Autism and Pain Management


As a kid I would constantly come home with cuts and bruises, I couldn't explain or remember where they came from. Teachers would be suspicious of my “I don't know” answers when asked of injuries.

But, I just don't feel pain the same as everyone else.

In elementary school, it was a normal basketball practise. Running back and forth from basket to basket. I tripped (we joke it was over the blue line) and faceplated.

The coach made me sit out for a few minutes because it was a nasty fall. I continued with practise and then walked home.

My ankle hurt, like a minor sprain, and tingled a bit, but nothing major.

I took a shower, and then watched TV.

A couple hours later I look down and my ankle has blown up. It's 5 times the size.

Scared, I call for my Mum. My parents take me to the ER, and xrays reveal a broken ankle.

The next year, I get pushed, playing soccer and fall onto my hands. It kind of hurts, so I come off and we ice it.

My parents are concerned after the game since it won't move, and we go get xrays.

Fractured wrist. The surprise and confusion on my teachers faces the next day has been humorously imprinted in my mind.

When hiking, I walk through rose bushes, and weeds without so much as flinching. My legs getting cut up from the thorns.

Tags on shirts scratch me, they feel like I'm being rubbed with sandpaper. Loud noises hurt a lot too. Brushing my hair causes pain that makes my eyes water.

I haven't outgrown this like the doctor's thought.

Just last week I was at work and dealing with hot ovens. I walked into a rack and it took a few seconds to realize it had just come out of the oven. It hurt for a moment, and then it just felt itchy, and like there is pressure on it. (Of course we all had a laugh that I walked into a rack when filling out the incident report) I swear the amount of incident reports I've filled out at my job must have their own filing cabinet by now.

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