[AussieDebbie]

Hi friends,

I'd like to here your thoughts on an idea that has been on my mind the past few days. Being that my Docs and specialists are yet to find a cause for my pain, I'm clutching at straws.

I recently remembered that as a young girl, (40 years ago), I spent many hours climbing onto a back yard shed, via a fence, only to jump off it. I was practicing to be Supergirl. This went on for years. In addition, I was doing gymnastics, so my feet took quite the pounding. Each time I jumped off the shed the landing hurt my feet. I remember the pain was very much like what I feel today, a strong stinging sensation. It used to really hurt, but a few minutes later I'd recover and climb up again. No, I was not insane. Just so desperately wanted to be Supergirl.

I'm wondering if I injured my feet so badly back then, the damage remaining hidden until recently. Do you think this is possible, or is 40 years too long?

[mrsD]

It is possible. My left foot has never been normal after the surgery I had to remove a bleeding tumor from my instep.

Much damage was done back then (50+yrs). My foot was numb for many years, but is not any longer... The lymphatic drainage was messed up, and so it swells sometimes.

People vary in how much fibrosis they make from damage. High fibrosis makers will entrap nerves I think.
Like some people make cheloid scars and others don't. I see that question on doctor's intake questionaires sometimes.

[beatle]

I've often wondered this about emotional trauma and if an amount of stress in some individuals could contribute to an assult to the peripheral nervous system similar to how it is known to affect the heart, blood pressure, etc.

[H1N1Guy]

Originally Posted by beatle

I've often wondered this about emotional trauma and if an amount of stress in some individuals could contribute to an assult to the peripheral nervous system similar to how it is known to affect the heart, blood pressure, etc.

The mind and body are intricately connected. I know that when I stress myself and worry that I certainly can make it worse. I've been doing a great deal of research on the topic as of late.

[Susanne C.]

There has been a fair amount of research showing a positive correlation between childhood abuse and chronic pain. Not sure about chronic illnesses like neuropathy, but perhaps our pain threshold is affected? I was physically and emotionally abused as a child. I used to have a very high pain threshold, natural child births, lots of hideous dental and ear infections, sciatica, spinal arthritis. Never needed pain medicine until the past four or five years as the hereditary neuropathy escalated. Now I wonder how the younger me would react to the pain I am still in, even with morphine, Gabapentin, and Baclofen.

Have I become a wimp or is it this bad? Pain is so subjective it drives me crazy.

[AussieDebbie]

Thank you all for your thought-provocking responses. It really does make me consider the possibility of physical as well as emotional abuse as children, manifesting itself as illness later in life.