Does dementia affect pain tolerance?

I know what your Mom is going through regarding a broken bone and pain. Recently been there done that. When wearing a restraint one's arm isn't moving thus very little pain, except for trying to sleep.

But once it is time to start using that arm again the pain is very jarring because the muscles in the arm had tightened up due to non-use. Rehab is quite painful as the therapist is pulling/tugging on that arm to stretch the muscles, I went 3x a week for four months, I still need to go back.

Was the broken arm your Mom's primary arm? If yes, that makes it even worse because you are now forced to use your other arm to try to dress, eat, comb your hair, brush your teeth, write, etc. with that outcome that resembled that of a 3 year old. Try doing everything with just your other arm and see how it can be. And you are using muscles that aren't use to doing these things, so that other arm starts to ache.

Even though my break was back in May, my arm still will ache when I try to lift something heavier than a loaf of bread, and/or if the weather is bad. Yes, the pain is real and will be real for quite some time.

My mom broke her back for the second time in May and then broke her hip in July. She broke her other hip 8/12 and has bilateral knee replacements with late stage dementia. Mom rubs her knees, hips or back and when you ask her does she have pain she says no. Her dementia/palliative care physician tells us to treat the pain bc she does have chronic pain related to her history of fractures and that her dementia doesn't allow her to understand that what she is feeling is pain.

Regular massage. Start gentle & gradually go deeper at level tolerated. Always massage before pulling & tugging on arm. If possible excerciser/ stretch in spa or hot water bath. If in bath add bicarbonate of soda. If doc refuses to listen get second appinion (RN)

My dad has an extremely high pain threshold in his younger years. After he was in the nursing home and could no longer walk or care for himself he winced in pain when any of the nurses or CNAs tried to move him. I attributed it to his brain no longer sending or receiving the correct signals regarding experiencing a sensation versus actually being hurt. Still the pain was real to him at that moment and it was important for the nursing staff to treat it as such.

one of the first things they used to teach in nursing school is that if a patient says they're in pain then they are in pain. maybe the good doctor should take a few nursing courses

My mom (Who passed away 7 weeks ago) had stomach pain quite a bit. I took her to the ER, where they did a cat scan and could only find a left ovarian cyst, exactly where the pain was. Because of her age, or maybe because she was so frail, they didn't do anything. The doc said it would probably hurt more when it burst. Mom complained so much about the automatic blood pressure cuff that I hesitated to take her to the ER. Right before she died, she complained about the stomach pain again, although it seemed more severe. I waited until the next morning and she was clearly worse. We were getting her ready to take her to the hospital when she died in my arms. But the coroner thinks she a heart attack. She was supposed to be on oxygen but wouldn't wear it and her doc said that it would make her heart work harder if it didn't. I had to struggle some with my decision not to take her to the ER the night she started complaining of pain, but I had no idea, no one to tell me this pain was different. It had gotten to where she complained so much and I was rushing around so much, trying to appease her. Our hot water bottle was really getting a workout.....and me too!

Imop. Pain is a subjective experience. It is the patient's experience, nog the doctor's.
In agreement that massage or light touch can help alleviate pain.
Rub something in there where it hurts, your choice. That is whether the pain is real or just not real. You will be 'treating' what hurts either way. Use ice and heat.
In my own opinion.

Michell, we never started the dilaudid, I was very reluctant to go that route as we already have bowel problems. She gets by now with acetaminophen and ibuprofen.

I was told that dementia can cause a person to feel pain that isn't there. Since it is an illness that is in the mind, I can understand that.

Maybe let her use her sling so it feels secure. Might at least change her focus if nothing else