Why do they tend to downplay it so much most of the time? Do they truly not think it will be painful? Or is there some other reason for that?
In: Biology
I can understand the sentiment that nobody likes being lied too, but there’s an anticipatory element to pain control. Patients WILL freak out more if they think something is going to hurt. Lying and saying you might feel a pinch/pressure primes you to feel something, but not tense up like you’re about to be shot at pointblank range. It’s kind of the lesser of two evils. Doctors and nurses should not use this line for things that actually hurt, and me personally I only use it for blood sugars and heparin/insulin shots. Additionally, the spectrum of skin sensitivity is all over the place, so some people genuinely just feel pressure, while some people are screaming like dramatic reenactments of The Exorcist for the whole floor to hear. Your ability to feel sympathy in those situations lessens when you’re experiencing permanent hearing loss from a blood pressure cuff squeeze, and then there’s a certain percentage of people (94%?) that would refuse anything mildly uncomfortably given the option/warning.
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