"So how did you go with labour?"

That was a loaded question from the doctor who had just cut a couple of tiny moles (or dark spots or whatever they were) out of my back. I had exclaimed and winced a few times because, frankly, the local anaesthetic bloody stung. Three times! (She did one area twice - probably after I jumped when I could actually feel stinging when she put a couple of stitches in the first one.)

"Well.. um... I had gas at the end for two of them... what? are you saying that I'm a wuss?"

"Oh.. you just seemed a bit... sensitive..."

Pain. It's such a subjective thing isn't it? And I had decided long ago that comparing birth stories in the context of pain control and heroics was totally inappropriate because everyone's pain experience and tolerance is so subjective.

With me, my pain tolerance is also an inconsistent thing. Yes I did last through three longish labours without epidurals or pethidine.. (But the one where I lost the baby at 19 weeks - and was induced - I was all for as much pethidine as they'd give me.) When I was stitched up one adrenalin-drained hour after the not-even-any-gas birth of #3 I was going through the roof and the bastard doctor that did it was extremely disparaging of my pain tolerance.

Who is he or anyone to gauge what pain level anyone is experiencing during labour (and the aftermath..) ?

I will push through a fair bit of muscular pain with the bike riding, yet I'm the first to throw back paracetemol - (plus codeine) - with headaches, and any pains that might threaten to nag indefinitely. And I'll sure as hell go *OUCH* and *OW* when someone sticks a needle in me somewhere and then squirts that wretched stingy stuff into me!

And let's not even talk about local anaesthetics in your gums.

Anyway - in the context of yesterday - well, I never knew it was all meant to be some sort of Stoicness contest.

But I spent the rest of yesterday (and today still!) a bit miffed at the insinuation that I was hyper-sensitive. Then I googled 'pain'and 'sensitive' and found one study had found that women with low estrogen were more susceptible to pain.

Bingo.

I'm 45. I'm heading into Menopause-Land, and I've actually been diagnosed with low estrogen levels. And when I checked the calendar this morning I realised that I could/should be premenstrual as well.

So all in all this doctor yesterday was lucky I didn't snap her head off as well. And given the two hacked bits on my back are nigglingly sore today, she's lucky she won't cross paths with me today.

Maybe I have to accept that at times I'm just a sensitive flower. But if you call me that this week I might just jump through your monitor and rip yer bloody arms off.

Labels: grrrrr