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Fibromyalgia
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Posted 9/16/2011 1:18 PM (GMT 0)

Since those of use who suffer from fibro, have nerves that are more sensitive than those who do not suffer from this annoying and sometimes debilitating dis-ease: what is the difference in pain from, let's say a broken bone, a scrape on the skin, or post-operation pain?????? shocked  Would  we feel this "bona fide" pain even more?

Post Edited (tair) : 9/16/2011 7:23:21 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/16/2011 2:44 PM (GMT 0)
Tair, that is a great question. I believe we all percieve pain differantly. There is no way of actually measuring pain, it is subjective.

If I stub my toe, I don't believe I hurt anymore now than what I did prior to fibro. I do think if you have other physical things going on such as colds, flu. migraines an operation...your body is more stressed and that could lead to a flare. Just my opinion :)

Hugs, Robin
Posted 9/16/2011 5:39 PM (GMT 0)
I know I've had major surgery since fibro and I actually did better, pain-wise, then people without fibro!  I have no idea why.  But, day to day living can be very painful.  We just don't have the answers yet, but I think we are on our way!

 

Sherrine

Posted 9/16/2011 6:59 PM (GMT 0)
I'm the same as Sherrine. I don't feel pain from surgery as much either than a non-fibromite. In fact, I just had hand surgery 2 months ago and the pain wasn't bad at all but from what I read online about this surgery, that it can be very painful.

However, I believe I have had fibro for 17 years (just recently diagnosed) and about 11 years ago, I broke my big toe in two places. Now THAT was excruciatingly painful but I imagine that any broken bone hurts no matter what condition you have! lol :)
Posted 9/16/2011 7:25 PM (GMT 0)
I just had surgery to lift my bladder and I had no pain from the surgery but I had to take pain shots while in the hospital because I was so stiff and sore from laying in bed. I went home 4 days after the surgery and felt great.
Posted 9/16/2011 7:58 PM (GMT 0)
I went to an educational seminar led by Dan Clauw, a well-respected fibromyalgia researcher. He explained this in a way I had never considered before. He said that you can think of people as having two pain thresholds - a neurologic pain threshold (how much your nerves respond to pain) and a psychologic pain threshold (how well you are able to withstand pain). He said that people with fibromyalgia have a low neurologic pain threshold - their nerves are overactive and respond with pain signals to lots of stimuli. But he also said that people with fibromyalgia often have a higher psycholgic pain threshold - they are better able to deal with pain. So I think those two things together control our response to pain.

I'm not sure if there has been good research on if our overactive nerves send more pain signals, or if they send stronger pain signals, or both. It seems to me from my own experience that my body sends MORE pain signals - soreness from exercise that should be slight discomfort becomes actual pain - but not necessarily more intense pain signals. I recently injured my head and hand, and that pain wasn't that bad, and the ER nurse actually said I seemed to have a high pain tolerance. Not what I expected to hear as a fibromite!
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