Don't Ignore Pain

Starting to get uncomfortable? Pain medicine not working? Speak up. Only you know how much pain you’re in. You may need to get more pain medicine or switch to a different kind of medicine to get relief. Talk with your doctor or nurse about non-pharmacological pain treatments available. Don’t try to ignore painful symptoms. Managing your pain will help with your healing process. Talk to your doctor or nurse when pain strikes, or if it comes back after it goes away.

Ask yourself, then share with your nurse:

• Where does it hurt?
  
• When does it hurt?
• What makes it feel better or worse?
  
• Does it keep you from doing things like sleeping, dressing or eating?
  

What does your pain feel like?

Sometimes it’s easier to describe your pain by comparing it to another feeling. It’s okay to use your imagination. Some examples include:
 

• Does it feel like something is burning, stabbing, pinching or pressing on you?
  
• How does it compare to other pain you’ve felt?
• Is it like a paper cut, broken bone or passing a kidney stone? Does it feel better or worse?
• Does your stomach feel like it’s tied in knots?
• Do your limbs feel like lead?
• Does the pain make it hard to perform normal tasks?

You also can use these words to describe your pain: aching, bloating, pulling, constant, numbing, sharp and searing. Or use the pain scale below.