Advice about Pain after Surgery

Be prepared for one of the first questions you will hear: "On a scale of 1-10, which number describes your pain?" Hmmm, wasn't prepared for that one. First of all, what are we comparing? What's a 10? I don't think I've ever experienced a 10 before... Maybe the closest would be childbirth... ?

So my reply? "3" (I didn't want to be a wimp.) So they didn't give me any pain medication. (I think if you say a lower than "X" number they won't give you any meds) I ended up asking for something an hour later, and from that moment on (through my release) I felt just minimal pain. If I could have gone back & done it again, I would have said 6 or 7.

This is the pain scale that most doctors, nurses, and hospitals use: Each doctor/nurse/hospital is different though, so best to ask them what they feel each number means.

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.

An explanation like that would have been very helpful. I wouldn't have responded with "3" as I did. They just asked the question with no explanation...

Finallyready, I'm an RN, and we are taught to explain the 1-10 scale like this:

"On a scale of one to ten, with one no pain, and ten being the worst pain you can possibly imagine, how would you rate your pain?"

I'm sorry you didn't receive that explanation. I'd suggest writing a letter to the hospital to complain. There's a terrible nursing shortage these days, and nurses are caring for too many patients, which affects the quality of care we can offer, but there's no excuse for allowing a patient to suffer because a nurse didn't explain the pain scale. Let them know that you did suffer, and why. It may help them to improve their quality of care.

I hope you're recovering comfortably now, and receiving adequate pain medication.

Best wishes,
Helen

Got this brochure from my pre-op today, on pain control after surgery.
One of the things it mentioned was that the less pain you are in, the less stress on your body, and you heal faster.

Also, it says if you are in pain, you should tell them ASAP because that can indicate a possible problem, and the sooner they investigate, the better.

(I used to underestimate my pain too, and now I realize that I've had chronic pain for so long, I don't notice it until it reaches between 5 and 6. When I was in physical therapy for a herniated disk, I had to learn how the number system worked. also I masked mypain because I was brought up to tough it out, ad not be a baby. I think that's a lot of hogwash...)

Also it says emphatically not to worry about being a bother. That's what the nurses job is, is to make sure you are progressing well in your recovery, and if you mask your problems, they can't help you.

That's just a summary from the whole blurb.