Guest guest Posted January 21, 2003 Report Share Posted January 21, 2003 In reply to Debra's note about the 0-10 pain scale. Just a tip--You said that your pain is a 15. As an experienced occupational therapist who has worked mostly with people with chronic pain for the past nineteen years, let me tell you what a 10 is supposed to mean. A 10 means you have to go to the hospital this second. I am not doubting your pain. I have extremely severe pain myself but I have never once told a doctor it was a ten. Nine, maybe. You tell them it's a ten and you're only doing yourself a disservice. It only convinces them that you have a low pain threshold and they will take you less seriously forever. Sorry, but that's the reality. Deni Gillespie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2003 Report Share Posted January 21, 2003 YES I WAS TOLD YESTERDAY ABOUT THE PAIN SCALE NOW THAT I UNDERSTAND IT I CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION WITH MORE CLARITY BUT NOT ONE OF THE MANY DOCTORS, NURSES OR THERAPISTS I HAVE SEEN HAVE EVER SHOWN ME THIS SCALE BEFORE... BUT IT DO KNOW THAT WITH MOST OF THEM IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARE JUST THE PATIENT AND NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT... AND MOST DOCTORS THINK THAT IT IS EITHER ALL IN YOUR HEAD OR THAT YOU ARE JUST BEING A WHIMP ABOUT ( I WAS EVEN TOLD THAT BY ONE DOCTOR I SAW FOR THE FIRST AND LAST TIME ABOUT 6 YRS AGO)...BUT THANKS FOR YOUR HELP .... DEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2003 Report Share Posted January 21, 2003 I have on one or more occasions told doctors nurses etc that my pain is 15 I also have lived with chronic pain all my life I am now 52 and use morphine on a daily basis just so that I am pain free enough to do the thing I want to do with out the disabiliting pain. I have has 11 orthopaedic surgeries and the last they cut wedges out of bone in my heels and cut the bones going down to my toes I had an epidural in for 5 days after the opp and on 5 occasions they had to boost the volume of the epidural and inject more pain relief in at the same time as I broke through. The orthopaedic surgeon cut through the plaster in the finish to see what was wrong and of cause the saw nothing but funny thing 4 weeks later they are opening the foot again to cut out Ostyomylist and the white staff infection that caused it and let me tell you the pain during that episode was well in the 15,s. Aussie . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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