PAIN AS THERAPY

[MR. Macabre 666]

I'm writing this in order to find out if anyone else has ever experienced something similar, or has ever even heard of it? I'm talking about nerve pain disappearing for as long as 3 or 4 days after being tattooed. I've been getting tattooed for over 20 years, and in the last 4 or 5 years now, every time I have more work done, the nerve pain in my feet and legs disappears. It's fucking awesome.

I can walk like a normal person at the store immediately afterwards, and it can last as long as 4 days before it comes back. When it does come back, and it always does, it's really bad. So why is this happening? I've talked to my doctors, even my neurologist, and they've never heard of this happening before.
Our son has tried to do some research on this, and has come up empty.

I have Idiopathic Poly Neuropathy in my feet and legs. I've had every test my doctors can think of to determine the cause of the nerve pain, and everything looks normal(except for me). Whenever I'm being tattooed, I can literally feel the pain in my feet draining away after about an hour. The arthritis pain in my knees and hips stays pretty much the same, it's just the nerve pain that's affected.

I haven't had any work done for a while, but I'm going back in jan. or feb. for more ink, and I'm looking forward to it. Being tattooed is definitely painful, and some areas are a lot worse than others, but I've never had any problems dealing with it. I think it might be the adrenaline reacting to the tattoo pain, and for whatever reason, it causes the nerve pain to disappear, or it takes it with it temporarily. 

All I know is that I'm grateful for even the temporary relief, I'll take anything I can get at this point in my life.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

"Pain is nature's way of telling you you ain't dead yet."

Not all that comforting.

[arewethereyet]

I hadn't really thought about it, but I had a lot of work done while dealing with nerve pain after my mastectomies. Though the work was on my lower leg...the whole thing...I had some relief but figured I was just focused on the tattoo soreness for a while. It happened after each of the sessions to get the piece done.

[Foxaèr]

I vaguely remember a scene from some movie. About someone who had, let's say foot pain. Another person broke the individual's finger and then said something to the effect of no longer having to worry about the foot pain.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I'm writing this in order to find out if anyone else has ever experienced something similar, or has ever even heard of it? I'm talking about nerve pain disappearing for as long as 3 or 4 days after being tattooed. I've been getting tattooed for over 20 years, and in the last 4 or 5 years now, every time I have more work done, the nerve pain in my feet and legs disappears. It's fucking awesome.

I can walk like a normal person at the store immediately afterwards, and it can last as long as 4 days before it comes back. When it does come back, and it always does, it's really bad. So why is this happening? I've talked to my doctors, even my neurologist, and they've never heard of this happening before.
Our son has tried to do some research on this, and has come up empty.

I have Idiopathic Poly Neuropathy in my feet and legs. I've had every test my doctors can think of to determine the cause of the nerve pain, and everything looks normal(except for me). Whenever I'm being tattooed, I can literally feel the pain in my feet draining away after about an hour. The arthritis pain in my knees and hips stays pretty much the same, it's just the nerve pain that's affected.

I haven't had any work done for a while, but I'm going back in jan. or feb. for more ink, and I'm looking forward to it. Being tattooed is definitely painful, and some areas are a lot worse than others, but I've never had any problems dealing with it. I think it might be the adrenaline reacting to the tattoo pain, and for whatever reason, it causes the nerve pain to disappear, or it takes it with it temporarily. 

All I know is that I'm grateful for even the temporary relief, I'll take anything I can get at this point in my life.

I haven’t had ink done in close to 30 years, so I can’t speak it directly, but, based on what you describe, it sounds like acupuncture might be worth looking into.

Boru

[brewer]

My guess (and only a guess) is that the pain/tactile sensation from tattooing is inhibiting the neuropathic pain transmission. Only so many pain nerve signals can be transmitted at a time and or sensorial signals override the pain signals. It's why when you rub an area after a pain inducing trauma (i.e. a slap, a punch) the pain seems to lessen. Tactile nerve transmission are overriding some of the pain transmission. That would explain the relatively short duration of relief from the neuropathic pain that you experience. 

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/gate-...y-of-pain/

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I vaguely remember a scene from some movie. About someone who had, let's say foot pain. Another person broke the individual's finger and then said something to the effect of no longer having to worry about the foot pain.

That wasn't therapy, that was dickishness. Very popular in Balboa Naval Hospital in the late '60s-early 70s.

[MR. Macabre 666]

I hadn't really thought about it, but I had a lot of work done while dealing with nerve pain after my mastectomies.  Though the work was on my lower leg...the whole thing...I had some relief but figured I was just focused on the tattoo soreness for a while.  It happened after each of the sessions to get the piece done.

It doesn't seem to matter where the work is being done, I still get some temporary relief of the nerve pain.

[MR. Macabre 666]

I'm writing this in order to find out if anyone else has ever experienced something similar, or has ever even heard of it? I'm talking about nerve pain disappearing for as long as 3 or 4 days after being tattooed. I've been getting tattooed for over 20 years, and in the last 4 or 5 years now, every time I have more work done, the nerve pain in my feet and legs disappears. It's fucking awesome.

I can walk like a normal person at the store immediately afterwards, and it can last as long as 4 days before it comes back. When it does come back, and it always does, it's really bad. So why is this happening? I've talked to my doctors, even my neurologist, and they've never heard of this happening before.
Our son has tried to do some research on this, and has come up empty.

I have Idiopathic Poly Neuropathy in my feet and legs. I've had every test my doctors can think of to determine the cause of the nerve pain, and everything looks normal(except for me). Whenever I'm being tattooed, I can literally feel the pain in my feet draining away after about an hour. The arthritis pain in my knees and hips stays pretty much the same, it's just the nerve pain that's affected.

I haven't had any work done for a while, but I'm going back in jan. or feb. for more ink, and I'm looking forward to it. Being tattooed is definitely painful, and some areas are a lot worse than others, but I've never had any problems dealing with it. I think it might be the adrenaline reacting to the tattoo pain, and for whatever reason, it causes the nerve pain to disappear, or it takes it with it temporarily. 

All I know is that I'm grateful for even the temporary relief, I'll take anything I can get at this point in my life.

I haven’t had ink done in close to 30 years, so I can’t speak it directly, but, based on what you describe, it sounds like acupuncture might be worth looking into.

Boru

I've talked to my GP about that a few times over the years, but he says the results would be temporary at best. If I'm going to be stabbed by a needle, and it's going to cost us money, I'll pick tattoo work. At least I get to keep the ink.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I haven’t had ink done in close to 30 years, so I can’t speak it directly, but, based on what you describe, it sounds like acupuncture might be worth looking into.

Boru

I've talked to my GP about that a few times over the years, but he says the results would be temporary at best. If I'm going to be stabbed by a needle, and it's going to cost us money, I'll pick tattoo work. At least I get to keep the ink.

And the pain relief you get from tattooing is temporary. It's also a damned sight cheaper than getting inked.

Boru