Perhaps the most counter-intuitive thing is that my body over-reacts because it can't accurately gauge what is happening. Like if I bump a table, my reflexes freak out, because sometimes I bump a table and nothing happens, but other times I bump a table and it's A Really Bad Day.
I think the lack of pain meds can surprise people but I also think maybe I'm not thaaat tolerant, there's just a trend to treat any discomfort with meds. So whilst I am probably more than average tolerance, I think most tap out early and could endure more if they needed to.