Same Pain, Different Sex Means Different Treatment

May 7, 2005 — -- Simone Orton, a 42-year-old mother and part-time nurse, suffered with debilitating pain until she ended up in a wheelchair. Doctors said her symptoms were psychosomatic.

"Doctors sent me to a psychiatrist and told me it was in my head," Orton said. "I really believed that there was something wrong, and I knew I was not making up the pain because the pain was so severe."

Orton's case isn't unique. Studies show even though women report symptoms of pain to their doctors earlier and more frequently than men, they receive less attention for it.

"Doctors provide lesser quality pain care for women despite having the same pain complaint," said pain specialist Dr. Carmen R. Green. "No one who has pain deserves to suffer with pain. It really is a silent epidemic."

Orton's pain continued until Green set her sights on it. She quickly learned it was not in her head. Instead, she suffered from a rare form of arthritis. Now, Orton takes 30 pills a day and exercises to control her pain.

"Today, I am back working, I have energy now," Orton said. "I appreciate every day that I wake up."

Findings show while women's pain is often ignored by their doctors, men choose to ignore their own pain.

This study shows men suffering from similar acute pain also manage their pain better, and often ignore their symptoms until more serious treatment is needed. This can shave seven to eight years off a man's life.

Forty-year-old champion wrestler Billy Campbell ignored his pain until he couldn't walk anymore. Finally, he visited his doctor, learned he needed surgery and watched his pain disappear overnight.

Pain specialists advise women to let their doctors know they won't wait for answers.

Before visiting a doctor, women might want to keep a pain diary to record how often they are in pain, and to record the level of severity on a scale from one to 10. That will provide a better picture and allow the doctor to give the pain the attention it deserves.

Men, on the other hand, should stop toughing it out and start paying more attention to their pain -- as Campbell eventually did.

"I woke up in the hospital and it was cured," Campbell said. "It was, like, fixed."