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What Is Pain?
Pain is an uncomfortable feeling that tells you something may be wrong
in your body. Pain is your body's way of sending a warning to your
brain. Pain can be an important indicator of problems, but controlling
pain can be just as important.
Pain control can help you:
- Enjoy greater comfort while you heal.
- Get well faster.
With less pain, you can start walking, do breathing exercises, and
get your strength back more quickly. You may even leave the hospital
sooner.
- Avoid problems.
People whose pain is well controlled seem to do better after
surgery. They may avoid some problems, such as pneumonia and blood
clots.
- Improve quality of life.
Both drug and nondrug treatments can help prevent
and control pain. You and your doctors and nurses will decide which ones
are right for you. Many people combine two or more methods to get
greater relief
Drug treatments
Pain medicine can be in the form of a pill, shot, suppository or through
a small tube in your vein (IV) or a small tube in your back (called an
epidural).
Non-drug treatments
You can help control your pain. It is helpful to know what your
treatment plan will be while you are in the hospital. By doing deep
breathing and relaxing exercises you can feel more in control. Your
nurse can suggest other alternatives to help control your pain. Patients
with chronic pain may find help at our Pain Clinic. Ask your physician
about this possibility.
What can you do to help keep your pain under
control?
These six steps can help you help yourself
1. Ask the doctor or nurse what to expect.
- Being prepared helps put you in control. You
may want to write down your questions before you meet with your
doctor or nurse.
2. Discuss pain control options with your
doctors and nurses.
- You may want to work with your doctors and
nurses to make a pain control plan.
3. Talk about the schedule for pain medicines
in the hospital.
- Pain pills or shots can be given at set times.
Instead of waiting until the pain is severe, you receive medicine at
set times during the day to keep the pain under control. Discuss
this with your doctor or nurse so you know if you need to ask for
the pain medicine or if it will be brought at set times.
- Patient controlled analgesia (PCA) may be an
option. With PCA, you control when you get pain medicine. When you
begin to feel pain, you press a button to inject the medicine
through the IV tube in your vein.
4. Ask for pain relief drugs when pain first
begins.
- This is a key step in proper pain control.
Waiting too long makes pain harder to control
5. Help the doctors and nurses
"measure" your pain.
- They may ask you to rate your pain. On a scale
of 0 to 10, a score of "0" would mean no pain. A score of
"10" would mean the worst pain ever. Reporting your pain
as a number helps the doctors and nurses know how well your
treatment is working. Pain Rating Charts are located in each room
treatment area and are for use by adults and children, as well as
those with cognitive impairments. Special charts are available for
infants. You also will be asked to give a "number" that is
tolerable for you. They can then decide whether to make any
changes in how your pain is being treated.
6. Tell the doctor or nurse about any pain that
won't go away, so you can achieve a comfort level that is right for you.
- Your nurses and doctors want to make your
hospital stay as pain free as they can. The amount or type of pain
you feel may not be the same as others feel even those who have the
same problem. YOU are the key to getting the best pain relief
because pain is personal. Your doctors and nurses need you to tell
them if your pain is not being controlled.
Adapted from: Acute Pain Management Guideline Panel. Pain Control After
Surgery: A Patient's Guide. AHCPR Pub. No. 92-0021. Rockville, MD:
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Public Health Service, U.S.
Department of HHS. February 1992.
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