My symptoms first started in the exact *opposite* order. I experienced pain first, then swelling. (And the pain has continued longer *after* the swelling has gone away.) I just can't imagine epid. *without* pain! That's always been the worst part of it for me. I've always been extra sensitive in that area, so maybe I'm just a wimp with a low threshold for pain, but I don't think I'd wish the kind of pain I've had on my worst enemy...

On second thought though, my former boss comes to mind (who's never been sick a day in his life), who wouldn't cut me any slack by letting me to cut back to a part-time schedule. He insisted I had to work full-time or not at all, even when the pain was so severe I could barely even *walk*... Or all the doctors who told me this was nothing to worry about, even after it had totally ruined my entire life...