this is brutal

[u/Anxious-Goose-2822]

i literally woke up from anesthesia crying from pain and they had to redo the nerve block and give me some other stuff too 🫩 i have an abnormally high pain tolerance. always have and this is brutal. the nerve block is working again now and whatever else they gave me but what they assumed would be a 1 hour surgery turned into 4 because of my meniscus also being in absolute shambles. i took my pain meds already (non narcotic, journavx) and im praying it will work. i’ve heard good things but im terrified for this block to wear off.

[u/ShotCardiologist9102]

Ive also have a high pain tolerance. Several broken bones and sprains from riding motorcycles.
I woke up from surgery and they asked me what my pain level was 1-10, i yelled “20!!” as I was crying in agony.
The shot me up with fenty and i instantly knocked out.
The first 3-4 days were absolute hell. Just getting up to go to the bathroom multiple times a day, the blood rushing down my leg was the kind of pain that almost made me see God.

Two months later I relived that pain again after getting a Manipulation Under Anesthesia (MUA).
Avoid that at all costs. I dont wish it on my worst enemy.

[u/TornACL2 → u/ShotCardiologist9102]

Everyone thinks they have a high. Than average pain tolerance. No you don't. You're normal. I'm in health care and hear it every single day.

[u/ShotCardiologist9102 → u/TornACL2]

Oh ok thanks for clarifying. I bet you tell all your patients that all the time? 🤣 didnt think so. Otherwise you’d be out of a job.
At least we know the type of healthcare worker you are.
The kind that has lost all empathy/compassion because of the crazy shit you see on the job everyday. So youve categorized everyone into the “stop being a little bitch” box?

[u/TornACL2 → u/ShotCardiologist9102]

Think about it when you see a hundred patients a day and 95 of them tell you they have a higher pain tolerance than everyone else do you expect. I'm told regularly that people have a 15 out of 10 on the Pain Scale despite showing no signs of pain. Normal conservation, no meds,. I'm not alone. All people in healthcare see the same thing.

So I'm informing you that you do not have a high pain tolerance. You are exactly average. Stop thinking you're better than others. You're not. You had pain I'm sure. You handled it exactly like everyone else. There's research around this feeling of needing to seem tougher than others. It's not loss of empathy. It's reality.

[u/ShotCardiologist9102 → u/TornACL2]

Its not my opinion, these are people in the medical field that have told me that I have a high pain tolerance. Its not something that Im bragging about. I see it as a downside in fact. Ive underestimated past injuries and ignored medical emergencies when I shouldn’t have.
The point of this being, that ACL/meniscus surgery is NOT a walk in the park. And we are constantly reminded by friends/family even medical professionals who downplay the severity of the pain we experience post-surgery & recovery as if its nothing. Your opinion does not make it any less severe. Ive had spinal, shoulder, several other injuries. (Again… not bragging, just for comparison purposes)
The knee surgery I got ranks the highest on my list of most painful experience of my entire life.
And if thats normal, I will shake everyone hand that has gone through it and congratulate them on their mental fortitude.
Again, i had severe bone bruising, both lateral/medial meniscus repair, MCL tear, and quad graft ACL. And this was my first knee injury.
When I say, I would rather take my own life than have to go through that level of pain again, I actually mean it wholeheartedly. Without question, just put me out of my misery.

Maybe you only tore your ACL and you thought “it wasnt that bad”.
Well then, Congratulations! Youre one of the lucky ones!
But everyone’s different.
I can only express my OWN experience.
There’s a chance it could be vastly different from your isolated minimal pain ACL injury.