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Ok, so you know how you scale pain or emotions/feelings at the doctor's office or just any health place? I think it's stupid. Like, genuinely it doesn't make any sense. How am I supposed to rank how I'm feeling on a scale from 1-10. I saw this post once about how that scale isn't helpful to people with chronic pain due to tolerance and all that and like yes fair and I don't have chronic pains so I can't really say much BUT I do have period cramps so I guess I get a litttttttle bit of say! IT'S JUST STUPID IN GENERAL IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. Last week/two weeks ago, I got developed colitis (inflammation of the colon) and my doctor asked, "On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the worst, how much does it hurt?" Sir, I get that you're doing you're job but how do I know how the worst feels. All I know is that I can't walk... Does 10 imply I straight up can't function or does it mean I'm unconscious? Does it mean I want to call the ambulance or does it mean I can't think at all? Even then, I know I can tolerate some pain. Like, I know I can technically walk so I will but it still hurts like hell so I would rather not... would that make it a 6 or 3 because I can handle it to a certain degree? I think they should provide markers of some sort, even if someone has a higher pain tolerance. It would make sense for the degree of the diagnosis. UGHHHHHH I HATE IT- and like earlier today I went to my counselor and they always give you a survey to see how you feel. The thing is, I don't know how severe I should rank my problems because I don't know what "normal" should be. According to the survey, is 3 (on a scale from 1-5) the average or is 0? How much is "a little", "somewhat", and "a lot"? There is also the problem of a changed baseline because I do have generalized anxiety and chronic depression so my scale is different. Like yeah, thinking about not existing is very bad but I think it so often, what counts as a normal amount? At this point, is there even a baseline- anyway that's basically all i have to say
My grievence with scales in the health system
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sim
as someone who is on the other side of this exchange (im a nursing student) i've never thought of this before
we use a scale to assess pain because depending on the number you give us we think of interventions we can take to ease your pain whether that be through meds or an ice pack or etc.
if you're ever confused about the scale communication is key; i would just thoroughly explain to your healthcare provider how you feel in detail if the numerical scale is confusing. most of the time explaining that you are in so much pain you can't stand is enough for them to determine what they should do to help you. i've never seen any nurse or doctor harp on a patient for them to give them a number
I totally agree with you! Also, I'm pursuing a career in medicine lolol so it's super cool to get input from someone else on the same track!!! While I do like that the scale is hella convenient and quick to use, obviously as to get a general idea, I just wish a baseline was presented alongside it so I get a better feel for it. Also, when I'm in a situation where I need to explain my pain, I never really know what words to say. I have shadowed some doctors and they ask if it's like a throbbing, sharp, or shooting pain, which I find very! helpful. However, there is a feeling of "if I don't use the right words, they won't actually take it seriously" which I really want to avoid. At the end of the day, I totally understand why and how it's used. I feel it could just be made better!
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