Well ... I'm immune to a lot of different things; which is a big issue, because I've had countless health problems since I was very little (& they've only got worse as I became older).
I guess the immunity to local anaesthetic started when I had to get treated for ingrowing toenails (a reoccurring issue that I inherited from my dad's side), though I was also beginning to have problems with dental-work as well; which is probably why I'd always hated/been terrified of going to the dentist.
I've heard plenty of stories of people getting their ingrowing nails treated; except they had the luxury of "freeze-spray" before their doctor stuck the needle in. Sadly, the doctor I had just stuck his needle in; with no freeze-spray or even numbing-gel/cream that they often use to numb skin beforehand. To me, it felt like he was sticking the needle right into the bone on both sides of the toe (so, naturally; I cried my eyes out).
Unfortunately, this doctor was an awful one & didn't even give the local anaesthetic a chance to kick in; though I'd learn soon enough that it wouldn't have made a difference anyway. He more or less counted to 10, then went for his tweezers/pliers & began yanking at the nail. I screamed in pain & cried that I could feel everything, but he still wouldn't stop until the nail had been completely removed. He later told my mum that he believed I wasn't really in pain & that I was just "letting my anxiety get the better of me" (so I made sure never to go to that doctor again & find someone better next time).
Because of what happened, the next time I got an ingrowing nail; I hid it from my mum for 2 months, as I was so scared to go through all of that again. She eventually noticed me limping one day, so I was forced to tell her about it; & she took me back to the health centre to get treated.
The next doctor was much nicer & he waited a lot longer than just 10 seconds for the local anaesthetic to try & kick-in, but the pain was unfortunately no better. I was still in absolute agony & cried my eyes out throughout the whole procedure, whilst the doctor apologised over & over for causing me pain. It wasn't noted in my medical history, though (at least not yet).
During these couple of procedures, I had at least one dental appointment & had to get a filling done; but I noticed the numbing injection that the dentist used on my gums didn't seem to work at all, so I could feel that horrible drill. I didn't like the dentist I had, though. Much like the first doctor who screwed up that first procedure I mentioned; my dentist was very unsympathetic & seemed to think it was my own fault that I was in such pain. He'd always say that I never brushed hard enough (not true at all) & insisted that "my negligence" was the cause of my pain; & yet, most times I brushed until my gums were bleeding. I even told him this; but he insisted I wasn't doing good enough & had to keep brushing harder anyway (regardless of all the bleeding).
He would raise his voice to me as soon as my mum left me alone with him, always pretending to be nice when she was there; & when I told him that my Asperger's Syndrome made me forgetful sometimes, he said I was just lazy & that I ought to have a photographic memory, if I were genuinely autistic. I'd always tremble & struggle to fight back tears when he raised his voice to me; because I don't like it when people shout or raise their voices to me. I'd first get a tightness-like sensation in my throat; as though my throat/windpipe is being crushed by a very large, powerful hand.
Almost every time this happens; my vocal-chords seem to be temporarily paralysed, as I'd find myself unable to choke out a single word (at least not without having a panic-attack or mental breakdown). This is closely followed by an insane build-up of pressure behind my eyes, which forces tears to come out (whether I like it or not). Luckily, that was the very last time I'd ever have to put up with that horribly-rude & discriminative dentist; as my next dental problem was a badly-broken tooth that needed pulled.
My original dentist (the cruel one) didn't have the proper equipment needed for this procedure, so I had to go to another place altogether. The plan was to use local anaesthetic & sedation to make me relaxed enough for them to pull out my tooth.
Unfortunately, none of it worked & I was as perky as ever. That dentist said my tooth had to be removed (right then & there) anyway, even though I would feel everything. The instant he began pulling, I began screaming/crying from the pain. The tooth didn't come out as a whole, either; it broke into 5 chunks. The pain was so bad; I must've cried for an hour afterwards (with my mum hugging me the whole time).
That was the "clincher", though. Because of what had happened; the dentist had it immediately put into my medical records that I'm now immune to local anaesthetic (even when combined with other sedative-like drugs) & from then on, all of my dental work was done under general anaesthetic.
The same can't be said for the ingrowing nails, though. Doctors have refused to put me to sleep for such a small procedure; even though it would mean being cut open without anaesthetic (so I now remove my own nails at home by myself, with my own "tools" & my own personal knowledge about how to do it properly).
As I've said, though; local anaesthetic is not the only thing I'm immune to. I'm also immune to many kinds of pain-relief (which is unlucky for me, as I have so many chronic pain conditions & although I'm on so many pain-relief medications; I only notice the difference if I'm deprived of them). Even morphine (put directly into my veins at a high dose) hasn't enough effect any more.
Simple medication, whether in the form of tablets or liquid often doesn't work like it should; whether it's pain-relief, anti-depressants, antibiotics or even laxative medications (I once chugged a whole bottle of "Laxoberal" & apart from almost making me vomit; it had no effect on curing my clogged bowel or helping me in any way whatsoever).
As if that isn't enough; I'm also completely immune to the effects of epidural. I was being treated for my "Complex Regional Pain Syndrome" (aka: "CRPS" or "RSD"), where doctors wanted to try some kind of steroid/beta-blocker that might have had a chance of blocking the neurological part of the brain that transmits pain; but to do this, they'd have to administer an epidural to numb me from the waist down. Believe it or not, after they administered the epidural & gave it enough time for it to (supposedly) work; I was still able to move & feel both my legs! Because it didn't work, they had no choice but to cancel the procedure altogether (& make a note of my newest immunity inside my medical records).
The only stuff I know works on me nowadays is general anaesthetic & "nitrous oxide" (aka: "laughing gas" or "gas & air"), if I can get past the anxiety/worry that I might one day be resistant to general anaesthetic & suddenly be aware during a surgery, only to feel them cutting me open ... as I know it can happen to some people. However, it's not like I can just go to the local pharmacy & ask for a supply of laughing gas to use at home for my pain (no matter how severe).
I also wish they would legalise cannabis where I live; even just for medicinal purposes, as I'm willing to bet that would ease my pains quickly enough! It's not fair on people like myself, who have to continue such suffering in silence (since doctors have all since given up trying to solve our pain issues ... at least in my case). It also doesn't help that I'm autistic & my senses are heightened (very hypersensitive) compared to others who haven't got some form of autism. What can you do, though? It's not like I can turn it off at my convenience (as much as I'd adore that ability, LOL).
All I can do is take it one day at a time.
Sorry for making this post so long, but I do like to include as much detail as possible when I talk about my life. I only hope others haven't had it as bad as I did, as it truly was a horrific experience that I'd hate to endure again.
Thanks for taking the time to read this & I bid you a very pleasant day, fellow "Aspies"! =o)
h34r:
