Pain can be a highly subjective topic and difficult to discuss. When it comes to your relationship with a doctor, you need to talk about all things involving illness and treatment. Never assume the doctor knows how you feel. The best way to get a proper diagnose is to be clear about all aspects of your health, including pain. Developing a methodology for communicating with your doctor about pain will help everyone work toward improving your condition.
Step 1
Write a journal or pain diary. Glenn Meuche, the coordinator of pain services for CancerCare, suggests keeping a log of episodic pain to help the doctor understand how and when it occurs. List the steps you take when you have pain and the effectiveness of different techniques. For example, if heat relieves shoulder pain, write that down. If you apply heat with no reduction in the pain level, that is important as well. Log the time and your activity in the journal each time pain occurs.
Step 2
Rate your pain using a scale from one to 10. One would be very little pain and 10 is intense pain that is almost unbearable. If you learn to scale pain as it happens, you give the doctor a way to gauge it. If the pain is chronic, write the number down as it occurs in the pain journal. If seeing a doctor for pain that is not chronic, gauge it while in the office. For instance, if you fall and hurt your arm, tell the doctor when he examines you the level of pain in your arm using the one to 10 scale.
Step 3
Use adjectives to describe the feeling of the pain. Words like knife-like stabbing or dull throbbing give a visual reference to the type of pain you are experiencing. Proper diagnoses may depend on knowing whether the pain in your arm is radiating or just an ache. Be as descriptive as possible to help your doctor put the pain into perspective.
Step 4
Narrow down the location of the pain as much as possible. Pain doesn't always come from just one location and can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint; describe precisely where you feel different sensations, ranging from sensitivity to numbness to pain.
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