Yes, when I have a "dead sensation", there isn't any pain. But I also have the experience of being curled up on the floor in excruciating pain. So it varies. Based on Heather's post, there's no question I have "IBS-C" rather than chronic constipation. I still question what that really means and how useful the information is, though. I'm still interested in learning what the etiology of my particular "version" of IBS-C is - not as an intellectual exercise, but as a means of finding a treatment strategy that is effective. For example, if my IBS-C is caused by bacterial dysbiosis that resulted from the severe parasitic infection I had years ago, then any treatment that doesn't resolve that dysbiosis is unlikely to heal the condition. I might find temporary and partial symptomatic relief with other approaches, but not get at the root of what's causing the problem. The book I mentioned gets at the root of what the authors (and I) believe causes many digestive problems. Not all, but many.