Communicating About Pain

You have a right to have your pain evaluated and treated as effectively as possible. Untreated pain can limit eating, sleeping, and activity. Tell your health care provider where and how much you hurt. It may not be possible to relieve all the pain. But your health care provider can help you reach a pain level you can live with.

Your role

Tell your health care provider about the pain and your health problems. Be sure to:

• Mention all the medicines you take. This includes over-the-counter medicine and any herbs, teas, or vitamins you take.

• Mention any pain relief techniques you use, like massage or meditation.

• Measure pain as directed by your health care provider. Tell them how your pain is affecting your mood, sleep, stress, and function.

• Your health care provider may ask you to keep a diary of your pain, the treatments you are using, and how well they work. You may also be asked to describe how strong your pain is on a scale of zero to 10. Zero is no pain and 10 is the worst pain you can imagine. Be prepared to do this for your health care provider.

• Follow your treatment plan as directed by your health care provider. Tell your health care provider how your treatment is working.

As pain is reduced, you’ll feel better. Less stress on your body and mind can also lead to less pain.  

Your health care provider’s role

Your health care provider will help you understand and manage pain. You will be informed about your pain control options. These may include medicines, physical therapy, integrative therapies, and other options.

How to help

It may be hard to understand how your loved one feels. But the pain they have is real. You may not be able to stop the pain. You can help in other ways, though. Spend time with your loved one. This helps distract from the pain. And help them take the correct amount of medicine at the right-time.