Sensitivity

[cjsmith]

I had an interesting moment of "What? You mean some people DON'T?" this weekend.

[Poll #1308075]

My answer to both of these is "Duh! Doesn't EVERYBODY?" (In the case of mosquitos, how else do you know to swat them?) These are not small sensations for me. They are obvious and can be startling. Last weekend I learned that there are people for whom this is not the case. I was pretty surprised.

At the vet clinic, it's obvious that some animals feel the needles while others do not. That also seems very strange to me.

Comments

[platypus]

I said always for the blood draw needle, but I did once have a phlebotomist who was so talented I'm not sure I felt anything. I very rarely feel pain when I have my blood drawn; just a little tweak. When I donate blood, though, it's much more painful, and it takes them all day to poke at my vein. As a result, I'm quite fond of phlebotomists, and always cheerfully thank them for their help.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I once didn't feel a needle for a contrast injection during an MRI. I was STUNNED.

[eveningscribe.livejournal.com]

Ditto on blood draws, and in the last few years I've enjoyed talented phlebotomists and even one of my doctors who were able to give me injectons where I wasn't aware of anything. There's apparently a technique that involves lightly pinching/pulling the skin upwards near the insertion site that confuses the nerve cells in the whole area, resulting in almost no sensation at all.

As a small child I had to be held down by four male nurses to get an I.V. in.

[eveningscribe.livejournal.com]

Oh, and as a data check, I'm female, half Hispanic, and have a testosterone imbalance: too much.

[aelfie.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who fought off adults to get a needle near me. It once took 3 adults (female) to hold me down long enough for the doctor to give me a shot in the sole of my foot, and then to burn off the wart.

Not fun for anyone.