WebMD’s interesting article on using the Pain Scale

I just read an interesting on-line article at WebMD (www.webmd.com) titled “Using the Pain Scale: How to Talk About Pain” by R. Morgan Griffin. Click here to read the entire article.

The article starts saying, “One of the hardest things about chronic pain is that only you know how bad the pain feels. There’s no blood test that can show how much you are suffering. There’s often no outward sign, like a bandage or a cast. There’s just the pain.”

That sounds like I could have written it – or did write it in my own memoir. Pain is personal, invisible and difficult to explain … and sometimes difficult for others to comprehend.

I’ve written before about the subjectivity of pain scales. I’m not a big advocate of using these 1 to 10 pain scales because they are not consistent and really don’t say anything about my pain. A while back, my husband was bent over in pain; yet, when the doctor asked his pain he said 2 or 3. I told the doctor based on his actions, it was a 6 or 7. Which number was accurate? Should the doctor treat a 2 and a 7 differently?

Last week, at the Pain Clinic, I was asked (as I am always asked), what my pain number was. I said 6 with 30 mg of extended release morphine in my system. That’s because I have done extensive research on the meanings of the numbers. Some pain scales actually give descriptions of the pain as opposed to you just blurting out a number between 1 and 10, so I know that 6 or 7 is accurate … for me.

Now to where the article makes complete sense. It talks about the need for context in addition to the number. How do I feel? How does the pain affect my life? The article goes on to explain that the pain scale is more helpful over time when a doctor gets to know you and your numbers. By using the same scale consistently with the same person, a doctor will get a good sense of how your pain is progressing and how well your treatments are working.

Maybe that’s another item on my list of why I am withholding final judgement on the new Pain Clinic. Saying one number one time without the additional context or information, just doesn’t make sense to me. What’s your number? What’s the basis for your number? Does it make a difference in your treatment?