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Pain
Neco:
regarding men not going to the doctor, or not reporting things to their doctors. Those opinions are things I have read in various studies of chronic conditions over the years.
I have plenty of anecdotal evidence to support that conclusion myself, but then thats the crux of the matters. Its all anecdotal unless there is a serious study that is very thorough, published in a peer reviewed medical journal.
The two chronic conditions I have are both dominated by female sufferers. I kind of find that hard to believe. It also comes down to social development and cultural implications, how a person was raised to cope, etc..
As per your examples. That sounds like typical whiny girl shit. They either voice it to you because they are just being whiney, or they maybe think you care or something like that. I get random aches and pains all the time, but I almost never say anything to anyone, unless its like a really bad headache interferring with some work, or a conversation or something.
Those are all every day aches and pains.
But I must rebut the whole baby crying thing.
You absolutely, cannot understand the amount of pain someone else feels, or how they feel it. It is physically impossible. Just like when people get together and ask dumb questions like "what does an orgasm feel like for a girl/guy?" etc.. The other person/gender can't possibly know that kind of thing. Pain is a deeply rooted personal response to negative stimuli. As individuals we all cope with it differently, across what is probably an average range of coping ability.
A baby might cry, but they cry for numerous reasons. Firstly its the only way they know how to vocalize to get the attention of their parents. But they may need to be changed, or they may be cranky for no reason, or maybe they are hungry? But even for pain in particular, you cannot know how another person feels when they are in pain. You can only know that they are IN pain. There is a big difference.
One of the conditions I suffer from is a severe form of Restless Legs Syndrome ( Refractory RLS - 24/7 almost always treated with strong opiates). Its the butt of a lot of stupid jokes, but its a neurological condition with genetic factors also playing a part. However, the one thing every RLS sufferer I come across agrees upon is this -
Nobody can understand our pain, not even other RLS sufferers. Because we all interpret pain differently. Some people feel like their muscles are ripping apart or knotting up, others feel burning sensations, others feel like electricity or soda bubbles are running through their arms or legs (it is not exclusive to the legs) , and some people just simply feel pain.
The closest thing we will ever have to allowing one person to understand the suffering of another, outside of virtual physical simulation, is the Pain Scale. There are all kinds of pain scales but the one I have in mind is the 1 to 10 chart you would see in a Hospital room or something. When someone says "I feel like a 7" its pretty easy to understand they hurt a hell of a lot.. But thats as close as we can ever come, really.
edit: Just to add on to that. You can guage someones pain by the intensity and tone of their vocalizations (e.g screaming in agony) but again all you can understand is that someone is IN pain, and that it is very severe. You still have no idea what that feels like for them.
kurandoinu:
Fellow Restless Leg Syndrome sufferer here. Mines gotten milder lately, suffered pretty badly with it last year and trying to explain to my boyfriend what was up was always a hard one as its not something I can really describe. He does now know that if I start pulling funny faces and wiggling my legs about a lot that its kicked in again and I'm probably gonna be cranky.
AceHigh:
Life is pain....
damn, that guy is the coolest one of the goth kids. ;D
furuoshiki:
--- Quote from: AceHigh on December 03, 2009, 04:37:09 AM ---Life is pain....
damn, that guy is the coolest one of the goth kids. ;D
--- End quote ---
Ace- Iori Yagami????
FohFoh- Yes Fibromyalgia sounds very familiar. I think mostly females have that. I don't know any males with it. Maybe it could be that, sub-clinical version?
Neco- While I understand what females do whine and nag more than males, these particular females whine not about boyfriends or gossip, they are whining constantly about being in pain. Perhaps what FohFoh suggested is the case. Maybe they have some sub-clinical illness that is causing this.
Neco:
--- Quote from: kurandoinu on December 02, 2009, 10:03:28 PM ---Fellow Restless Leg Syndrome sufferer here. Mines gotten milder lately, suffered pretty badly with it last year and trying to explain to my boyfriend what was up was always a hard one as its not something I can really describe. He does now know that if I start pulling funny faces and wiggling my legs about a lot that its kicked in again and I'm probably gonna be cranky.
--- End quote ---
Go figure, everywhere else on the Internet the first response is always a joke or someone saying they heard it was made up to sell pills. Ah well..
I'll tell you what though, keep a good doctor in reserve and pray it does not progress fastly. Getting the -proper- medication can be a pain in the ass. I've heard from several people who have been called drug seekers and even one person who spent the night in jail for "doctor shopping" just because they were trying to find a doctor who would prescribe them painkillers.
Pain is obscenely undertreated in this country largely thanks to the D.E.A and FDA instilling the fear of GOD into doctors who want to keep their licenses. I got really lucky.. my doctor (was) a great guy and I'm glad I got the chance to straighten out my meds before he passed away. I about freaked out until I was reassured the clinic would continue seeing me and prescribing my Methadone.
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