Article: Pain - Communicating Intensity of Pain After Hysterectomy

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Article: Pain - Communicating Intensity of Pain After Hysterectomy
Can you suggest a way to communicate my intensity of pain to my doctor or my family? I'm worried I won't be able to tell anyone how much or how little I hurt.

Andrea Mankoski, software designer and endometriosis sufferer, devised this pain scale to describe her pain to her family and her physicians.

Although it is designed to describe pelvic pain, it can in fact be used to quantify pain anywhere in the body. If you research pain on the Web, you can find many references to this method of quantifying pain.

Feel free to print this out and take it with you to your doctors appointments or to the hospital.

0: Pain Free. No medication needed.
1: Very minor annoyance - occasional minor twinges. No medication needed.
2: Minor annoyance - occasional strong twinges. No medication needed.
3: Annoying enough to be distracting. Mild painkillers are effective. (Aspirin, Ibuprofen.)
4: Can be ignored if you are really involved in your work, but still distracting. Mild painkillers relieve pain for 3-4 hours.
5: Can't be ignored for more than 30 minutes. Mild painkillers reduce pain for 3-4 hours.
6: Can't be ignored for any length of time, but you can still go to work and participate in social activities. Stronger painkillers (Codeine, Vicodin) reduce pain for 3-4 hours.
7: Makes it difficult to concentrate, interferes with sleep You can still function with effort. Stronger painkillers are only partially effective. Strongest painkillers relieve pain (Oxycontin, Morphine)
8: Physical activity severely limited. You can read and converse with effort. Nausea and dizziness set in as factors of pain. Stronger painkillers are minimally effective. Strongest painkillers reduce pain for 3-4 hours.
9: Unable to speak. Crying out or moaning uncontrollably - near delirium. Strongest painkillers are only partially effective.
10: Unconscious. Pain makes you pass out. Strongest painkillers are only partially effective.

This content was written by staff of HysterSisters.com by non-medical professionals based on discussions, resources and input from other patients for the purpose of patient-to-patient support.