Clear communication with your physician is vital in receiving proper diagnosis and effective treatment for pain. People who are informed and prepared will have more productive medical visits—by relaying critical details and asking the right questions. Here are some simple steps you can take to communicate with your healthcare professional:
- Tell your doctor why you are there. At the beginning of the appointment, clearly describe your pain symptoms, and any related symptoms such as nausea, lack of appetite, and difficulty sleeping. In addition, tell your doctor if the pain interferes with activities—at home, at work, or regarding leisure activities; and whether the pain has affected your mood.
- Show your doctor where it hurts. Be as specific as you can: tell your doctor if it hurts in one particular spot or over a region of your body.
- Describe your pain with adjectives. Only you know how your pain feels, but you can better help your doctor understand by using words such as: aching, throbbing, shooting, stabbing, gnawing, sharp, tender, burning, exhausting, penetrating, nagging, numb, and unbearable.
- Rate the severity of pain on a scale. Use a scale of zero to 10, with zero being no pain and 10 being the worst pain you can imagine. Rate your pain for a period of time before the doctor visit, noting for each timeframe when it’s worst and best. Some people keep a pain diary to help them record how they feel over a period of time. (Click here to get a pain diary developed by the American Pain Foundation)
- Provide information about when and how long your pain continues. Tell your doctor if your pain is continuous, periodic or occasional. Recall the time of day
when your pain is the worst and best and if it is triggered or helped by particular activities—even simple things like standing, walking, getting in/out of a car, etc.
- Devise a treatment plan with your doctor. Treatment varies: your doctor may recommend treatment like massage or yoga and can also prescribe medications to help the pain. Every patient has unique needs, so adjusting the plan with your doctor is essential to pain management.
- Speak up. If prescribed medicine isn't helping, talk with your doctor about different treatment options and adjust your plan accordingly. Your symptoms are
real and you deserve to have your pain relieved.
Some people find it difficult to talk about pain — to find just the right
words to describe what the pain feels like or to remember when it was at
its worst, or when they last felt their best. Doctors who treat chronic
pain often use a form like this Patient Comfort Assessment Guide to help
them create a complete "picture" of a chronic pain problem. The information
may be helpful for both you and your doctor.
To download the assessment form, right click (Win) or click and hold
(Mac) the link and select Save Target As...
To view the assessment form, simply click the link.
 Download
.PDF >>
Understanding the language of pain management is another important step in talking with your healthcare professional. Click here to read a glossary of common pain management terms.
"Why is finding a healthcare provider who is knowledgeable and skilled
in pain management so difficult? Because understanding that chronic pain
is a disease in itself — and one that is harmful to the body — is a new
way of thinking."
Read More >>
Integrative medicine is a form of medical practice that integrates complementary therapies with therapies prescribed by mainstream medicine. Ideally, this allows people with pain to access the best of both worlds.
Read More >>
There are different types of pain caused by different medical conditions. Click here to learn more about pain caused by cancer, diabetes, burns, lower back problems and more.
Read More >>
There are many professional and patient advocacy groups that are focused on helping people with pain manage their condition.
Read More >>
|
|
 The
In the Face of Pain® advocacy toolkit is a resource created to provide you with a series of tools
to advocate for people in pain. You can learn the basics of how to share
messages about the rights of people in pain through your community, your
local media outlets, your elected officials and your professional organizations.
To view the assessment form, simply click the link.
 An Information/Instructional
Booklet for Caregivers in the Home.
Download
.PDF >>
Also available in spanish
|
