Thread by @Retlouping

PAIN thread

I have had a bloody miserable day. I am not after sympathy, but I think my pain experience is important to share

This morning I burnt the palm of my left hand, the index and third finger tips. The pain was so intense I nearly passed out.

Something bizarre occurred.

The pain in my two fingers was throbbing and burning so badly I would rate it as 10/10 and maybe higher , if the scale went there, that’s the problem with 10 on a scale that only goes to 10 😊

I managed to find some anti-inflammatory meds & took four, over 20 minutes,no relief.

Then the bizarre thing happened (ps despite me chanting it’s only the brain warning of potential danger “bollocks”) I placed my hand under a cold running tap and the pain stopped, zero, nada, nil.
I did this for 5 minutes. Then took my hand out and thought, wow!
F**k me was....

The next uttering out of my mouth as pain surged back into my hand and fingers like a hot iron burning my hand all over again, the pain was 12/10 and I began to sweat, I immediatly put my hand under the tap, voila the pain stopped. I filled a large bowl with cold water and sat...

Dipping my hand in and out, no pain. But as soon as I left the hand out for a few minutes the horrendous surge of burning pain returned. I went to the freezer too grab some ice, it didn’t help, but touching the freezer inside stopped the pain immediatly.

I guess my body was gaining the pain, it could not be downward endogenous modulation because it didn’t last once I removed the stimulus. Every time I put my hand in cold water the pain instantly stopped, every time I took it out within minutes pain surged back worse to begin with

I went for a hot shower, i nearly died (slight exaggeration but it was bloody painful, the hot water intensified the pain). I ate lunch dipping my left hand in and out of a bowl of cold water. I decided to drive to the pharmacy for some painkillers. On the way if I placed my hand

In the stream of the air conditioner the pain would stop, but again rage back shortly after. Yep PAIN and our bran and nervous systems are bizarre. I had my usual bizarre experience in the french pharmacy, not like the US, the pharmacist controls the drugs,I asked for paracetamol

Why she asked, long story short I did get paracetamol and I did not by the natural cream for burns 😂 It’s about 6 hours since I burnt myself and my pain is manageable and I don’t need to put my hand in cold water. My fingers and palm are swollen and blistered. Apparently

My brain has decided the danger is over.
What have I learnt:
1. PAIN is bizarre.
2. Do not judge anyone who says they have 12/10 pain it is a valid indicator of distress and discomfort
3. A simple stimulus can switch off intense pain, via stimulating the nervous system.

4. What happened to the danger messages whilst my hand was in cold water? Some sort of neural inhibiiion gaiting, non endorphins response.
5. You can understand pain as much as you like, it DOES NOT switch off pain.
6. Simple stuff can modulate intense pain.

7. Nocicpetion sucks, & if you override the impulses (cold water stimulus) when nociception resumes service it comes back like a hot burning express train.
8.PAIN no matter what you think you know, there is always more.

9. I AM INTOLERANT TO PAIN. Anyone saying otherwise WHY?

As always thanks for reading. At this moment I have a mild 1/10 resting pain.

Pps sometime damage does equal pain but it can be much more intense pain if you burn the crap out of your nerve endings 😂

@threadreaderapp unroll please