I, like most people with a Chronic Pain Condition, have been having a lot of trouble trying to explain to people just how bad RSD pain is and that it is the highest pain known according to the McGill Pain Scale. Because people can't physically see pain, they can only see the side-effects of pain, they don't truly understand just how bad it is. I usually get a lot of comments off people such as "It can't be that bad", "But you look so well!!" etc.
When I saw my Pain Management Doctor just over a week ago, he asked me how bad my pain was, I told him that it was really high and that it was an 8 on a pain scale of 0-10 (0 being no pain, 10 being the worst pain imaginable). My Pain Doctor then said something to my mum that I find REALLY true. He said, "When you hit yourself with an hammer what do you do"? My mum replied "Well I jump, scream and cry!", My PM Doctor then said "Well imagine having that sort of pain but worse and it doesn't go away, what do you think you would do?", my mum then replied "Well .... I would probably get used to the pain and it wouldn't seem quite as bad", My PM Doctor then said "Exacly, the pain that Alison (me) is in is that bad and has been there for so long that her body has kind of got used to it and that it just seems normal to her", he then went on to explain that it is physically impossible to jump, scream, shout, cry and yell because of pain and that after so long your tolerance to pain gets better.
What my Doctor said really made sense to me and my mum found it useful also. My mums been telling everyone that doesn't understand RSD the way my Doctor explained it and most people have said "Oh Yes, That makes sense, I never thought of it like that!!"
From now on, whenever someone doesn't understand what RSD is like, I am going to explain to them what my Doctor said.
Will it help make them understand? I don't know but i'm on a mission!!....
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