My physical therapist kept asking “Does anything hurt?” It was a good question, but I had no idea how to answer.
I felt pain that I knew was pain, and then I felt other pain that wasn’t real. It wasn’t in my head, exactly. It was more like my foot had fallen asleep, but instead of pins and needles, it hurt. And that spot on my leg. And my shoulder.
I have had so much pain for so many years, I’m good at ignoring it. Then when someone asks if I’m in pain I need to stop blocking it out, and it comes rushing at me all at once. PAIN!
This took it to a different level. I had acknowledged my pain, but by focusing on every movement, every massage, and trying to determine if it was causing more or less pain, I was too focused. It gave the impression that everything hurt. But there were different kinds of pain, and some were more “real” than others.
This isn’t the first time this has happened. But since I was lying on the massage table for a while, I had plenty of time to think about while I tried to figure out if that pain in my back was real pain or this ghost pain. And did my ankle really hurt, or was that more ghost pain?
I wonder if I’ll ever find a way to explain this to someone who hasn’t experienced it? “You see, there’s real pain, then there’s this shadow of pain that can pop up anywhere….”
Have you experienced what I’m talking about? If so, do you have any idea what it is???
Chronic Rants 
Referred pain?
Hey Ms Rants – yes – it’s likely a nerve response issue – I have MS (and a myriad of things) and with that my nerves can be sort of hyper active – or under active – so – I may not have an urgent sensation that I have to pee – for example – and therefore I hold it longer than I should, (pee schedule is the answer… if it wasn’t somewhat embarrassing it would be hilarious – I try to find the humor in it) or if it’s over active, I get random pains like someone is tickling me, or it could be a pressure, or it could be a stabbing pain. And it isn’t “real” – but my nerves are reading something to my brain and their wires are literally getting crossed, and it comes out as the sensation of pain – which does still hurt, but I know what you mean! Could be a possibility for you too – or other readers!
Thank you so much for sharing this, Wendy! This makes a lot of sense to me, and I bet it does to other readers, too.