1-10 Pain Scale Using Actual Descriptions Instead of Happy/Sad Faces.
Here’s something I’ve been working on for a bit and I’d love feed back, especially from other people who experience chronic pain of varying levels. It’s a 1-10 pain scale in verbal descriptors instead of happy/sad faces which has been updated since I put it up on Twitter.
This scale was made for people like me, who have pretty severe chronic pain, as a way to communicate with my doctors by giving them more details as well as trying to work with the current model as much as is possible, because it is part of the doctors diagnostic process. I used my personal experience of spending lots of time in the ER trying to communicate my needs and struggles as a sort of rubric.
1: I’m not sure if I’m actually in pain or just mildly uncomfortable.
2: Pain is not really noticeable until it's brought to my attention.
3: Pain is noticeable but I can still mask pain easily.
4: Pain requires me to lightly consider the logistics of my day. (example: can I commute to work my normal way with no trouble?)
5: Pain requires me to more so think logistically about my day and may start to cause an emotional response. (example: anxiety is caused because I know I won’t be able to commute normally)
6: Pain requires me to think heavily about the logistics of my day. Changes are likely necessary. (example: I might need to call out of work/work from home.)
7: Pain is difficult to mask but still responds to some pain management tools (like heating pads, medication, breathing exercises, etc.)
8: Pain is difficult or impossible to mask and causes emotional distress. (example: panicking because I know I can’t communicate normally.)
9: Pain makes it difficult or impossible to communicate needs related to pain. I start considering emergency options. (example: I don’t know what will help or what I need!)
10: Pain is emotionally and physically overwhelming. Nothing seems to ease my pain. I am put into crisis mode.
Feel free to let me know if these match your experiences or not. This list is primarily aimed at people who experience chronic pain, but I tried to make it so it could be helpful for many people. I think it’s also important to note where you usually fall on the scale. I range from a 5-8 on any normal day. I have 9 & 10 days but those are pretty notable and usually result in some kind of intervention like going to the ER. I think that sharing that info as well as your current pain can be helpful.
This list is definitely not free of personal identity influence. I see that my being Autistic is reflected in certain areas of the list, as well as the fact that I have access to health care. Please feel free to edit the list and/or make you’re own 1-10 pain scale that better fits your needs. I keep this on my phone in a folder for emergency medical information and it’s been very helpful so far.
Thanks for reading~