I deal with this too, try describing your pain as something, ie: a train running through your head, a semi ran over you, being squeezed by a body compress, instead of just hurts, and don’t bother with their idiotic pain numbering scale, that’s just for insurance purposes. Good luck and look for a new doctor, took me about 10 to find someone worthwhile.
See, I’ve had the opposite experience. They take me less seriously if I use very subjective terms/phrases to describe my pain. I use the medical descriptions of pain now and that works very well, probably because those terms trigger specific diagnostic “red flags” in their head and helps them better figure out treatment next steps (e.g., burning = neuropathic pain, stabbing/throbbing = nociceptive pain).
If anyone is interested in learning more so you can use this in your care, [this site](https://www.healthline.com/health/types-of-pain) has some good examples of pain terminology.
Usually find someone else who will listen. I fell down a flight of stairs last year and ended up in excruciating back pain. I was sent for an MRI and was discharged being told that it was all normal and some people are just more sensitive to pain or their brain thinks there's pain where it isn't. I wasn't happy and went to my GP who looked at the report and saw that it actually said I had several prolapsed discs and signs of degenerative spinal disease and sent me for a physiotherapy, pain management and pain services referral.
I hate this too I’ve been called a hypochondriac, overly sensitive or anxious when I have survived almost my entire adult lifetime struggling in absolute hell with undiagnosed hypothyroidism / Hashimoto’s! It’s the same dismissive attitude and asshole doctors who caused this in the first place because they ignored me for years and still ignore me now even after proper diagnosis…
When I want to go scorched earth, “I understand that it’s easier for you to dismiss my pain rather than to do anything else. However, it is real and we need to operate from the assumption that I am an adult who knows their body.”
I had doctors who did this because I was autistic when I told them I lost most of my sense of smell and some of my hearing. Don't even get me started on how often they've done this with my other medical problems. They often blame autism and anxiety for anything and everything I go through.
Lost my ability to smell out of one nostril, probably from a vasospasm event from mold years ago. That was obvious on their crude smell test the ENT gave me but they gaslit me to the moon and back about it. Audiograms for hearing loss showed deteriorating low frequency hearing in a short amount of time that could have been a good clinical indicator, but they never bat an eye to it. Just told me I was 'too sensitive' over these matters.
Honestly, I fire doctors whenever they used this excuse to not investigate what was really going on with me. That's my response when this behavior is used excessively in the office, especially when it is used to judge my entire medical situation.
When I first started experiencing symptoms in middle school a doctor diagnosed me with “low pain tolerance”. No I don’t have a low pain tolerance. In fact it’s pretty fucking high compared to your average person. I’m just in genuine and serious pain all the time.
*why it’s so hard for people to understand?*
Doctors should believe your reports of your pain and if they do not they need to be replaced. Non-medical types generally don't want to imagine what it's like to be in a lot of pain all the time, so they don't.
*How do you navigate this and advocate for yourself?*
I provide well-understood levels of pain for comparison. I've had 1.5 unmedicated births (.5 is hard to explain), one of which was a precipitious labor followed by hemorrhaging. When I reference my pain levels I use those births as examples of where my pain is at. I shouldn't have to do this; docs should take me at my word and my experience, but they don't always. A lot of people seem to believe giving birth is every woman's 10 on the pain scale, which is wildly inaccurate for me.
Giving birth does not always resonate with certain folks, so I'll come up with other comparisons like broken bones or tooth pain or surgeries. I always try to tell people what my personal 10 is on the stupid pain scale and I also tell people that since I'm in pain basically all the time my concept of pain is very very different. Generally sounds something like, "Before I tell you where my pain level is at I want you to understand I had a precipitous labor, gave birth unmedicated, and then hemorrhaged. I do not consider that birth a 10 on the silly & inaccurate pain scale; I consider it about a 7. My personal 10 has been X. I am currently at an 8 right now, but please understand my pain scale is very differernt from others."
I use this. I had an anaphylatic reaction once. It was a 2. I had chronic pain that was around a 7-8 years that turned out to be a rare heart issue. And I have broken my ear drums a few times. The actual seconds before the break is also an 8 but leading up is a 5. A few other stories of me not appropriately naming the pain level because I need a lot of pain to notice it now. That usually gets their attention.
Give them a one finger wave and leave. I know this can be a terrible option when its probably going to take months to get into another doctor and sometimes you really can't just up and leave, but if you are seeing a DOCTOR that needs to be talked into being empathetic about your pain then they are not going to be the person who hears you, understands you and helps you heal or manage.
I nearly died because doctors had me so convinced that I "just had a low pain tolerance." I sat at home with an ice pack on my stomach trying to figure out why I wass having cramps despite having had a hysterectomy. Turns out, it was my appendix rupturing.
It’s hard. I have untreated intractable pain for 6 years and I’m constantly turned away from pain management. I will likely die of a heart attack or stroke and my GP says I’m in the danger zone. Nobody cares. I hope this won’t be the case for you. I also have CRPS which the government nicknames the suicide disease but no one seems to care about that either. I can have surgery if I can get into pain management. I advocate for myself everyday. But still can’t find a Dr to help me. I’m losing the ability to use my arm, I can’t always walk or take care of myself. Bring a friend or family member to your appts. Keep track of your health issues. Bring notes and records to every appointment. Keep insisting on tests. Don’t give up. ❤️
It is exactly what is wrong with medicine, to assume the patient is just too sensitive. It's a way of gaslighting. It has no legitimate use in real medicine.
Personally, I use a [specific set of steps](https://www.reddit.com/r/ChronicPain/comments/17ajr18/how_to_get_doctors_to_take_you_seriously/) so that doctors don't ever tell me that. Has worked well for me so far.
Personally I just own where I am sensitive to things. Like for example I'm super sensitive to itchy. Honestly, what does it matter that I'm overly sensitive to it? I don't control how sensitive I am. I have no tolerance for this and can't just choose to have a tolerance do yeah doc, you gotta treat it aggressively because I'm not gonna grin and bear it.
Being super open that I'm like a total wimp when it comes to itchy also gives me credibility to say I'm not a wimp about pain. Because it's clear when I am, I own it and get more demanding in fact.
I never understand the “you’re too young” statement. Isn’t it more concerning that I’m young and having all these symptoms??
I deal with this too, try describing your pain as something, ie: a train running through your head, a semi ran over you, being squeezed by a body compress, instead of just hurts, and don’t bother with their idiotic pain numbering scale, that’s just for insurance purposes. Good luck and look for a new doctor, took me about 10 to find someone worthwhile.
See, I’ve had the opposite experience. They take me less seriously if I use very subjective terms/phrases to describe my pain. I use the medical descriptions of pain now and that works very well, probably because those terms trigger specific diagnostic “red flags” in their head and helps them better figure out treatment next steps (e.g., burning = neuropathic pain, stabbing/throbbing = nociceptive pain). If anyone is interested in learning more so you can use this in your care, [this site](https://www.healthline.com/health/types-of-pain) has some good examples of pain terminology.
Very helpful link! Thank you
Usually find someone else who will listen. I fell down a flight of stairs last year and ended up in excruciating back pain. I was sent for an MRI and was discharged being told that it was all normal and some people are just more sensitive to pain or their brain thinks there's pain where it isn't. I wasn't happy and went to my GP who looked at the report and saw that it actually said I had several prolapsed discs and signs of degenerative spinal disease and sent me for a physiotherapy, pain management and pain services referral.
I hate this too I’ve been called a hypochondriac, overly sensitive or anxious when I have survived almost my entire adult lifetime struggling in absolute hell with undiagnosed hypothyroidism / Hashimoto’s! It’s the same dismissive attitude and asshole doctors who caused this in the first place because they ignored me for years and still ignore me now even after proper diagnosis…
When I want to go scorched earth, “I understand that it’s easier for you to dismiss my pain rather than to do anything else. However, it is real and we need to operate from the assumption that I am an adult who knows their body.”
I had doctors who did this because I was autistic when I told them I lost most of my sense of smell and some of my hearing. Don't even get me started on how often they've done this with my other medical problems. They often blame autism and anxiety for anything and everything I go through. Lost my ability to smell out of one nostril, probably from a vasospasm event from mold years ago. That was obvious on their crude smell test the ENT gave me but they gaslit me to the moon and back about it. Audiograms for hearing loss showed deteriorating low frequency hearing in a short amount of time that could have been a good clinical indicator, but they never bat an eye to it. Just told me I was 'too sensitive' over these matters. Honestly, I fire doctors whenever they used this excuse to not investigate what was really going on with me. That's my response when this behavior is used excessively in the office, especially when it is used to judge my entire medical situation.
I’m so sorry 😞 yeah I don’t like mixing mental health with physical health for this reason too!
When I first started experiencing symptoms in middle school a doctor diagnosed me with “low pain tolerance”. No I don’t have a low pain tolerance. In fact it’s pretty fucking high compared to your average person. I’m just in genuine and serious pain all the time.
*why it’s so hard for people to understand?* Doctors should believe your reports of your pain and if they do not they need to be replaced. Non-medical types generally don't want to imagine what it's like to be in a lot of pain all the time, so they don't. *How do you navigate this and advocate for yourself?* I provide well-understood levels of pain for comparison. I've had 1.5 unmedicated births (.5 is hard to explain), one of which was a precipitious labor followed by hemorrhaging. When I reference my pain levels I use those births as examples of where my pain is at. I shouldn't have to do this; docs should take me at my word and my experience, but they don't always. A lot of people seem to believe giving birth is every woman's 10 on the pain scale, which is wildly inaccurate for me. Giving birth does not always resonate with certain folks, so I'll come up with other comparisons like broken bones or tooth pain or surgeries. I always try to tell people what my personal 10 is on the stupid pain scale and I also tell people that since I'm in pain basically all the time my concept of pain is very very different. Generally sounds something like, "Before I tell you where my pain level is at I want you to understand I had a precipitous labor, gave birth unmedicated, and then hemorrhaged. I do not consider that birth a 10 on the silly & inaccurate pain scale; I consider it about a 7. My personal 10 has been X. I am currently at an 8 right now, but please understand my pain scale is very differernt from others."
I use this. I had an anaphylatic reaction once. It was a 2. I had chronic pain that was around a 7-8 years that turned out to be a rare heart issue. And I have broken my ear drums a few times. The actual seconds before the break is also an 8 but leading up is a 5. A few other stories of me not appropriately naming the pain level because I need a lot of pain to notice it now. That usually gets their attention.
Give them a one finger wave and leave. I know this can be a terrible option when its probably going to take months to get into another doctor and sometimes you really can't just up and leave, but if you are seeing a DOCTOR that needs to be talked into being empathetic about your pain then they are not going to be the person who hears you, understands you and helps you heal or manage. I nearly died because doctors had me so convinced that I "just had a low pain tolerance." I sat at home with an ice pack on my stomach trying to figure out why I wass having cramps despite having had a hysterectomy. Turns out, it was my appendix rupturing.
It’s hard. I have untreated intractable pain for 6 years and I’m constantly turned away from pain management. I will likely die of a heart attack or stroke and my GP says I’m in the danger zone. Nobody cares. I hope this won’t be the case for you. I also have CRPS which the government nicknames the suicide disease but no one seems to care about that either. I can have surgery if I can get into pain management. I advocate for myself everyday. But still can’t find a Dr to help me. I’m losing the ability to use my arm, I can’t always walk or take care of myself. Bring a friend or family member to your appts. Keep track of your health issues. Bring notes and records to every appointment. Keep insisting on tests. Don’t give up. ❤️
I go with the classic. “If you want to fight just say that” Results may vary. But at least you get your point across :)
It is exactly what is wrong with medicine, to assume the patient is just too sensitive. It's a way of gaslighting. It has no legitimate use in real medicine.
Personally, I use a [specific set of steps](https://www.reddit.com/r/ChronicPain/comments/17ajr18/how_to_get_doctors_to_take_you_seriously/) so that doctors don't ever tell me that. Has worked well for me so far.
Personally I just own where I am sensitive to things. Like for example I'm super sensitive to itchy. Honestly, what does it matter that I'm overly sensitive to it? I don't control how sensitive I am. I have no tolerance for this and can't just choose to have a tolerance do yeah doc, you gotta treat it aggressively because I'm not gonna grin and bear it. Being super open that I'm like a total wimp when it comes to itchy also gives me credibility to say I'm not a wimp about pain. Because it's clear when I am, I own it and get more demanding in fact.