consequently can only remember bits of it, they did some pretty brutal things to me without my consent (won't go into details as it is horrible) and would not give my son to me for almost two hours because of their 1950s-style hospital policies. With some of my others things didn't go according to plan either though thankfully I have never had to have a c-section or forceps, I am not sure how I would have coped with either of those as I have a phobia of surgery. Xx

 

[Suzanne]

I seem to be able to cope with pain, rather than not feel pain, as in the way you describe it.

Due to medical negligence, I am stuck with a fissure ( tear in my bottom) and not a day goes by when I do not go into pain mode as I brace myself for torture; sometimes I cry with sheer relief, for the lack of pain and sometimes I reason that yes, it was painful, but it has been worse and when it is bad, I say out loud: pain is supposed to hurt.

When I went seaching this online, I was surprised to find that most people refuse to even go to the toilet, due to the pain and have to have help with going, so I say rather bemusedly that it must make me one brave woman to go!

I used to get blinding headaches, due to being on prozac and my pain levels were extremely low. But now when I get headaches, I can deal with them, for I say: I had the worst, so this is easy to cope with.

I suffer from a huge hiatus hernia and GERD and despite taking meds for it, I still suffer from acid and find that pretty intolerable to deal with.

I do regular arm exercises with 1kg weights and have done something to one of my arms and out of no where, last week, in the middle of the afternoon, I had the most excruiating ache, which made me feel physically sick! In comparions to the acid, that was far worse for me and made me cry.

 

[clg114]

I seem to have a high tolerance for pain also. I my younger days, I lived a high risk life style and this was made possible because crashing just did not bother me that much. I was active in moto-cross and snowmobile racing. If it would have hurt more, I would not have kept doing it. Does anyone know if this is a Aspie thing?

 

[qwerty]

i deal with chronic pain syndrome from a motorcycle accident when i was about 15. i have learned some mindfulness techniques and stuff to cope with it but it drives me nuts sometimes, when you experience ongoing extreme continual pain everything else is more of a distraction than a pain. i don't know if it's a high pain threshold or just being constantly exposed normalises other pain somehow.

 

[watersprite]

I seem to have a high tolerance for pain also. I my younger days, I lived a high risk life style and this was made possible because crashing just did not bother me that much. I was active in moto-cross and snowmobile racing. If it would have hurt more, I would not have kept doing it. Does anyone know if this is a Aspie thing?

My neuropsych told me it can be a feature of being on the spectrum.

(Cool you did motocross clg114 . My family all ride/rode enduros & motocross.)

 

[Judge]

One thing I keep thinking about with regards to this thread.

The difference between experiencing a great deal of pain, and actually tolerating it. Such as being able to sustain agony for a great deal of time versus passing out.

I have a very low threshold of pain, however somehow I can always sustain it. Even for a long time.

Addentum: Sometimes I think this is more indicative of masochism. I just take it. Why?

 

[On the Inside]

I do, and that has been corroborated by doctors and surgeons who bandaged me up or put me back together after my many injuries. I've broken several bones, had numerous dislocations, and a couple severe lacerations, and only once did I succumb to the siren song of prescription pain killers. I rarely use over the counter pain relief.

Like Qwerty said, mindfulness.

I do find it interesting to hear of how annoyed Aspies can get from other sensations, though, I know I have some, so what's going on here?

 

[Tom]

When I accidently hit my thumb with a hammer I would say no, I do not have a high pain tolerance.