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--Do You Have Pain?

Do you have Pain?

Pain control is a critical part of your overall treatment and recovery, and your nursing staff is dedicated to working with you to develop a pain management plan specifically for you. Your nurse will ask you frequently about the type and severity of your pain, and work with you to manage and control it. It is very important for you to be honest and clear about the level of pain you are experiencing, and report it as soon as it occurs. Make sure to report any pain that is not being adequately controlled.

Pain Management

You are the expert about how you are feeling. Be sure to tell your doctor or nurse when you have any kind of pain. To help describe your pain, be sure to report:

  • When the pain began.
  • Where you feel pain.
  • How the pain feels-sharp, dull, throbbing, burning, tingling.
  • If the pain is constant, or if it comes and goes.
  • What, if anything, makes the pain feel better.
  • What, if anything, makes the pain feel worse.
  • How much, if any, pain your medicine is taking away.
  • If your medicine helps with the pain, how many hours of relief do you get?

The doctors and nurses will ask you to rate your pain on a scale of 0 to 10, or you may choose a word that best describes your pain. (No pain, mild pain, moderate pain, severe pain, very severe pain, worst possible pain.)

How Can You Control Pain?

As a patient, you can control pain by:

  • Using relaxation techniques or listening to relaxing music
  • Changing your position in bed or getting up and move around
  • Asking a family member or friend to rub your back
  • Using cold packs or heat if OK with your doctor
  • Using physical therapy techniques to help reduce your pain and increase range of motion. Talk with your physical therapist or nurse about this option.
  • Medication: Your doctors and nurses will work with you to decide which medications are right for you. They may include anti-inflammatory drugs that relieve pain and swelling. There is no risk of addiction to these drugs.
  • You may also receive narcotic drugs (opioids). These medicines are effective for severe pain. Addiction is very rare, unless you already have a problem with drug abuse. You may receive these drugs in pill form, a shot, an IV, or even through a Patient Controlled Analgesia Pump (PCA), or epidural catheter.
  • Sometimes a local anesthetic is used to block pain at the site by "numbing" the nerve.
  • Set a pain control goal, like keeping your pain below a level 4.
  • Report your pain before it becomes severe. It is harder to control the pain once it has taken hold. Also, if you wait to ask for pain medication until the pain is severe, the pain will get worse if there are any delays.
  • If you know your pain will get worse when you start walking or doing breathing exercises, take pain medicine first.
  • Use the numbered scale (0-10) to report your pain. This helps the doctors and nurses know how well your treatment is working and whether to make any changes.
  • Tell your doctors and nurses about pain control methods that have worked or not worked for you before.


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