I had trouble using the pain scale to communicate with my nurses when I was in labor, because while the pain was close to the worst I'd ever experienced, they asked me to use a scale where 10 was the worst pain I could IMAGINE. I'm a writer. I can imagine quite a bit.

When I went to the ER with my kidney stones, I initially told them that my pain was a 7. Which resulted in a four-hour wait before I saw a doctor. I've since learned to adjust my scale to other people's standards. In subsequent visits, I told them it was a 9, since I wasn't screaming in agony out loud.

connie, I bet he reacts like I do to the question "Is the pain bearable?"

He just laughs sadly. And I tell the story of the time he smashed his ankle when landing badly as a smoke jumper into a forest fire, and he simply cinched his bootlaces down tight and fought the fire for three days. Some people have hysterics at paper cuts. Some people ignore multiple fractures.

Some people have hysterics at paper cuts. Some people ignore multiple fractures.

Totally different kind of pain!

(Not that your husband isn't bad assed. of course!)

My Mom's pain tolerance is absurd. Whenever she's admitted to the hospital I take pains to point that out (in front of her) to the powers that be.

"If she asks for pain meds please bring them right away -- once she asks she's needed them for about four hours. If she asks for Tylenol suggest Demerol."

(She doesn't like to be fuzzy-headed. And I respect this. But when she's stuck in a hospital bed anway we do our best to talk her into it.)

Totally different kind of pain!

I don't envy them their pain receptors, believe me. I prefer the moderately numb receptors that let you ignore most everything.

I have been lucky in the pain department and my only ratings are "Ouch!" and "!@#!$#"

My sister, a math professor, sent me this:

I had one of my cheating calculus students -- the one who was providing the answers -- tell me that “Her boyfriend said that that wasn’t really cheating and since she did the work I should count the exam.” She then held the exam out for me. I didn’t even need to touch it.

connie, I bet he reacts like I do to the question "Is the pain bearable?"

yep. When I was in the hospital, they kept asking me if I needed pain meds, and I kept saying no. The nurse finally said "I think that we're not communicating. I'm not asking if the pain is bearable, I want to know if you're in any pain at all" I said "of course, I just had surgery. Surgery hurts" and that point, she practically forced some superadvil down my throat. I pretty much didn't take anything for pain, except when I took the vicodin so I wouldn't try to move around in my sleep.

connie, I bet he reacts like I do to the question "Is the pain bearable?"

Dude. If I'm not in hysterics, of course the pain is bearable. Bad question.

Sparky, I'm too tired. For a second I thought your sister was a meth professor.

I have never told them it's 10, and I hope never to. There's more pain out there than what I've had--I need to believe that.

I think my Mother feels the same.

As far as childbirth... she says it hurt but a) the pain came and went; b) she knew why she had it; c) she knew it would be going away -- so to her it wasn't "that bad".