Three weeks ago I fell and smashed the head of my humerus - 4 separate breaks, one clean through at base of head. Blooming nuisance.
The weird thing is that people keep telling me it’s a very painful injury. Well, yes it has been painful, more achy really after the first few days, but RA pain is worse, so I’m not finding it too difficult to cope with.
Anybody else find that their pain threshold is higher than expected?
Poor you xx I have it in writing that I have a higher pain threshold! I just had wrist surgery done and the consultant said now you'll feel this bit ...no?? Or this when I pull this ..no? She said gosh your brave and have a high pain threshold and put it in my follow up letter 😆 Ra ...hurts!
Yes absolutely. I had two microdiscectimies last year and used next to no patient controlled analgesia for either...I just wasn't in much pain. After 24 hrs the PCA was removed and I had no painkillers at all other than a codeine at bedtime, and I didn't really need that, but it helped me sleep.I had a wisdom tooth extracted under local anaesthetic during the pandemic, the root of the tooth was cracked along the entire length, my dentist commented 'has this tooth not been agony ?', and made a comment about women tolerating pain more than men. Eh no, I live with pain every day and just cope with it better than I did pre RA. The body is an amazing thing.
I'm glad to hear that your fracture is not causing too much pain. You must be healing well. We probably have a certain amount of pain tolerance because, having to deal with it so often, we maybe learn to tune some of it out.
I hope all goes well and your arm will be back to normal before too long.
Glad to hear you aren’t in too much pain and you are managing after your awful accident. . Are they going to operate or are you ok as you are?I’d say I’ve got quite a high pain threshold too although my inflammatory arthritis only dated back to about 2015 so I’ve not had a life of pain like a lot os RA sufferers.
Thanks. The surgeon gave me the option of an operation but with a warning of the high risk of infection and minimal difference in outcome. Given that I pick up infections very easily, I decided on natural healing.
Sounds like a good surgeon and a wise decision. I remember saying to a physio that I thought my wrist would have bern better if they had operated and put a plate in but she said definitely not because I would end up with scar tissue which wouldn’t have helped.
I was told once by a doctor that RA patients always have a high pain threshold. I guess it's having to live with it daily. 🤷 Don't know whether that's a good or a bad thing?
I have had several fractures over the years (usually doing something like falling down a mountain, or most recently, getting my feet tangled up while dancing). I think that they are far less painful than Rheumatoid Disease pain. And yet they are quite happy to give me opiates for a fracture...but reluctant for Rheumatoid Disease. I suppose it might be due to the long term risk of addiction, but I think it is the medical (and lay) perception that fractures are painful but you are just making a lot of fuss over Rheumatoid pain.
I agree. I don’t think the medical profession in general have a clue about the pain caused by RA.There was a student doctor in A&E, who asked me about the pain from the breaks. I told him I have RA and have suffered much worse, he looked sceptical, so I tried to explain the pain of inner multiple joint RA inflammation - like being tortured by having hot pokers inserted into many joints that are at the same time prising the joints apart… He said that’s a description that will stay with him.
I did take the offered opiates when they were talking about manipulating the bones - but wished I hadn’t when it proved un-necessary.
I totally agree with oldtimer 2 fractures and torn tendons aren’t a problem to get pain relief prescribed but RA pain you have to beg. I did my begging on Tuesday and managed to persuade the doc they were necessary but then again he had to help me get out of the seat and open the door because it was too much for me so didn’t have to fight this time. I didn’t require painkillers for an ACL injury or a fractured collarbone and never have injections for fillings etc at the dentists I know my pain threshold is very high so if I tell docs I’m in pain then I really am. Even steroid injections in the joints aren’t too bad make me wince a bit but don’t make me shout with the exception of in the neck that one hurt haha.
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