THURSDAY CONSUMER HEALTH TIPS

Due to popular demand from patients, a new scale is being considered with values from 0-20. According to 99% of patients, there are pain levels higher than 10. (Just kidding of course, but those of you who take pain levels can appreciate this)

I find it intriguing how people have different thresholds for pain. You can see two different people with the exact same injury and one might say it's a 2 and put off coming in where as the other may say it's a 10 and come in right away.

As a patient, I don't like being asked to 'rate my pain'. Is it the worst possible pain (10)? I don't know — what does the worst possible pain feel like? No matter how painful something is, it could probably be even worse.

When I experienced my renal colic, the provider asked me to rate my pain( numerically). Truely, I was cofused between 6 ,7,8,9,and 10. I believe this question is confusing for me as a patient and as a practicing physician from overseas.

When I experienced my renal colic, the provider asked me to rate my pain (numerically). Truly, I was confused between 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. I believe this question is confusing for me as a patient and as a practicing physician from overseas.

As a nurse, I highly recommend charting on both the numeric pain scale and the faces pain scale. It gives a more complete picture of what's going on.

Anna's comment is so true. If I have a high pain tolerance (which I do) and say a low number, will my provider just dismiss the problem as not really necessary to follow up. Do I have to say a higher number to be taken seriously? Patient's frequently tell me they don't know how to pick a number.