Man Flu is real, says new study

[das_nut]

I can't say I have any social network at all. Being self-sufficient means if something really serious happens I have to deal with it on my own, without help. Which means I can't waste time writhing around and crying if I get hurt or ill. And I've always had animals who have to be cared for, so I can't lie in bed and be catered to, because there's no one there to cater to me, and no one there to care for those dependent upon me.

Aren't those animals part of your social network? Nobody ever said your social network has to be human.

 

[mlp]

I was just thinking the same things as PickleJuice and das_nut just posted.

I too don't have the luxury of being able to give in to pain, but my animals are also my social network.

 

[mlp]

If I benefit from their companionship, that is only a side effect to the real reason why they live with me.

But that doesn't make the benefit any less real, does it?

Sure, the people describing the benefit of a social network with respect to pain management/tolerance were almost certainly thinking of human social networks, because most people don't even think of social networks involving both humans and non-humans. That doesn't mean the latter don't have the same or similar benefits. After all, not all human social networks have the same characteristics either.

 

[ledboots]

Personally, as a nurse who has had patients with chronic and acute pain. Cancer patients, kidney stone, post-ops, laboring women. I don't see a big difference gender-wise. It is individual, everyone is so different. There are some interesting studies on pain thresholds and perceptions in males v females. Some varied results. *Any natural redheads, read the first link--very interesting stuff about opioids and anesthesia in redheads.*

" Jeffrey Mogil, Ph.D., is professor of pain studies at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He explains that while not all studies have found sex differences, those which have all point in the same direction that contradicts conventional wisdom. "Females are more sensitive to pain, less tolerant and more able to discriminate different levels of pain than males," he says. This is true in studies of both humans and animals.

Women are also much more likely to suffer from chronic pain conditions than men. Researchers originally suspected that this was primarily due to the fact that they are more likely to seek medical care in general. But while women do indeed seek more care, they're also genuinely more likely to develop painful conditions like fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and migraines. For example, 80 to 90 percent of people with fibromyalgia are women, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

Pregnancy actually is the exception to the rule. While pregnant, women do become progressively less sensitive to pain as they get closer to giving birth. Natural painkillers like endorphins are elevated during pregnancy and labor, helping fight pain." (Continues here)
http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/do-women-have-a-higher-pain-threshold-1

Yet this one says:

”The socialization of gender further muddies the waters. How do society’s expectations influence the way experimental subjects report pain?“This question is really key,” admits Graham. “Boys typically learn that they are expected to be tough and not complain about pain.

One study, conducted by researchers at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, found that men reported less pain in the presence of a female experimenter than they did in the presence of a male.

”But the most confounding problem may be the complex nature of pain itself.“Pain is inherently subjective,” says Graham. “We typically rely on self-report to know if someone is experiencing it.” And it’s tough to determine how much of pain is sensory and how much is influenced by psychological factors, she adds. “The limbic system of the brain, which is related to emotion, is typically active in response to physical pain for both men and women. In fact, looking at functional MRI, it can be difficult to distinguish psychological pain—such as that caused by social exclusion—from pain that is purely physical.

”Sociocultural and psychological influences seem to have a greater impact than any inherent biological factor, believes Graham. Pain lights up our nerves and our brains in ways that are more alike than different. “Overall, I think it’s important to know that men and women respond similarly to pain at a biological level.”How much it hurts may depend upon who’s asking.—Alexa StevensonJennifer Graham, Ph. D. http://www.rps.psu.edu/probing/painthreshold.html

 

[mlp]

I think it's all so subjective also. I've always been flummoxed by the "On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is your pain?" question. The worst pain I've ever experienced was a chemical burn that burned a large hole through my retina. If that was a 10, everything else I've experienced has been a 2 or 3 at most, including fractures. OTOH, I also suspect that pain exists that makes a burned cornea seem like a walk in the park.

So, absent some mechanism that actually tests pain, how can one actually compare between individuals?

 

[ledboots]

I think it's all so subjective also. I've always been flummoxed by the "On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is your pain?" question. The worst pain I've ever experienced was a chemical burn that burned a large hole through my retina. If that was a 10, everything else I've experienced has been a 2 or 3 at most, including fractures. OTOH, I also suspect that pain exists that makes a burned cornea seem like a walk in the park.

So, absent some mechanism that actually tests pain, how can one actually compare between individuals?

At this point, we go by self-reporting in the patient. There are often physical signs like increased blood pressure, but again, it is so individual. For non-verbal patients like newborns, there is a scale we use. Points are given for facial expression, body position, crying, etc. Similar to the newborn opioid withdrawal scale.

Btw, I think a retina burn is an 11 on a 10 scale.

 

[das_nut]

At this point, we go by self-reporting in the patient. There are often physical signs like increased blood pressure, but again, it is so individual.

Seems like the patient is in the best position to report if pain management is working for them.

 

[Skylark]

I've seen reports that women are less likely to seek medical attention for heart attacks because they "don't want to bother anyone" on the idea that women's needs are whims to be brushed aside. *shrug* Hell if I know who really has it worse.

 

[ledboots]

I've seen reports that women are less likely to seek medical attention for heart attacks because they "don't want to bother anyone" on the idea that women's needs are whims to be brushed aside. *shrug* Hell if I know who really has it worse.

Women also often don't have the classic heart attack symptoms. Instead of chest pain radiating down the left arm, women might have nausea and vomiting, pain in the upper left back, and a feeling of doom.

Emergency personnel are less likely to suspect heart attack in women, too, so they sometimes can be *unnecessarily* missed.

 

[KLS52]

There's a great video circulating about a woman having a heart attack. Very informative and entertaining. I'll try and get the link but my phone is being bad.

Got it.

 

[RabbitLuvr]

Women also often don't have the classic heart attack symptoms. Instead of chest pain radiating down the left arm, women might have nausea and vomiting, pain in the upper left back, and a feeling of doom.

Emergency personnel are less likely to suspect heart attack in women, too, so they sometimes can be *unnecessarily* missed.

My husband's grandmother was out working in her yard one day, felt nauseous and went inside to lie down for awhile. She felt better later, and finished up her yard work. About a week after that she went to the doctor for something else, and was told that bit of nausea had been a heart attack. So no, she certainly didn't want to bother anyone about a bit of nausea that went away after an hour or so, but she didn't know it was a heart attack and wouldn't have reported it as such.

 

[beancounter]

Women also often don't have the classic heart attack symptoms. Instead of chest pain radiating down the left arm, women might have nausea and vomiting, pain in the upper left back, and a feeling of doom.

Emergency personnel are less likely to suspect heart attack in women, too, so they sometimes can be *unnecessarily* missed.

Do men ever experience pain in the upper left back as a symptom?

I told my doctor about it, and he asked me if I experienced dizzyness and/or shortness of breath when the pain occured. I said no, and he blew it off. For all I know, I could be having mini heart attacks.

 

[ledboots]

Do men ever experience pain in the upper left back as a symptom?

I told my doctor about it, and he asked me if I experienced dizzyness and/or shortness of breath when the pain occured. I said no, and he blew it off. For all I know, I could be having mini heart attacks.

Yes, but men usually have some classic cardiac symptoms, too.

Where exactly is the pain and can you describe it? Usually cardiac back pain is left of center, between the scapula (sticking out wing bone) and the spine. It is often described as a searing pain that makes you try to catch your breath. If there is no nausea, dizziness, or feeling of doom accompanying it, it is probably just a muscle pull or gas. If you are under 40 and a non-smoker vegetarian and otherwise in good health, your doctor is rightfully not worried about your probably very strong heart.

 

[mlp]

Seems like the patient is in the best position to report if pain management is working for them.

Of course, but what ledboots was responding to was my question as to how we could ever realistically compare the levels of pain two individuals are experiencing, when that basically becomes a matter of self reporting, which is so very subjective.

 

[beancounter]

Yes, but men usually have some classic cardiac symptoms, too.

Where exactly is the pain and can you describe it? Usually cardiac back pain is left of center, between the scapula (sticking out wing bone) and the spine. It is often described as a searing pain that makes you try to catch your breath. If there is no nausea, dizziness, or feeling of doom accompanying it, it is probably just a muscle pull or gas. If you are under 40 and a non-smoker vegetarian and otherwise in good health, your doctor is rightfully not worried about your probably very strong heart.

Thanks LB,

Unfortuntely, I'm over 40, and I have "high" cholesterol (in the low 200's).

The pain is below my left shoulderblade, not in-between it and the spine. so, I guess I'm good.

That doctor has got me parnoid. Any tinge of pain anywhere near the typical "warning spots" get's me feeling a sense of doom.

It was weird, when I first started seeing this doctor, he wanted to put me on Lipitor right away. I pushed back, and within a year and a half of six month follow-ups, he decides that I'm low risk and just wants me to lower my Trigylcerids and excerise on a regular basis.

 

[ledboots]

Thanks LB,

Unfortuntely, I'm over 40, and I have "high" cholesterol (in the low 200's).

The pain is below my left shoulderblade, not in-between it and the spine. so, I guess I'm good.

That doctor has got me parnoid. Any tinge of pain anywhere near the typical "warning spots" get's me feeling a sense of doom.

It was weird, when I first started seeing this doctor, he wanted to put me on Lipitor right away. I pushed back, and within a year and a half of six month follow-ups, he decides that I'm low risk and just wants me to lower my Trigylcerids and excerise on a regular basis.

Well, vegetarians are lower risk, and he probably won't push the meds unless your labs get worse. HFCS is bad for ↑ triglycerides.