In response to the question, “Do you have any suggestions on talking to doctors about pain? I’m going to see my doctor in a few days so I could use some tips and getting my point across.”
Anybody who’s ever tried to explain their experience of bodily pain to someone else knows that it’s difficult. Pain is subjective to each person, and absolutely nobody can feel our physical pain but us. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to communicate to others that we are having a life-changing problem, though; this just means that we should learn how to communicate about it effectively in order to receive the most empathy, compassion, and appropriate treatment(s) possible. How do we do that?
Figure out if your pain is acute or chronic Acute pain is short-term and often intense. Chronic pain lasts for longer than 3 months and can be just as intense, if not more so. Try to journal and see if you can list all you know about your own pain’s history, and go into your appointment with this list (as well as a list of your questions and concerns) so that you feel confident and don’t forget anything important to you. How long has it lasted? Is it the result of a specific event that you can pinpoint?
Find vivid phrases to describe what your pain feels like When I was first going in to see a doctor for chronic hip pain, I found the phrase, “I feel like I just slammed my hip against a table.” Easy to understand, as well as almost feel yourself, right? Make it clear that this is something that needs and deserves treatment. Women often get taken less seriously than men when seeking pain treatment, as do racial minorities. Advocate for yourself as best you can.
Learn the typical words that describe pain (as well as what parts of the body are affected by it) Sometimes, in dealing with pain, you’ll be experiencing different types of pain in different places. Read this page in order to understand what people actually mean when they say they’re having a “dull” pain, as well as other terms like “raw”, “stiff”, and so on. In addition, find a nice picture of the human body on Google, if you’re struggling to figure out the name of the approximate region where you’re hurting. I like this one because it has both the Latin and the English words, as well as the front and back of the body.
List which everyday activities are compromised by your pain Certain pain syndromes, if it turns out that you have a more widespread chronic pain disorder rather than an acute pain, have life activities that are known to be affected in most people who have it. Journal about them. You’re often required to list these on patient intake forms, anyway, so this will speed up your process of filling out that paperwork.
If you’re science-y, read up on pain This is mainly for the anatomy and physiology nerds out there. Two very readable articles from WebMD: Pain basics (1 page) | Pain classifications (3 pages)
List every single symptom you’re experiencing (even the ones that you think can’t possibly be connected to each other) Think about every part of the body. Is anything going on that didn’t in the past? I know that this can be hard, and even distressing, because it can give us a reason to grieve, but as much as you can, push through your discomfort with it. What makes them worse? Better? Bring this list with you to your appointment so that you can’t possibly forget any of them when you’re on the spot. The more your practitioner knows, the better.
Go into your appointment with a pain scale of your choosing (because not all pain scales are created equally, nor do they necessarily mean the same thing to different people) What is your pain on good days? What is it on bad days? I personally like the Mankoski Pain Scale because it talks about the daily life impacts of your pain, as well as the kind of medication that might help. Of course, it will be up to you and your practitioner ultimately to decide what kind of treatment you will get, but knowing, for example, that you’ve tried ibuprofen and it hasn’t worked is a helpful piece of information.
I wish you the absolute best in your appointments, friends. Know that you’ve even got an entire community behind you here on Tumblr! We’ve got your back and understand you more than you could possibly know. We’re called spoonies (people who have chronic illnesses that limit our energy). Here’s a masterpost of spoonie community-related stuff, (and how about another?), and a world map of spoonies to remind you that you are never alone! And, if you get diagnosed with something in particular, here’s a list of Tumblr bloggers that identify with particular diagnoses (and, chances are, there are others out there just like you)! Be well, and please ask any questions you need to.
Holding the Bowl 