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a better pain scale


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painfaces0-6.png

painfaces7-12.png

 

0: Hi. I am not experiencing any pain at all. I don't know why I'm even here.

 

1: I am completely unsure whether I am experiencing pain or itching or maybe I just have a bad taste in my mouth.

 

2: I probably just need a Band Aid.

 

3: This is distressing. I don't want this to be happening to me at all.

 

4: My pain is not ****ing around.

 

5: Why is this happening to me??

 

6: Ow. Okay, my pain is super legit now.

 

 

 

7: I see the grim reaper coming for me and I'm scared.

 

8: I am experiencing a disturbing amount of pain. I might actually be dying. Please help.

 

9: I am almost definitely dying.

 

10: I am actively being mauled by a bear.

 

11: Blood is going to explode out of my face at any moment.

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It is funny. I've seen patients sitting quietly, vitals normal, and they are telling me that their pain is always a 10\10. Then I'll see this stoic lady who is supine, hr 115, B/P 160/90, sweating, vomiting into the trash can, lights off and she says her pain is now up to a 5/10.

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yup, best use of pain scale ever:

elderly guy with acute sah in obvious agony. rated his pain a 6.

I asked him about that. he said a 10 was when the germans shot him in the chest 3 times in ww2. fair enough. a man who understands the scale.

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I have imagained this exchange many times....

 

Pt (while texting BFF): My pain is 12/10...

 

PA: So... nothing would hurt worse than this...

 

Pt: That's right, nothing would hurt worse than this...

 

PA: So... I could peel off a layer of your skin, roll you in salt, set you on fire, and roll you down a hill of broken glass into a field of cactus... and that wouldn't hurt worse????

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LOL, very hilarious.

 

I personally hate the pain scale because if someone has never had any serious pain before than yes, their stubbed toe is probably a 10/10 because they have no reference point.

 

Whereas for me, a stubed toe would probably be about a 2 compared to the time I passed a kidney stone, which would be my 10...which would probably be about an 8 for the old guy who got shot in the chest, lol.

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I was hit with radiator water from a car (face, chest and mouth) when I was 15 (its currently my reference point when presented with the pain scale) I remember when the nurse asked me to rate my pain but I couldnt talk with my scalded mouth and the mind numbing pain---she actually got annoyed because I couldnt/wouldnt answer her

 

I just wanted to say...."what do you think"

 

Giving birth still doesnt beat that........but it was a close second

 

LOL, very hilarious.

 

I personally hate the pain scale because if someone has never had any serious pain before than yes, their stubbed toe is probably a 10/10 because they have no reference point.

 

Whereas for me, a stubed toe would probably be about a 2 compared to the time I passed a kidney stone, which would be my 10...which would probably be about an 8 for the old guy who got shot in the chest, lol.

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  • 1 year later...

an ER tech here, and I had a military medic who picked up a stateside job that I was precepting...we spent the morning in triage and while taking VS/pain scale we of course get the usual responses - 10/10, 11/10, 1000/10 etc etc. Puzzled, he took me aside and said "what if I punched them in the face, or stabbed them or something? then what would it be?"

 

I got the point, and as amusing as his comment was my advice to him was to not tell anyone else what he was thinking... hahaha

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  • 2 weeks later...

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