cool !

I'll take any remote possibility of finding a cure/quality help for rsd !

The article mentions migraine sufferers tend to have a low pain threshold. I think I do to. I think a lot of people might be reluctant to say the same. I know I used to misunderstand the concept and think low pain tolerance/threshold meant people who whine about minor things like a paper cut or "I have my period, I'm DYING" type of thing. I think most of us like to think we are pretty stoic, and don't complain unless it's severe. It was probably into my nursing career that I came to understand that some people are just more sensitive to pain. Two people could have the exact same injury and one has worse pain than the other.......not that they complain more, they really feel more pain.

To give some examples........Several times growing up I sprained my ankle and was 100% sure when I had it xrayed it would show a break. I was astonished it could hurt that bad and NOT be broken. I think I have a low pain threshold. My oldest son fx'd his wrist once.....and we didn't take him to the doctor for a few days because he didn't complain. When we took him, of course it was broken and the doc casting it was shocked he wasn't in pain and it started to set wrong. Another time he hurt his foot by stepping on a toothpick. He pulled it out himself but it got infected. We were doing foot soaks several times a day and he had 3 courses of antibx, including treatment for mrsa over the course of a few months. He walked to the busstop each day (6/10ths of a mile each way), road his bike, did sports, etc. Occassionally mentioned it 'bothered' him, but mostly just when I was squeezing the pus out. Several months later, I was squeezing and 3/4's of a toothpick came flying out. Yup, gross. Younger son almost puked.

I've done little science experiments with this too. I use 2 leads on my tens unit and I can feel the zap much lower than he can. He just doesn't feel it at all on lower settings. I crank it up and my arm is jumping and he just says "Oh yeah, I can feel it now......"

I'm not saying I think I'm a wimp. I think I've only called my pain a 10 out of 10 about 3 times in my 6 year rsd battle. I want to be clear, saying you have a low pain tolerance does not imply we complain too much or exagerrate the level of our pain or 'milk' it.



Anyone else feel like they might have a lower pain tolerance than most ?