Pain Post By: Cesar A. Euribe, MD

Why do some people feel pain differently?

PAIN

     Pain is an act of believe. No one will ever know the truth, all we can do is believe in you when you say I am in pain.  We cannot see pain, we cannot measure pain, we only know about pain itself because of our own experiences with it.  How we feel pain, how strong it is for us, how much we can take of it,  are all unique characteristics specific to each person.

     Pain perception is not just mediated by injury or potential damage. It is very influenced by genetics, social and emotional factors. The reason why we use a 0 to 10 scale to judge pain is because a pain level of a 5 for myself might only be a 2 for you, or a 9 for someone else.

GENETICS

What we would call protoplasm, some people appear to tolerate pain more than others and vice versa. Two siblings with same injury will feel different intensity of pain.

UPBRINGING

Some children raised in very protective environment versus very stoic will react and behave differently towards their pain.

EMOTIONS

We all experience headaches and we don’t make much of one, BUT a common headache becomes overbearing for a patient with a brain tumor because a simple headache will be linked to the tumor by the patient.

We are all so different.

Cesar A. Euribe, MD

Fibromyalgia

 Where does my pain come from?

One of the many topics patients ask me about is Fibromyalgia.   I thought I would write this to help answer any questions our patients, or future patients may have.   Fibromyalgia affects at least 2% of the population in the United States and it continues to be poorly understood. It is characterized by widespread pain and a multitude of symptoms that include fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, sleep disturbances and mood disorders among others. The theory behind this syndrome is that the nervous systems in unable to regulate the pain signals and that it’s highly sensitive to the painful stimuli vs. non-fibromyalgia patients.

Current treatments focus on multi-disciplinary care involving the use of aerobic exercise, nutrition, antiepileptic medication, antidepressants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication, modalities such as a massage, heat, ice, acupuncture, biofeedback, cognitive behavioral therapy among others.  Low dose naltrexone has been used in research and in clinical practice to reduce inflammation in fibromyalgia patients. Intravenous micronutrient infusion has also been utilized in patients with fibromyalgia with promise in the management of fibromyalgia symptoms.

           In my experience, one of the frustrations of fibromyalgia patients is the feeling that others don’t understand the pain they experience daily. Hopefully, increasing awareness and with more public figures identifying themselves as suffering from fibromyalgia, this will further research efforts and bring forth more knowledge about this medical condition and treatments.

Melissa Alvarez Perez, MD

Mark your calendars for On Top of the World Communities’ 16th Annual Health and Wellness expo on Saturday, January 13, 2018 from 10 am to 2 pm at the Circle Square Cultural Center. 

Come find our booth. We will have a physician there to answer any question as well as a few treats for stopping by. 

Attend this FREE expo and see what CFPM has to offer for all patients in pain!

16th Annual Health & Wellness Expo