High tolerance for pain.....I'll never understand it

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Last summer I had elbow fixed......bad case of tennis elbow with the structures ripping away from the bone. That first day after surgery I wanted to saw my arm off, it hurt so bad. I lived on Vicodin for about a week.

Last week my MIL had the same kind of repair done on her rotator cuff, along with the removal of a spur. She took two doses of Vicodin and that was only because the PACU nurse told me to medicate her around the clock for the first 24 to make sure the pain stayed under control. When it was time for the third dose (same day of surgery, mind you!) her pain was at a 0/10. The PACU called the next day to check on her and couldn't believe she was already pain free!

My grandmother is like this and I wanna know how women like that do it!! She had a colon resection, ovaries and uterus removed, insides scraped of remaining cancer- was cut from her pubis to her ribcage and stitched like a football... Then 2 days later had a clot in her leg surgically removed- a nice 8" incision there. Pain meds? Nope. Didn't need them after the first day of surgery!

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I used to work with a tech who didn't understand why many women scream and moan and cry when in the throes of labor. All three of her kids caused no more than minor (her word) cramps.

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Specializes in Day Surgery/Infusion/ED.

my grandfather had the same surgery and told the nurse the same day he did not need any more meds.!!! she was floored, then he preceded to tell of all of the pain he went through in wwii and then she said o.k. you are the boss!! ;)

all righty then! ;)

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