When seeking treatment from a pain management specialist or clinic, we need to understand that we have to be completely frank and honest in talking about the pain that we are suffering from and the existence of other illnesses and symptoms. Sometimes, we forget that pain management doctors will never know what we are really feeling unless we actually tell them what's bothering us. To get the best pain management treatment, the doctor should first know what kind of pain is to be treated. And the only person who will be able to tell him that is yourself. Only then will he be able to prescribe the needed pain medications and pain management techniques which are suitable for your condition and symptoms. In order to have a proper pain management treatment, make sure that you disclose everything that may possibly help your pain management specialist determine the right treatment.
Be Specific
It is not enough to say that you are in pain. Persons deal with different kinds of pain. Some are sudden or acute while some are chronic and lingering. Pain also ranges from mild to severe and excruciating. Tell the pain management doctor how long you've had the pain, how frequent it recurs and how it feels. Give your best description by comparing its intensity with other more common and imaginable pains. Does it feel like getting punched in the stomach or being pinched or being in labor? Descriptions like these can give your doctor more vivid images of how your pain affects your body. Does your pain make you scream, curse or cry? Or does it make you want to curl up and hope to sleep it away? Sometimes, pain management specialists find it useful to utilize a pain scale especially when dealing with children or persons who have difficulty in expressing or describing their pain. A pain scale usually depicts a series of faces with different facial expressions showing different intensities of pain. A pain management doctor would ask the patient to pick out the facial expression that would best correspond to his facial expression whenever he is in pain. This way, the pain management specialist would have a more concrete idea of how intense the patient perceives his pain to be.
Coping With Pain
It is also important to tell your pain management specialist how you cope with your pain. Do not be embarrassed to admit if you are having extreme difficulty in handling your pain. Tell the doctor how it has affected your life, or how it interferes with your job, how it has changed your relationship with friends and loved ones, or how it has made you feel withdrawn and depressed. Chronic pain is not only about the pain itself. The disease is also comprised of all other incidents and effects of chronic pain. Letting the pain management specialist know how chronic pain has affected your life will enable him to determine the most suitable approach and the proper pain management treatment for you.