Why Report Your Pain?
How many times have you been asked to “rate your pain on a scale of 0-10?” Be honest – has it ever annoyed you? Most people say “yes!” It is a hard question to answer. And these numbers can mean different thing to different people. So why do doctors seem to care so much?
Ratings like these help your care team understand your pain in a given moment. But pain also changes throughout the day. And many things can impact pain – in good ways and bad ways. That’s why it’s also important to ask about your pain often, and to ask more than one type of question.
Here are some of the questions you may see in this app:
What is the best your pain has been today?
What was the worst it has been today?
How are your pain medications working? How much relief do you get when you take them?
Is there anything else that makes your pain better? Or worse?
How is your pain impacting your sleep? Your activity? Your mood? Your relationships?
How does answering these questions help? Our hope is that they may help you:
Understand your pain better
Notice things you can do to improve your pain
Notice and avoid the things that make your pain worse
Notice how your body reacts to pain medicines, and learn to use them so they work the best for you
Learn how to communicate with your care team about your pain.
Answering these questions can also help your care team:
Understand the cause of your pain
Understand the impact the pain is having on your life
Pick the right medication at the right dose for your pain
Recommend other types of treatments like physical therapy, massage, or emotional support
This app is going to send you daily questions about your pain. You may not always be in the mood to answer these questions. But try to remember that answering these questions helps your care team understand your pain better, and it can help them support you as you work together to manage your pain.
