Your thoughts? .......................... - Spinal Cord Disorders Message Board

joprud · 05-04-2003, 11:02 PM

Hi Guys,

Read this on the back boards...thought it was interesting....there seems to be a lot of different scales out there...if I go by this one, I, personally, am definitely rating myself too low on the pain scale...makes me wonder what scale the docs are going by...maybe that’s been my problem...If they’re going by this one, no wonder they aren’t taking me serious...Anybody know if there is a standard scale the docs use? ...should I be using this one?

0 - Pain Free
1 - Very minor annoyance - mild aches to some parts of the body. No pain medication needed.
2 - Minor annoyance - dull aches to some parts of the body. No pain medication needed.
3 - Annoying enough to be distracting. Over-the-Counter paid relievers
(such as Naproxen Sodium, Acetaminophen, or topical treatments) take care of it.
4 - Can be ignored if you are really involved in your work, but still distracting. Over-the-Counter pain relievers remove pain for 3-4 hours.
5 - Can’’t be ignored for more than 30 minutes. Over-the-Counter pain relievers help somewhat
(bring pain level from 5 to a 3 or 4) with pain for 3-4 hours.
6 - Can’’t be ignored for any length of time, but you can still go to work and participate in social activities. Stronger painkillers (such as Ultram) relieve pain for 3-4 hours.
7 - Makes it difficult to concentrate, interferes with sleep. You can still function with effort. Stronger painkillers (such as Ultram) are only partially effective. (Stronger pain killers bring pain from a 7 to 4-6.)
8 - Physical activity severely limited. You can read and converse with effort. Stronger pain killers (such as Ultram) are not effective. (Narcotic pain killers do bring this pain down to a level 3 or lower.)
9 - Non functional for all practical purposes. Cannot concentrate. Physical activity halted. Panic sets in. (Narcotic pain killers bring the pain level down from 9 to the 4-6 level.)
10 -Totally non-functional. Unable to speak. Crying out or moaning uncontrollably - near delirium.

Hope we all hit a zero on this scale today...A girl can dream can’t she?

Luv ya,

Joanne

franjo · 05-04-2003, 11:34 PM

Joanne,

I don't know if the doctors use a standardized scale or not. I do wish that they would clarify their scale, at least the extremes of it, when they ask that question. I know when they ask me to rate my pain on a scale of 1 to 10, I always think to myself, "Compared to what?" I've just always had a hard time with rating my pain...it is subjective, after all.

I did read this post on the Back Boards and found that, at least according to this scale, I've been giving fairly accurate numbers when asked. I've read that a "10" pain level is equivalent to holding your hand over a burning candle. That pretty much puts it into perspective for me!

I have had that kind of pain before, but I'm grateful that that's not the usual. I'm more of a 7-8 kind of gal. 6's are hard to come by these days. Oh, how I miss the 6's!!

Here's hoping for a big, fat zero for all my friends here!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOO

~Teri

IonMan · 05-04-2003, 11:39 PM

WOW,

After looking at that chart what comes to mind is that anyone who would put themselves at a 6 or higher for more than a couple of days should insure that their doctors really understand the pain they are suffering.

(I am reminded of an old joke.)

A woman goes into her dentist office for a toothache. The doctor asks her "How are we doing today?
The woman replies "pretty good, but I have a tooth ache."
After looking at the offending tooth the doctor says, "We will need to do a little drilling, you will not feel a thing."
The woman is then prep'ed for the procedure and the dentist returns & takes a seat on his rolling stool and gets situated to work on the offending tooth.
As he takes up the drill & leans in close he tells the woman, "relax, you should not feel a thing".
The woman then reaches out and grasp the dentist by the crotch and replies, "I certainly hope 'we' can avoid hurting each other!"

I hope this does not offend anyone, but exemplifies my impressions of how some doctors seem to be oblivious of patient’s pain at times and need to have the situation explained in terms they can understand.

Cliff

[This message has been edited by IonMan (edited 05-05-2003).]

Catherine with a C · 05-05-2003, 02:08 PM

Pain is real..........
If it hurt's ~~ it hurt's!!!

Pain free!! Now there's a wonderful thought!
Ahhhhhhhhh!! maybe one day!!