I’ve only ever filled one pain score sheet where I felt there was a clear understanding about neuropathic pain (and I’ve filled a few in my pain time). The remaining sheets I’m sure, were created in the dark ages and leave me bewildered how any accurate conclusions can be made from them.
But I developed my own pain score which I’m sure when read by anyone without neuropathic pain, will be enough to convince them I’m mad and in fact I must have fallen on my head not my backside. But this site isn’t for those people, (go off and play… you don’t need to be here and good luck to you).
My pain score goes something like this:
Am I ever in trouble! After 44 months, getting milk out of the fridge remains at least a 6 for me, and that is on a very good day… Unable to walk bare-foot, even the water hitting my back in the shower hurts. My flare-ups can last for weeks but my problem has always been I can do pretty much anything once I’m in the doctor’s office (adrenaline I guess). The fire starts as soon as I get out. Obviously, there must be some techniques or positions I don’t know. There are days all I can do is lie down for 22 or 23 hours (getting up for a couple of minutes every 90 minutes or so). I also get extremely fatigued all the time, with my eyes burning, nausea and chills yet there is no fever.
This looks so familiar… I’ve never thought about my pain this way, but I completely understand all of your numbers!!
The reality of pain. Not funny at all. Don’t give up hope, you don’t know who’s working in a lab somewhere on the very thing that’s going to make a difference.
I love your pain chart – even I can make sense of it. I did have a bit of a chuckle reading the “fun with hubby” part though, because on my side this ‘entry’ has long been deleted (let’s say “forbidden activities causing great pain) from my pain chart. Funny?” Not! I think such a ‘fun’ activities are healthy and raise the serotonin levels in the brain and I wish someone out there would devote a site to ‘help’ in that area for injured people!