... How much does it hurt right now? or ... How much does it hurt at its worst, or ...
Are you sick of hearing this question? Frustrated about what kind of answer to give?
So I wonder, why is that question often times so irritating to the pain patient? Maybe just because we are asked it over and over again. Or maybe, because it just doesn't seem to say what we really want to say about the pain that we are having.
Like many of us, chronic pain patient Lois Randall had experienced much frustration trying to obtain the care she needed to get some relief from her pain. Also, like so many of us, it just didn't seem like the health care workers really understood how much the pain interfered with her life.
In response to this dilemma, she developed the Randall Chronic Pain Scale (RCPS). A unique feature of the scale is that it brings together the traditional 10 point scale that doctors and therapists are comfortable dealing with, and the personalization needed to fit each individual.
Two key things about utilizing this scale for yourself:
First, you don;t have to use all ten numbers. As you can see from Randall's scale, she only used the even numbers. It all depends into how many levels you want to divide your pain experience.
Secondly, as time goes on, your pain experience may change - get better or worse - and you can adjust your pain scale accordingly.
I would add, just begin - don't worry about getting it exactly right on the first try. Get it down on paper, use it for a couple of weeks for yourself, then adjust it as needed. Once you do develop a scale that seems to fit, utilize it frequently, at least at first, to develop an ongoing record. Later you, or you and your doctor or therapist may want to develop a regular routine for recording your pain level on your scale.
Also note, once you go through the work of identifying your scale, it's ongoing use simply requires recording a date, time and a number on the scale.
How to get started? Just take out a piece of paper, jot down single words or phrases or descriptions of how the pain feels at different times. Don't worry about putting them into any kind of order or organization. For now, just try to get all the words written down.
Next, start at the top of your scale. Select one word that best describes 10 pain - the worst you get. Then write a short sentence describing how well you function or in what ways you don't function when you are in this level of pain.
Work your way down the scale, what word best describes the next level of pain that you experience - when it's not at its worst but interferes in your life in some way.
Continue in this manner until you have at least 5 steps of pain - if you have more that's okay. Once you complete this, assign numbers to your words. You may use all the numbers from 0 - 10 or only every other, as Lois Randall did. In any case, add the number 0 at the bottom which would represent "no pain."
Finally, write your numbers and words down in sequence and in columns as shown in the example. Now you add the comments section - this can be anything, but remember, what you want to accomplish is to communicate to your health care professional the frequency or when this kind of pain happens.
Now that you have your personal pain scale set up, use it. At first, to test it, you might want to record your pain level several times a day. Later, you will probably decrease the frequency.
This can be an excellent tool to help you recognize patterns in your pain experience, identify improvements or backslides; and if you make the effort to share it with your doctor, should help you to be able to better explain the impact the pain is having on you and your life.
