How Would You Rate Your Pain????

I just wonder- why do people thinka 6 or 7 isn't that bad? If one is really using the pain scale as "10 is the worst pain you can possibly imagine" then I think a 6 or 7 would be pretty bad too. This is why I dislike the numerical scale. It leads to gross exaggeration and leaves no room for subjective data such as the nursing assessment and objective data such as change in vitals/RASS scale.Cute article though- good way to bring up some of those points!

I hate rating pain. (I actually hate rating anything!). I have pain. Make it go away. That is all. After my last surgery, things were just starting to hurt. I know my body, I know my needs. take something now, and everything will be fine. Wait, and it will be bad.So in Recovery, I asked for something just when the twinges started. I had a student nurse, she asked me to rate it. Now, if I answered truthfully "2" because in my experience that is what is was, using the pain scale rational. However, I knew that if I said "2" I might be some Tylenol, if I was lucky. So I said "7" and got the Oxycodone. Now - before I am accused of being a drug seeker, the only time I take oxycodone is during the first 24 hours post-op, after that, I take extra Tylenol and use an ice pack. I don't like the way narcotics make me feels. Plus, they last forever in my body. However, I also knew that I had to get through dressing, a trip home, etc so I knew I needed some stronger on board. So, do pain scales really work? I have my doubts.

I always explain what the pain scale means concretely, not with silly terms like "the worst". Seriously, I think that's stupid. If the worst pain you ever felt was from a stubbed toe, how accurate can this scale be?I explain that to me 0 means no pain at all, 1-2 means minor aches and pains, 3-4 means more than aches and pains but bearable, 5-6 means you're hurting more than you can tolerate and need pain medicine, 7-8 means the pain is severe, 9 means total agony, 10 means you would rather be dead than feel this way. I tend to get a lot of 5s and 6s and a lot of funny looks. However, when patients are called for survey purposes after they are released, my patients usually give an "excellent" rating on pain management.

Quote from canigraduateI always explain what the pain scale means concretely, not with silly terms like "the worst". Seriously, I think that's stupid. If the worst pain you ever felt was from a stubbed toe, how accurate can this scale be?I explain that to me 0 means no pain at all, 1-2 means minor aches and pains, 3-4 means more than aches and pains but bearable, 5-6 means you're hurting more than you can tolerate and need pain medicine, 7-8 means the pain is severe, 9 means total agony, 10 means you would rather be dead than feel this way. I tend to get a lot of 5s and 6s and a lot of funny looks. However, when patients are called for survey purposes after they are released, my patients usually give an "excellent" rating on pain management.

Quote from Pepper The CatI like this. This make sense! I am going to have to steal this from you.

No discussion of pain ratings is complete without Hyperbole and a Half's modified pain scale:Hyperbole and a Half: Boyfriend Doesn't Have Ebola. Probably.The real fun part is the accompanying descriptions.Hyperbole and a Half: Boyfriend Doesn't Have Ebola. Probably.

I agree with some posters here that the "1-10" pain scale can be pretty inaccurate. I say this as a sufferer of chronic LBP. I have the same pain now sometimes as I had when it was at it's absolute peak. The difference is, because it's been with me for approx. 10 years, I rated it as a 5 during my VA check up, since in this time I've been able to work around the pain to get things done (plus the eval was done during the summer, when the pain lessens to a more manageable level (not manageable, lol just MORE manageable). But it's the same pain I always had. Anyway, the VA used that "5" as an excuse to cut my disability in half lol.

I have found that men are not to responsive to the rating system anyway. I mean, we kinda feel we might get judged, except the time I had that kidney stone, I rated mine 12 on the 1-10 scale, which wasn't appreciated

How about asking patients to rate their "emotional pain" on a scale of 1-10.I feel so silly every time I have to ask that, and I usually give a little disclaimer along with it.

I hate the 'faces' scale.......it's demeaning when you're dealing with adults. Not really a fan of the 0-10 scale either, especially when working with the elderly---a lot of times they really can't put a number on their discomfort. For that matter, neither can I; kidney-stone pain is the gold standard against which I compare every other kind of pain, and that is a 10 and then some! Nothing else compares, not post-op pain, not chronic arthritis pain, not even childbirth (although that last one was probably a 9.5). OTOH, I hurt every day of my life, yet I probably wouldn't rate it as more than a 3 while someone else might rate it as a 5 or 6. It's all relative.....and thus, not very accurate.

Quote from Ntheboat2How about asking patients to rate their "emotional pain" on a scale of 1-10.I feel so silly every time I have to ask that, and I usually give a little disclaimer along with it.

Quote from PRICHARILLAisMISSEDI'm a man... I have NO emotional pain