

Texting friends or strangers during surgery reduces pain - lm60
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2015/04/texting-friends-or-strangers-during-surgery-reduces-pain

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erroneousfunk
"texting someone on a mobile phone during a minor surgical procedure done
under local anesthetic can reduce significantly a patient’s demand for
narcotic pain relief."

The mention of local anesthetic confuses me. If it's correctly used, I'm
assuming the "minor surgery" should be a theoretically painless procedure. So
texting isn't reducing the severity of actual pain the brain is receiving
(which should be "none"), but the patient's own anxiety which might produce
feelings of pain?

Yes, I realize that the brain can interpret anxiety and emotional pain as just
as "real" as other types of pain, but the article seems misleading, if that's
the case, and these procedures shouldn't have been producing physical pain.

~~~
grownseed
Having undergone my fair share of surgeries with local anesthetics (a few
general ones too), I can definitely vouch for the physical pain. I have to
admit however that it wasn't directly in the targeted area, but rather in the
surrounding area.

One example, I had surgery done around my cheek-bone area and one of the tools
they used was some sort of soldering iron. The heat propagating and the pretty
drastic changes in skin tension were absolutely noticeable and painful. They
asked me right before the surgery if I wanted drugs to help but decided
against it. Instead, I ended up talking to the staff throughout the entire
surgery, got them to explain what they were doing and, perhaps surprisingly,
it was a very pleasant experience overall. The distraction definitely helps
with the pain.

Another example, I went through a number of inner ear surgeries. One of the
tools they use produces an insanely strident noise, designed in part to expand
your eardrum to its limits (IIRC). Even with the local anesthetic, it felt
like somebody was drilling through my head. I can't quite describe the pain,
but it's the worst thing I've ever had to go through (many times at that). I
doubt that sheer anxiety could produce this level of physical pain.

So from my admittedly anecdotal evidence, I would tend to agree with the
article.

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haswell
Interesting concept.

If I had to be awake for a surgery, I think this would also help me avoid
freaking out regardless of pain. If I'm semi-aware of what's happening to me,
my brain goes places and I am likely to have a mini panic attack...simple
things like a local injection of anesthetic for a mole Biopsy is enough to
make me want to pass out. Texting someone or doing something "normal" would be
rather comforting I think, if only to keep my mind on something else.

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trhway
behold the power of dopamine (and active Internet communication -
chat/email/texting/comments on the likes of HN/Reddit, etc.. - is almost the
second best thing after methamphetamine-s to get the dopamine spiking in your
system :)

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ExpiredLink
It detracts from pain. That's all.

