Two Patients on Your Unit Have Recently Returned to the Postsurgical

Two patients on your unit have recently returned to the postsurgical unit after knee arthroplasty. One patient is reporting pain of 8 to 9 on a 0 -to-10 pain scale, whereas the other patient is reporting a pain level of 3 to 4 on the same pain scale. What is the nurses most plausible rationale for understanding the patients different perceptions of pain?

A) Endorphin levels may vary between patients, affecting the perception of pain.
B) One of the patients is exaggerating his or her sense of pain.
C) The patients are likely experiencing a variance in vasoconstriction.
D) One of the patients may be experiencing opioid tolerance.