Sense of Pain

Do you feel that being in constant pain in a way can skew how you perceive your pain after a while?

Its hard for me to think of a way to ask the question, let me explain how it happens to me...

I will hurt and hurt and hurt. And some days it is worse than others. MOST of the time I would like to think that I know when it is a bad, high level of pain, but I push through for various reasons (work, baby, etc..) So I am suffering through and finally bite the bullet and go in because my meds are maxed out for days and get my favorite migraine med (toradol ) and once the relief hits me I think to myself "THAT WAS AWFUL YOU SHOULD HAVE COME IN DAYS AGO!!"

It seems like I am stuck waiting for it to get to that awful level, and am not realizing I am already at that point... until I see the difference when I get the relief.

You can also just tell me to go to bed already, if I am over-thinking this.. it is past my self proclaimed bedtime haha.

Insight welcome

Probably not the same way you are thinking of it, but in comparing pain..... I've had a severe tooth abscess as well as a kidney stone and the pain of either couldn't hold a candle to some of my migraines. When I went to the ER for the kidney stone, the doctor and nurses were surprised that I had a stone. They said normally people with a kidney stone are bent over, sweating, and throwing up in pain. I mean, it hurt, don't get me wrong, but the worst of my migraines are way more painful and incessant.

What an interesting post BabySeal.
Unfortunately at the moment I am too distracted to answer you intelligently and in a deserving fashion. I am just back home after Xmas and have several urgent jobs to tackle.

The complexities of tackling chronic pain are grossly underestimated, especially by our doctors.

Mye pet hate is that favourite of all our pain, and other, doctors when the first thing they do is shoot this one:
"On the 1-10 scale what is your pain level".

They have no idea, do they?
I want to scream at them: "It depends! It depends! It depends on so many other things dear doctor!".

Pain is a complex issue. Chronic pain is a physical and psychological minefield to describe to anyone, unless they live it themselves.

WE are so often de-senstised to our own pain as a self-preservation measure, in order to survive! WE often underestimate our own levels of pain.

I think that all migraine neurologist should have to prove that they have been suffering from migraine at some time before they are allowed to treat us.
But of course if they did, it is unlikely that they could manage to survive in such a demanding job. We know how many succesful l carrers have been ruined by incessant pain.

Sorry, if all this is does not make much sense, or does if it does not reply to exactly to the points raised, but issues of chronic pain affects us in so many different ways.

BTW today mine is at about level 3 (I think?), not too bad, but a distraction all the same as it makes me tired and sleepy and inefficient as well. And now I must get down to all the business of tackling all the tasks which are waiting for me.

I draw a complete blank when I am asked the 1 to 10 pain scale question! I absolutely despise it. Your post made perfect sense Mini, you got it written out a lot better better than I did... so I thank you You took the post right from my thoughts

I know what you are saying. I live in varying degrees of pain every day and spend so much time pushing through it that, yeah, when it dawns on you how much pain you are in and living with, you can hardly believe it! I hope that made sense..I'm in a Zomig/Xanax/zero-sleep daze right now... really bad migraines past week or so..,